Investigations into the Morphometric Characteristics of Obibia Drainage Basin, Awka Urban Area, Nigeria

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the morphometric characteristics of Obibia drainage basin which is wholly located within the Awka Capital territory of Anambra State, Nigeria. The basin was delineated with conventional method from topographic map (Udi SW) on the scale of 1:50,000 published by Federal Survey office. Field survey was conducted for 9 months between April and December 2015 and data were obtained on linear, areal and relief aspects of the basin to ascertain the morphometric characteristics of the basin. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reduced our 19 variables into 5 while Principal Component Regression (PCR) was employed to reveal the relative contributions of morphometric variables. Result shows a bifurcation Ratio R (Rb) of 3.00 around the month of the river basin indicating higher risk of flooding. The relationship between mean stream length and stream order shows that order 2 drifts too far away from straight line on plotted graph suggesting some structural imbalances. The study recommends proper urban land use planning within the basin that would preserve the natural condition of the basin.