Our Stand (88) —
Nigeria has witnessed annual reoccurrence of flood that has killed hundreds and displaced millions of persons. Unprecedented rainfalls continually caused devastating flooding, leaving many homeless.
Along with hundreds of thousands of houses destroyed, huge swathes of the country’s farmland are lost by surging waters. The country is still struggling with the aftermaths of flooding every year
Floods leave many households rueing what is left of their environments, farmlands, rifling through rot of any remains of food stuffs they can use at home for food. Added with banditry attacks on farmers, clashes between herders and farmers, the yearly reccurence of flooding fuels more losses of means of food production, threatening food security.
The consequence of this is, hunger and scarcity of food will become a reality of life across the country. Flooding is becoming markedly worse annually and once each happens, it leaves Nigerians facing the fact that lives and homes were lost and destroyed, with the most recent mishap being the Trademoore Estate flood this year.
How can rainfall flooding be stopped?
Unlike some natural disasters, rainfall flooding can be controlled with proper planning and provision of necessary infrastructure. Nigeria’s flooding is mainly human induced with poor urban planning practices and inadequate environmental infrastructure being contributing factors.
The extent and nature of Nigeria’s flooding are such that the actual figures for displacements, losses and fatalities cannot be truly ascertained due to poor records and reporting.
But flooding threatens sustainability because it negatively affects the economy, health, social life and environment. Flooding constitutes a threat to Nigeria achieving the global sustainable development goals.
Many residential areas have no drainage system and rely on natural drainage channels. Increasing urbanisation also means more areas are built with concrete and cannot absorb water, increasing runoff.
Poor waste management is another recognised factor. Citizens’ poor attitute to waste disposal and non-provision of waste disposal services by municipal authorities contributes to flooding. It is not uncommon to have drains blocked by refuse in urban areas.
Other factors are unregulated urban expansion – Nigeria is experiencing high urbanization rates without commensurate provision of urban infrastructure and amenities. Agricultural lands are increasingly being converted to residential areas to accommodate housing needs.
But there’s lax implementation of planning laws. One consequence of this is the there have been construction projects on natural floodplains and storm water paths. This has exacerbated flooding.
Corruption is also a factor. It is not uncommon for town planning officials to accept bribes and overlook issues. These may include unauthorised use of land and alteration of approved construction plans.
Some citizens also capitalise on the loophole of ineffective development control and extend their buildings over the approved areas. Sometimes they go as far as building over the drains.
But what is missing is appropriate action to mitigate the flooding. Currently, there is no flood management policy in Nigeria. The lack of relevant legal and policy frameworks is an indication of the low importance given to controlling and managing flooding in Nigeria.
Historically, Nigeria has been more focused on post-disaster flood response than control. To avert flooding, reducing and addressing exposure to flood risk should be a national priority in the Nigerian government’s disaster risk management agenda.
