Gongola River

{{Short description|River in northeastern Nigeria}}

File:Gongola River.png

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The Gongola River is in northeastern Nigeria, the principal tributary of the Benue River.{{Cite web |title=Gongola River {{!}} Facts & Path {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gongola-River |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

The upper course of the river as well as most of its tributaries are seasonal streams, but fill rapidly in August and September.{{cite web | url=https://dailytrust.com/how-rivers-benue-gongola-confluence-can-boost-tourism-in-numan/ | title=How rivers Benue, Gongola confluence can boost tourism in Numan - Daily Trust | date=6 February 2021 }}

The Gongola rises on the eastern slopes of the Jos Plateau and falls to the Gongola Basin, running northeasterly until Nafada.{{Cite web |title=Gongola River {{!}} Facts & Path {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gongola-River |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-02-06 |title=How rivers Benue, Gongola confluence can boost tourism in Numan |url=https://dailytrust.com/how-rivers-benue-gongola-confluence-can-boost-tourism-in-numan/ |access-date=2023-07-17 |website=Daily Trust |language=en-GB}} At one time, the Gongola continued from here in the northeast direction to Lake Chad.https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Irrigation-well-characteristics-of-the-Gongola-River-Floodplain_tbl2_280761561 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}

Today it turns south and then southeast until it joins the Hawal River, its main tributary.

The Gongola then runs south to the Benue river, joining it opposite the town of Numan.{{cite encyclopedia

|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/238475/Gongola-River

|title=Gongola River

|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica

|accessdate=2010-05-21}}

The lower reaches of the river are impounded by the Dadin Kowa Dam near Gombe, and farther down by the Kiri Dam. After the Kiri dam was constructed, downstream flood peaks dropped from {{convert|1420|m3/s|cuft/s}} to {{convert|1256|m3/s|cuft/s}}, while flows in drier seasons increased from {{convert|5.7|m3/s|cuft/s}} to {{convert|21|m3/s|cuft/s}}.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

The river downstream from the dam has also narrowed and become less winding, with fewer separate channels.{{cite web

|url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/gejo/2002/00000056/00000002/05092847

|title=Impact of Kiri dam on the lower reaches of river Gongola, Nigeria

|author=Tukur A.L., Mubi A.M.

|work=GeoJournal, Volume 56, Number 2

|date=February 2002

|pages=93–96(4)

|publisher=Springer

|accessdate=2010-05-21}}

The Gongola's floodplains are covered with fertile black alluvial soil {{Cite web |title=Gongola River {{!}} Facts & Path {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gongola-River |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}} {{Cite journal |title=Preferential flow between rivers and aquifers in alluvial floodplains |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4211/hs.f93624835f5145c2b597c9944aca9357 |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=HydroShare Resources|date=2023 |doi=10.4211/hs.f93624835f5145c2b597c9944aca9357 |last1=Martin |first1=J. |doi-access=free }} Cotton, peanuts (groundnuts), and sorghum are grown and sold to other parts of the country. Millet, beans, cassava (manioc), onions, corn (maize), and rice are also cultivated.{{cite book

|title=Geographical regions of Nigeria

|first=Reuben K.

|last=Udo

|publisher=University of California Press

|year=1970 |url=https://archive.org/details/geographicalregi0000udor |url-access=registration

|page=[https://archive.org/details/geographicalregi0000udor/page/150 150]}} The government built the Kiri Dam on the river near Numan to provide irrigation for a sugar plantation. The basin is also used as grazing ground for cattle, goats, sheep, horses, and donkeys.{{Cite web|title=Gongola River {{!}} Facts & Path|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Gongola-River|access-date=2020-12-20|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}