Effects of Time and Land Use Land Cover Change (LULCC) in the Dimension of the Gully Expansion and Soil Particles Loss at Ibeziako Erosion Site in Nsukka Urban, Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

Almost all parts of the world are threatened by one type of hazards such as soil erosion, flooding, landslide, earthquake, among others. Various types of soil erosion exist which include splash, sheet, rill and gully erosion. Gully erosion has been recognized as an important environmental threat in many parts of the world and remains the world’s biggest problem affecting the lives of man, plants and animals. Gully erosion occurs in various parts of Nigeria under geologic, climatic and soil conditions. The purpose of this study is to look at flood and soil erosion in Nsukka Urban and the erosive activities of the floods along its path ways. The study used both primary and secondary data comprising measurements, oral interviews, photographs, and satellite imageries. This study adopted a mixed method approach in data analysis and representation with ArcGIS version 10.4 software as the major analytical tool used, other calculations were either manually performed or were calculated using Microsoft Excel 2007.The results of the satellite imageries analyzed, were rendered in tables and maps. The soil particles removed from the identified gully site in the study area were calculated and projection of further annual soil loss established, pending when the erosion problem will be addressed. The management, control of flood and soil erosion required to reduce and mitigate against the adverse effect of the gullying were also proffered.