Investigation Into The Causes Of Blocked Drainage, Canal And Culvert In Ilorin-west Local Government Area
[A CASE STUDIES OF AGBO-OBA, OJA-TUNTUN AND SAWMILL]

CHAPTER ONE
1.0        INTRODUCTION
    Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. At the census of November 1991, Nigeria had 88, 514,501 with an inhabitants and a population density of 95.8 per 59 km.
    The average annual growth rate between 1963 and 1991 is 1.7% (Baiye E; 1991). According to 2006 census figure, Nigeria had a population of 140 million people. The major hazard experienced in Nigeria includes flooding, erosion, deforestation, land degradation and climatic drought.
    Flooding in Kwara state has been due to natural or artificial occurrences of blocked drainage, canal and culvert due to solid waste, wash away of the top soil, debris like trees, and leaves present in the water channel. Flooding has been experienced in different part of the state especially in Ilorin west local government area of the state, which has claimed life, damaged properties of the people that reside in the geographical area and as well as damaged the road pavement to greater extent.
    Drainage is the process of removal of surface or subsurface face by water from a given area by natural or artificial means. (Adeyemi, 2005). The term is commonly applied to the removal of excess water by canals, drains, ditches, culverts and other structure designed to collect and transport water earlier by gravity or by pumping. A drainage project may involve large scale reclamation and protection of marshes, underwater lands or lands subject to frequent flooding (Microsoft- Encarta 2009).
    Canal is an artificial waterway for navigation and irrigation, etc. it is a long narrow arm of the water penetrating an inland. Canals are man-made channel for water conveyance (Supply), or to services water transport vehicles. A true canal is a channel that cuts across drainage, making a navigable channel connecting two different drainage basins. Most commercially important canal of the first half of the 19th century were a little of each using rivers in long stretches and divide crossing canal in others. This is true for many canals still in use (Donald Lang mead, 2013).
    A culvert is a conduit used as an artificial channel under a road way or embankment to maintain flow from natural channel or drainage ditch (Oshunkey, F.E (1992). A properly design culvert will carry the flow without causing damaging, backwater, excessive construction or excessive outlet velocities. Culverts usually have span less than 6m per cell (\www. Acclimated.com), (Albert transportation (2004)).
     Blocked drainage, canal and culvert are caused as a result of high population of people living in a geographical area without the proper management of waste disposal, falling trees. Virtually every Nigerian is vulnerable to flooding either by natural or artificial.
2.0    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
    Ilorin-west local government area has been experiencing severe blocked drainage, canals and culvert over the years, which has makes life very hard for the residential in the area and result to loss of life and property.
    It has rendered some people homeless and jobless; it is dangerous for the possibilities of infliction by diseases such as cholera, typhoid, fever, malaria etc. as a result of enhancing stagnant water. It also forces many occupants to relocate due to air pollution and others factor causes by blocked drainages, canal and culverts
3.0    AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
    The aim of this project work is to investigate into the causes of blocked drainage, canal and culvert in Ilorin-west local government area of Kwara state in Nigeria.
THE OBJECTIVES:-
1.    To look into the factor that causes blocked drainage canal and culvert.
2.    To find out the hazards which blocked drainage canal and culvert causes to human environment.
3.    To find out the various control measures needed to bring blocked drainage under control.
4.    To suggest a proper drainage, canal and culvert management.