RESIDENTIAL LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS

THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS ON RESIDENTIAL LAND USE

This study aimes at overcomming the environmental constraints and improving residential land use.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the Study

Land is an essential requirement for sustainable residential land use. One of the most important issues associated with the possession of land for residential purpose is its availability. Non- availability of land constitutes a great obstacle to the growth of a region (National Housing Policy, 2011). The Land-use decree, promulgated in 1978 which was anticipated to aid availability of land for improvement, has, on the other hand been found to be a constraining cause in the residential land use delivery for a number of reasons. One major reason is ecological or more appropriately, physical constraints which pose a major challenge to the accessibility of land for residential purposes. The concern of land for development is tied to inadequacy of landmass in size and fairly well drained land is found to be reason why housing and settlement developments are very complicated and costly (UNDP 2006, World Bank 1995). Housing is indeed one fundamental social condition that decides not only quality of life and wellbeing of people but also that of places. It follows that where homes are situated, how the homes are designed and constructed, and how well they are intertwined into the cultural, social, environmental and economic fabric of communities are factors that, to a large extent have predominant outcome on the daily lives of people, security, health, and wellbeing (UN-Habitat, 2012).  Housing development is reliant on natural resources for construction with often detrimental effects to the environment throughout the housing and construction phases starting from the removal of building materials, site clearance, deforestation, encroachment and waste disposal on wetlands (National Housing Policy, 2014).

Land is fundamental to issues around housing provision. It is a central basis for shelter and all other economic activities (UN-Habitat, 2008). Facilitating contact to land and securing a way of owning the land is a pertinent requirement for the advancement of sustainable human settlement policy (Aluko, and Shaw., 2004). Right of entry to land by households is rudimentary to house ownership in housing markets in third world countries like Nigeria where to access house ownership, households are usually meant to buy land and erect their houses rather than buy completed ones (Nwuba, 2015). Without land, neighbourhoods cannot be developed. Its availability and manner of apportionment are critical when faced with an increasing population. The demand for land for the use of residential development arising from its non- availability are worth investigating.

In the area of study, Nkwerre community in Imo state, the issue of land scarcity is very acute especially in villages along the road. Nkwerre community is faced with limited land resource which emanates from physiographical, topographical, and environmental constraints. Nkwerre Local Government Area with an area of 46km² is the smallest Local Government Area in Imo state and Nkwerre community within, is totally surrounded by land (other communities). This makes it really difficult for her to expand horizontally. For instance, as a result of these challenges, indigenes of the community have resorted to building their residential homes away from the community; and if eventually a portion of land is obtained within the community, families combine to build their houses together in storey buildings. In Nkwerre community, it has become increasingly difficult to local services like schools, shops, private businesses to obtain and maintain landed properties which are essential for their operation. For example, investors seek land to build filling stations and fish farms but to no avail.

•  Statement of problem.

Nkwerre is the smallest local Government in terms of landmass and it is totally landlocked so there is little room for horizontal expansion as seen in the map of Imo State. The population of Nkwerre indigenes has continuously grown at a geometric rate while the landlocked landmass has little or no room for expansion as the land has remained fixed. This has led to the continuous rise in the demand and scarcity of land.

Inasmuch as the demand and prices of the land are constantly on the increase and the available land can no longer accommodate the ever increasing populace. The soil has an inherent brownish red colour which indicates the existence of iron compound which means the soil is ferallitic by nature. This brownish red residue can be readily seen by the way side, on the cars of commuters, on the dresses and shoes of pedestrians. This iron content located in the soil does not encourage the growth of crops and this has led to the inherent low fertility of the soil. Even though there are very little remains of land available for farming, just a small range of crops can be grown as a outcome of the soils composition.

A sizeable part of the community land is structurally depressed and totally inaccessible. This structurally depressed land is called ‘Uhualla’ meaning valley. This Uhualla is largely inaccessible and cannot easily be measured as part of it is extended to Ideato South Local Government Area. The existence of this large structural depression (valley) has greatly reduced the land available for residential development.

Parts of the community land experience flash flooding. When there is an intense downpour, some parts get totally flooded. Humans naturally tend to move towards an area with least resistance once and if there is an option. This has led to the systematic avoidance by people to built large structures around these areas. The flood moves at an unusually high speed resulting in loss and damage of whatever that lies in its way. The flood damages properties and even carries reptiles into people’s home. Reports have it that these flash floods have carried people away and depositing them in drainages resulting to loss of human lives. People tend to avoid building on areas prone to flooding as the consequences of flooding can be catastrophic.

Some parts of the land area experience the different types of erosion consequential in the formation of gullies. Since the soil has little or no vegetation cover as a result of the presence of Iron compounds in the soil, the surface is bare. When there is a downpour, the water droplets have direct contact with the soil, the force of the water droplets on the soil causes the soil to give way and erosion gradually begins from there.  When there is a heavy downpour, the velocity of the running water is high. This running water loosens the soil and carries everything in its pathway including soil and boulders. This constant action has continuously enlarged existing gullies causing a menace to the community. This menace has continuously eaten into the available land area and has posed a serious threat to life as the sides of buildings are washed away and the foundations exposed. The sides of most major roads have been washed away and gullies created.

Underneath parts of Nkwerre community lies large deposit of a mineral called Sandstone. The areas where this sandstone is present cannot easily be tilled or built upon. The area where this sandstone is found is left undeveloped. This sandstone has great economic value to the community as it is quarried and sold but the soil where the sandstone is excavated is left damaged with depressions or large pits which encourages unnecessary logging of water. These have led to reduced available land for putting up residential houses. Where the owner insists on using the land, the money for reclamation of the land is so high. The owner of the land is stuck with either reclaiming the land at an exorbitant price or just looking for a plot of land outside the community to buy and build.

• Aim and Objectives of the Study.

The aim of this study is to establish ways of overcoming the environmental constraints to the availability of residential land in the area of study. Thus, the outcome of the study will help to advance the housing-land supply situation for the people. Toward achieving this aim, the following objectives would be addressed.

1. Determination of the relationship between the quality of land people and type of house built outside the community.
2. Establishing the relationship between the quality of land and the cost of building houses.
3. Determination of the relationship between the quality of land and the tendency for high rise buildings
4. Devising appropriate technological approaches to land development in the area in order to accommodate the demand for housing-land in relation to the population.

• Research Questions

This research seeks to answer the following questions.

1. What is the relationship between the quality of land and type of house they have built outside the community?
2. What is the relationship between the quality of land and the cost of building houses?
3. What is the relationship between the quality of land and the tendency for high rise buildings?
4. What technological approaches can be devised land development in the area in order to accommodate the demand for housing-land in relation to the population?

• Significance of the study

This research set out to investigate the causes of constraints of residential land in Nkwerre community much against the need of the people. Emphasis was on the environmental and physiographic constraints because they are easily observable.

Against the above background, this study set out to investigate the intensity of land scarcity for residential buildings in Nkwerre community, how some environmental factors, mainly erosion and flooding have contributed enormously to the issue of land scarcity. The study highlighted the palliative methods adopted by the people, to overcome the destructive effects of the constraints of land availability for putting up residential houses and other scientific palliative measures also recommended. Besides, even in the face of these challenges, the people are still managing to get on with life and living. The measures they adopt to counter the challenge are also part of this study.

The findings of this study are of great benefit to the community and society at large especially as regards on how best to increase its carrying capacity to prevent an overshoot and consequent collapse knowing fully well that the population is constantly on the increase while the available land resources are fixed. This study investigated the correlation between the quality and type of land on one hand and the type of buildings that will be erected on the other. This study also tried to discover if the type and quality of land determines the type and size of residential structures to be erected.

• The Study Area.

Nkwerre Local Government Area is one of the 27 Local Government Areas in Imo State. Nkwerre community is further divided into six (6) autonomous communities namely: Nkwerre, Amaokpara, Eziama-Obaire, Owerre-Nkworji, Umudi and Umuwala. Nkwerre community lies within Nkwerre Local Government Area which is the smallest Local Government Area in Imo state.

Nkwerre community is the headquarters of Nkwerre Local Government Area which is one of the twenty-seven (27) LGAs of Imo state. Nkwerre LGA is the smallest in terms of land area in the whole of Imo state with a landmass of 46km² while Ohaji Egbema is the larges Local Government Area with an area of 890km² with the average size of a local Government at 205km² (Fig 1.1).

Fig 1.1 Imo state showing Nkwerre L.G.A

• Location of the Study Area

Nkwerre community is located in Nkwerre Local Government of Imo state. Nkwerre is the administrative headquarters of Nkwerre Local Government Area. The town is situated across the Orlu-Anara-Owerri trunk B road at about forty kilometres North-east of Owerri, the capital of Imo State, Nigeria. Nkwerre community is bordered to the North by Ideato South LGA (46.4km), to the North-East by Umuwala (38km), to the South-East by Owerre-Nkworji (20.2km), to the South-West by Eziama-Obaire (29km), and to the North-West by Amaokpara (39.1km) from the state capital. Nkwerre community is located between the geographical coordinates of lats. 5⁰44’30″N,5°46’30″N and longs. 7⁰5′0°E, 7°8’0″E. Hence, the latitudinal extent of Nkwerre community is 2’0″ while the longitudinal extent is 3’0″. Nkwerre is found on the Southern part of the Awka-Orlu highlands and topographically sits on a rugged local relief with both its lowest and highest points found at Umugara. Nkwerre is drained by one main stream, Iyibeke, which flows to the South-west rises in the North-east. Some of the east-flowing tributaries of Orashi River form small streams which transverse the Eastern and Northern parts of the town, forming natural boundaries at some areas.  Fig 1.2, shows Nkwerre Local Government while Fig 1.3 shows the topographic map of Nkwerre community including the heights of the surfaces above sea level.

Fig 1.2: Nkwerre LGA showing Nkwerre community and neighbouring communities.

•  Geology of the Study Area

Nkwerre community rests totally on the coastal plain sands of southern Nigeria. This geological formation (also known as the Benin formation) is made up of a series of unconsolidated medium-grained sand, ferruginous sandstones, gravels and admixture of clays formed between the Oligocene and Pliocene ages. Nkwerre, geologically is within the Bende-Ameke formations. The rocks are made up of gravel, lignite seams, minute particles of iron stone and clay. History proves that these stones were of great value to the people of Nkwerre, especially to the blacksmiths in the pre-colonial period. The climate of Nkwerre is distinctive of the rainforest belt to which the community belongs to. Nkwerre records an annual rainfall of about 203.2 centimetres and a range in temperature of between 21.1° and 32.2°C. The primary rainforest has been taken over by a secondary forest which is most likely due to the extensive bush burning and prolonged use of land which resulted in soil exhaustion, a reality which has aided to shape the residential/housing course of the people. Fig.1.3 shows the topography and the heights above sea level of each part.

Fig 1.3: Topographic map of Nkwerre community.

• Soil structure of the Study Area

The soil in Nkwerre is generally ferralitic, brown to red in colour, deep and porous in structure. Generally, the soil is of the residual acid type which is widespread in most parts of Imo state. It is poor as an agricultural soil because of its inherent low fertility. The top soil is washed away by sheet erosion and most places suffer other forms of erosion (rill and gully) and flooding.

Nkwerre community has a self-drainage profile which aggravates erosion. Some parts of the community have a very rugged terrain of ironstone mineral.

There is a large structural depression (Uhuala) located along her boundary with Isiekenesi in Ideato South, a large portion of Okoro-Okwara village is inaccessible as a result of the structural depression which pose physiographic difficulties. Some parts of Umugara village have large ironstone deposits in the soil making the area difficult to build upon (Plate1.1).

Plate 1.1: Structural depression in Okoro-Okwara village.

•  Population of the Study Area.

According to 2016 population projection, Imo state has a total population of 5,408,800 persons living within an area of 5,530km² and population density 978 persons/km². However, the study area which is Nkwerre has a population of 110,500 persons within an area of 46km². This gives us population density 2,402 persons/km². (www.citypopulation.de). Fig 1.4 shows the areas that have been totally built up, the fallow land and the area that still has vegetation left. The map shows that a larger part of the landmass has been built up and the area that still has some vegetation is where the valley is situated.

• General characteristics of the people from the Study Area.

Nkwerre people are generally affluent as compared to most other communities in Nkwerre LGA. They are mostly involved in commercial businesses and Government sector. They believe very much in owning a good residential house at home irrespective of where they are living or working. The general situation is that the money to build house at home is available but land for the building is hardly available. As a result, many Nkwerre people are known to go outside the community to purchase land for setting up residential buildings in neighbouring communities such as Eziama-Obaire, Amaokpara and Owerre-Nkworji. This is now generating an undesirable disaggregation in the cohesiveness of the community.

Fig 1.4:Nkwerre community showing built up area.

• Scope of the Study

Many factors can affect the availability of residential land. These include:

1. The continuous influx of people into a fixed area of landmass.
2. Presence of swamps and water bodies.
3. Overflowing of riverbanks.
4. Structural characteristics of the earth surface e.g. hills, mountains, valleys etc.
5. Environmental challenges like flooding, erosion etc.
6. The climate of a specific area or region.

Of all the factors that could limit availability of residential land, this study is focusing on the environmental and structural features affecting residential land use in Nkwerre community. The researcher chose to work on environmental and structural constraints because; the environmental challenges like the eroded areas and the structural features like the valley are easily noticeable in the area of study. Also, the researcher hails from Nkwerre community in Imo state, where the study is set. This very much will minimize the constraint of fieldwork, given the time and financial limitations to carry out the study.