Written by CNN Staff Writer
(CNN) — Nigeria’s ongoing erosion problem has been blamed on water and climate change, according to the new report “Without Sanctuary: Niger Delta Wetlands and the Global Water Crisis”.
Hardship, loss of natural ecosystem and poverty are all in play, the authors of the 56-page report say.
This drainage problem that Nigeria has been struggling with for decades is a global one, the authors note.
“The demise of these wetlands is a case of global environmental and climate change, driven, in particular, by increased dependence on water abstraction and agricultural drainage in coastal areas,” the report states.
The report also states that land preparation and logging — which have been used for agriculture and commercial purposes for centuries — has also played a large role in the problem, bringing soil to the surface to expedite drainage and improve soil quality.
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The report also blames water pollution as a contributing factor. Poor quality water can lead to leaching of nutrients into sediment causing the deterioration of ground water quality and land subsidence.
Irrigation is also taking a toll on the wetlands’ rate of storage. While it has the potential to store 10 to 40 gigalitres of water daily, these wetlands only only have a capacity of a fraction of that.
“Like many of Nigeria’s wetlands, this is a loss with global reach, particularly given that access to freshwater is a major limiting factor to food production,” the report states.
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