ASSESSMENT OF THE CHANCHAGA DAM FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Abstract

Sustainable water resource systems are those designed and managed to fully contribute to the objectives of society now and in the future while maintaining their ecological, environmental and hydrological integrity. This study has investigated the Chanchaga dam for sustainable agricultural production. Socio-economic status of the stakeholders in the study area was assessed using questionnaires and checklists based on Rapid Rural Appraisal technique. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics used were mean and standard deviation while the inferential statistic used was Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient. The nature of ecological impact facet had the highest mean (M = 3.14) while the socio-economic impact had the lowest mean (M = 2.95). Two diseases considered most serious in the study area in 2020 and 2021 were malaria and typhoid with 1,600 and 254 cases respectively. Surface and groundwater sampling operations were conducted and water samples were taken to laboratory for analysis. For the three water samples, the average value of electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, sodium adsorption ratio, chloride, boron and sodium were 2.24 ds/m, 206.67 mg/l, 3.17 mg/l, 1.72 mg/l, 1.63 mg/l and 11.07 mg/l respectively. The study concluded that the water in this dam is suitable for sustainable agricultural production in terms of the levels of physico-chemical properties without compromising the sustainability of the vital ecosystems.