An Appraisal of Urban Sprawl/Growth Pattern in Saminaka Town, Lere L.G.A, Kaduna State of Nigeria from 1986 to 2006

Ezemokwe Ifeanyi Uchenna¹, Onyemelukwe Oliseh¹, *Vivan Ezra Lekwot² and Ikomoni Oghenekaro Samuel²

¹Department of Environmental Management Nnmadi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State Nigeria

²Department of Geography and Planning University of Jos, Nigeria.

Corresponding Author Email: ezravivan@yahoo.com;  Tel:

+2348032880342, +2348097601269

Accepted 03 July, 2012

Abstract

This study assessed the trend of growth/sprawl that have taken place over the years and the direction of the sprawl in Saminaka town. The study utilized data from field surveys, remote sensed data and geographical information system technique. The results of the study show that built up areas in 1986 occupied the least among the total land area with about 4.85% coverage representing 1.954hectares. Saminaka recorded 57.72% increase in spatial growth between 1986 to 2001 with a difference of 2.667 hectares .The pattern of growth in 2006 recorded an exponential increase compared to that of 1986 to 2001, as it recorded about 61.10% a difference of 7.261 hectares from that of 2001 covering about 11.882 hectares.  The sprawl patterns are along the major roads to Karu, Jos, in the southern eastern, south western part and along the Lagos streets areas. Also the northern fronts along Angwan bawa and Sabon birni are all in ribbon developments. The sprawl patterns at the out sketch are leaping frog development interfering on farmlands at the fringes especially around Abadawa, Nasarawa, and Angwan bawa in the northern and southern fringe. The area around the Lagos Street is slow in terms of development; this is because of the proximity of the area to River Goggo that serve as a constraint to development.  Farmlands are gradually on the decline as both vegetation and rock outcrop have given way to built-up areas. Farmlands in 1986 occupied the highest land area with 80.74 percent covering 32.540 hectares. This figure dropped gradually in 2001 covering an area 30.40 hectares at 75.44 percent and fell to 23.71 hectares at 59.03 percent in 2006. Saminaka is largely a potential grain cultivated area and the alarming rate of development mostly attributed to rapid population increase, migration and improvements in the standard of living of the people due to commerce, its status as a local council headquarters are the major determinants of sprawl which in the nearest future will sharply reduce the agricultural output of  Saminaka.

Keywords: Urban Sprawl/growth, Growth Pattern, Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing.