Physical model study of the Goronyo dam overflow spillway

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) together with the Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority in the northwest of Nigeria are implementing the World Bank-funded ‘Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria’ programme (TRIMING) which includes work on the Goronyo dam in Sokoto State. The Goronyo dam provides important functions for the control of flooding, provision of downstream water supply and the release of water for irrigation in the dry season. With climatic events expected to increase in severity in the coming decades, a programme to enhance dam safety has been initiated by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Water Resources. The studies undertaken by BHR Group to verify the performance of the overflow spillway under extreme flood conditions, are described in this article.