Farmers lament as Cl Change dries up Goro
If the water level at Goronyo dam drops beneath its present point as recently seen by it will be a record and the event will overwhelm life in the area. But the shrinking waters are already impacting upon food security, and the first poor harvests, dry we
Dead trees efore us are dead trees unveiled by the declining waters of Goronyo dam. A normally green part of Goronyo village itself has become a site for groups to drive to and excavate sand to support ongoing construction work. Others sit on mats beneath the trees, for it is a very hot day. The landscape has taken on a new form and character, and sandy brown has replaced rich, friendly green. Close to the dam which was completed in 1984 and commissioned in 1992, a huge body of land lies exposed.
BHere are different shades of brown - some almost black, others turning deep brown, some in between all of these colours. My guide adds that at a certain time all the revealed land lay under water. In Sokoto, a tributary which connects with Goronyo dam is already showing signs that the dam itself which lies further on is drying up,and there is now a problem accessing water in Sokoto where water is being rationed, authorities say. River Matan Fada in Kebbi State, another tributary of Goronyo is desiccating, threatening the popular Argungu fishing festival which usually attracts thousands of fishermen, some from across the border, when it holds. One can see how an absence of water starves culture of oxygen, the very force which gives meaning to the festival. The felling of trees, desert encroachment ,and the poor rains of 2017 combine to worsen a very bad situation within the environment of the dam. The sum of all this is an environment which is being severely degraded on a daily basis. Not too long ago, the Goronyo dam had sufficient water “Some said we should transfer water from Goronyo to lake Kalmalo in Sokoto state so that it will be rejuvenated, but now with what is happening at Goronyo, we can see that it will not be feasible,” explains Dr. D.B. Adie, a professor at the department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He had earlier drawn attention to the fact that Lake Kalmalo had dried up, and he was suggesting practical ways by which its waters could be restored. On the other hand the shrinking Lake Chad has had huge impact on communities around the lake, and the drying up of Goronyo,a much smaller body of water which supplies water to a population of 4 million in Kebbi and Sokoto states, is already altering the quality of life in the area, and forcing the villagers to rethink many things.
Epic collapse
The drying up of Goronyo dam in which waters dropped from 100 billion cubic metres, to 100 million cubic metres, is an epic type of collapse and threatens food security downstream. “Little water means less food,” one scholar murmurs, upset at the sudden turn of events at Goronyo and contiguous communities. There was more water in the dam in December 2017, Daily Trust is informed, but four months on the site has quickly dried up,and this has slowed down the quality of life and reversed much that used to flourish in the locality, including many aspects of farming and fishing. Once, only two trees were visible when on a good day the dam fills with water. But today so many trees can be seen, and the leafless branches of many trees point upwards as though in prayer.This is the resurrection of dead trees, a summoning