A policy framework for surface water and shallow groundwater allocation,with special reference to the Komadougou Yobe River Basin,northeast Nigeria

The Hadejia and Jama'are rivers rise on the Basement Complex of Kano and Bauchi States, and on entering the area underlain by sedimentary rocks, they lose most of their water in their passage through Jigawa, Yobe and Borno to Lake Chad. Water resource developments on the Hadejia branch are now so far advanced that effectively the entire flow is consumed before the confluence, where the river changes name to the Yobe. These developments have taken place in the absence of a coherent, integrated water management policy, either nationally, for the river basin, or at a local level. The Jama'are tributary is so far undeveloped, although this is unlikely to remain so for much longer. In this article proposals for an analytical framework for water allocation policy in the river basin are made, together with an analysis of the characteristics of the major existing water-using activities. The article argues, not for a particular water allocation policy, but for clarity and transparency in the development of such policy by the relevant authorities in Nigeria.