Abstract:
The demands on surface water for agricultural, industrial and domestic activities has been on the
increase while the quality and quantity of freshwater supply is decreasing geometrically as a
result of rapid population growth in Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. The supply of
surface water to every nock and crannies of the studied area must be met. To achieve this, the
application of Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing was used to map out
surface water for effective and efficient water distribution at the required quantity and quality to
the studied area. Surface water mapping provides accessible, accurate, readable and reliable
information about the location, quantity, availability and distribution of surface water in Ekiti
Central Senatorial District. The LANDSAT ETM+ was used to acquire the satellite imageries of
surface water in the studied area. The surfer 8 and Arc GIS 10 softwares were used to generate
the digital elevation model, flow direction, flow length, flow accumulation, land use and
drainage maps of the studied area, respectively. The results revealed that the studied area has a
steady flow of water which can be evenly distributed throughout the senatorial district. Water
flows from the areas of high elevation to the areas of low elevation, while accumulates at the
downstream of the water flow. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing
technologies provides easily read and rapidly accessible maps that can be used to monitor the
surface water to enhance water distribution for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes and
the system can also be used to manage water resources correctly and effectively.
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