WATER RESOURCES POTENTIALS OF ALA RIVER FOR POSSIBLE WATER SUPPLY TO OBA- ILE HOUSING ESTATE, AKURE

Abstract

A lot of the water and other environmental resources of many communities in Nigeria are not properly utilized while such communities lack essential infrastructures which could have been developed from those resources through proper harnessing and prudent management by the Government and the respective communities. Oba- Ile Housing Estate, Akure is a typical growing modern urban community with a critical water supply problem despite the presence of Ala River which passes through the Estate. This project examines the water resources potentials of Oba- Ile Housing Estate and the use to which River Ala; the main water resource may be put for the improvement of the community. The Ala River discharges was monitored for a period of two years with a locally fabricated staff gauge at a suitable gauging station which is by the bridge linking the southern and the northern parts of the estate. Suitable floats were timed through known displacements to determine the velocity of flows across predetermined segmental areas within the channel for the accurate determination of discharges across the channel. The mathematical model given by the time series y = 37.8s( Sin( 2π(2n+ t +7)/12) +1)was developed for the mean staff gauges while the rating equation Q = 5.307(h- 0.2378)1.0216 was developed for the river discharges at the gauging site. The coefficient of correlation of the rating equation with the observed data was +1.00. The rating equation was used for the evaluation of the raw water yield of Ala River which was discovered to be capable of serving Oba-Ile Estate, Oba-Ile Town, Eleyowo and part of Akure if properly harnessed. From the result of the studies, a simple water supply scheme and a water reticulation system were designed for Oba-Ile Estate. The Ala stream corridor was discovered to present a veritable space for fish farming, coconut and plantain plantations, dry season farming, recreation and tourism development.