Mapping impervious surface changes in watersheds in part of south eastern region of Nigeria using Landsat data
Okeke, Francis Ifeanyi
In Nigeria as a whole and South eastern region of Nigeria in particular, there are many natural water bodies ranging from small natural pools of less than 0.01 ha, rivers, streams, to lakes of over 1000 ha in size. This region has experienced some sort of rapid development urbanization and industrialization since the 1980,s, and this gave rise to increase in impervious surface (IS) cover within the region. Impervious surfaces are mainly constructed surfaces - rooftops, sidewalks, roads, and parking lots - covered by impenetrable materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick, and stone. These materials seal surfaces, repel water and prevent precipitation from infiltrating soils. Increased impervious cover generally results in more storm water runoff and less ground water recharge. Less recharge means less ground water discharges to streams during dry periods. Also, impervious surfaces allow many types of pollutants, derived from a variety of sources, to accumulate upon them, and subsequently washed into water bodies by storm water runoff, severely degrading water quality (non-point source water pollution).
Event: 5th FIG Regional Conference for Africa : Promoting Land Administration and Good Governance
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