Nigeria: Recurring menace of flooding
By Leadership Editors
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The impacts of floods in Nigeria include mortality, physical injuries, widespread infection and vector-borne diseases, social disorders, homelessness, food insecurity, economic losses (mainly through destruction of farmlands, social and urban infrastructure) and economic disruption (most notably in oil exploration in the Niger Delta, traffic congestion in many cities in Nigeria, disruption in telecommunication and power supply among others.
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It is argued that more robust and scientific approaches to flood risk reduction, including flood modelling and vulnerability assessment, are lacking. Kaduna State recorded a devastating flood menace, with several families displaced along Abubakar Kigo road in Kaduna North, Barnawa in Kaduna South, Karatudu, Narayi and Sabon Tasha in Chikun local government areas, among others. Regrettably, we recall the floods of 2017, which displaced over 100,000 people in Benue State.
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There is an urgent need for knowledge-based decision using available information relating to flooding to draw conclusions on possible strategies to be adopted for tackling flooding. Also, there is an urgent need for flood risk communication aimed at creating awareness of flooding and its impacts for stakeholders and the general public.
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Institutional framework that tackles flooding in Nigeria like government response procedures which include policies, regulations, guidelines and agencies engaged in planning and managing flood emergency conditions or in helping victims to cope with and recover speedily from extreme flooding events should be put in place. These requirements are fundamental to information relating to flood hazards and the consequences.
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