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The Assessment Of Flooding Problems
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
.A flood is
an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land Floods are among
the most devastating natural disasters in the world, claiming more
lives and causing more property damage than any other natural phenomena.
In Lagos metropolis, though not leading in terms of claiming lives,
flood affects and displaces more people than any other disaster it also
causes more damage to properties. At least 20 per cent of the population
is at risk from one form of flooding or another (Etuonovbe, 2011).
Iwena
(2005) described flooding to be the accumulation of an abnormal large
volume of water in an area which has refused to percolate or flow away,
it usually occurs when there is heavy rainfall in an area and all the
water refuses to sink into the soil but flows on the earth`s surface as
floods. When such floods occur in the cities it is referred to as Urban
Flooding.
Etuonovbe (2011) stated that flooding may occur when water
in the river overflows its banks, or sometimes results from a torrential
rainfall due to climate change. It happens without warning but with a
surprise package that always delivers to unprepared community like the
ones in the Lagos metropolis i.e Makoko, Ikorodu, Victoria Island,
Ajegunle, Bariga and so on. In Makoko, flood disaster has been perilous
to people and communities. Recently and other parts of lagos state have
been affected by flooding, chasing the inhabitants away and retarding
commercial activities. It has shattered both the built-environment and
underdeveloped areas. It has claimed lives, and thousands of properties
got lost or destroyed due to its occurrences. One prominent feature
about it is that flooding does not discriminate, but marginalizes
whosoever refuses to prepare for its occurrence (UNHabitat, 2008).There
are factors of flooding depending on locality
McGranahan et al.
(2007) noted that while economic activity and urban Development often
increase the environmental pressures that lead to flooding, it is the
low Income settlements and poor groups within all settlements that tend
to be the most vulnerable. Coastal towns are by far the most developed
of Africa’s urban areas and by implication, have a high concentration of
residential, industrial, commercial, educational and military
facilities which are vulnerable to this environmental hazard (UNHabitat,
2008).
Whereas flooding itself is a situation that results when land
that is usually dry is covered with water of a river overflowing or
heavy rain, flooding occurs naturally on the flood plains which are
prone to disaster.
Generally, Flood is caused by two major factors
which involves the human and man-made factors, these factors obviously
are responsible for the generation and continuous occurrence of flooding
in the environment, and at any point negatively effects the environment
at large.
The impact of flooding may be a worldwide phenomenon, but
the effects are more devastating in African cities stated (Niasse,
2004). Also Makoko in Lagos state is not an exception given their
prevailing socio-economic problems in the area of housing in the urban
areas. Urban areas will be faced with increases in the frequency and
intensity of heavy rainstorms, ocean surges and other extreme weather
events. The urban centers that will be more at risk are those where
these events are already widespread.
Floods of 2010 have created huge
problems for the people of affected areas of the country. The World
Bank estimated some 17.6 million have been affected by this disaster
(Independent Evaluation Group, 2010). Damage of crops, roads, housings
and other infrastructure is estimated more than $6.5 billion. Health
problems including the spread of water-borne diseases have made the life
challenge for the people of affected areas.
Floods and storms may
have considerable adverse impacts depending on location, intensity and
duration. In 2003, floods accounted for 3,723 fatalities around the
world, exceeded only by heat waves (about 22,000 due to the very extreme
summer heat wave in Southern Europe) and earthquakes (about 48,000,
mostly due to the Bam Iran disaster) (Munich Re 2003). The International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reports that
weather-related disasters from a global perspective have been on the
rise since 1996 and increasing from an annual average of 200 (1993–97)
to 331 (1998–2002) (International Federation 2001 and 2003). The number
of disasters attributed to floods is on the rise, while on average the
number of people killed due to floods remains steady (Munich Re 2003).
The economic costs of flood disasters have been increasing globally.
Pielke et al. (2002) found that flood losses were falling to a
proportion of GDP although the gross loss is on the rise. The increase
in flood disasters is possibly due to more heavy rainfall events,
increased economic activity, and efficiency of the use of a catchment
(Green 1999; Mirza et al. 2001).
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study focused on the assessment of flooding problems in makoko area of Lagos state. The aim and objective was to identify and asses the drainage channel in the study area, the effects of flooding in the study area, to examine the causes of flooding in the study area and to examine past efforts of curbing flooding problems in the study area.Both primary and secondary sources of data were employed with focus on the residents of the study area in order to capture their views on the effects of ... Continue reading---
