ANALYSIS OF URBAN LAND USE ENCROACHMENT ON RIVER KADUNA FOODPLAIN, KADUNA METROPOLIS, KADUNA
1Baba, Ezekiel Bahago; 2Maiyaki, Dele Jibrin & 2Musa, Isa
1Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Fed. Capital Development Authority, Area 11 Garki, Abuja
2Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna
Email:easybahago@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Global trend of urbanization has changed considerably as the development on flood plain is evident in urban settlement. This is the case of Kaduna urban area. Kaduna urban area is divided into almost two equal halves by river Kaduna. The Master plan of the Kaduna designated floodplain along the river to avoid exposing the inhabitant of the area to flood vulnerability. Nevertheless, land use development has since taken over the designated area of the floodplain which is the thrust of the study. The study aims at analyzing the urban land uses components that had encroached into the flood plain with the view of making recommendation for improvement. The study uses GIS tool as a model to determine the spatial extent of encroachment into the floodplains of the River. The study divided the study area into catchment areas for easy assessment. At the end of the analysis, the study established that the rate and nature of urban land use encroachment into the floodplain is progressive in nature. The average encroachment rate into the designated area was established at 49.9Km2 which represents 40.92% of the total land areas designated as flood plain in 1967. Among the land uses that has encroached into the flood plain, residential land use has the highest encroachment level with 85.8% of the area encroached by it while others like industrial, educational and institutional land uses encroached 5.8%, 2.8% and 1.4% into the floodplain respectively. The lowest encroached land use into the area is the commercial, infrastructure and recreational land uses with 0.1%, 0.2% and 1.2% respectively. Based on these established facts, the following recommendations were given; there should be relocation of the inhabitant of the land uses to avoid risk of flood vulnerability; there should be effective policy integration and implementation of all urban management agencies responsible for physical development in Kaduna metropolis to avoid further encroachment into the floodplain; there should be land acquisition of all encroached and un-encroached area of the flood plain by the state government so as to regulate the area; there should be the creation of floodplain Buffer Zone to outline detail profiling of the existing built up area and the existing land use encroachment in the floodplain of the area; and land in safe and accessible locations should be supply to meet the needs of all sectors of the society to avoid further encroachment into the floodplain;
Keywords: Master Plan Provision, Land Use Encroachment
