ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF FLOOD DISASTER IN NIGERIA

A PAPER PRESENTED AT A SYMPOSIUM ON HUMANITARIAN DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF

FLOODING IN NIGERIA ORGANISED BY NIGERIAN INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH, YABA,

LAGOS-NIGERIA.

IYIOLA AKANDE, NEMA SOUTH-WEST

ZONAL COORDINATOR1st July, 2013.

DEFINITION OF TERMSDISASTER: A disaster is a serious disruption of the functioning of a society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope using only its own resources.

Source: UNDP

IN THE BEGINNING…

Wildlife.wmv

DEFINITION OF TERMS (Cont.) FLOODING:Too much water in a wrong place (www.environmental-agency.gov.uk)Water covering previously dry area

(Encarta, 2009) Floods are purely an environmental hazard of

geological and meteorological origins but very often they could be induced by human activities.

“Floods are among the most devastating natural disasters in the world, claiming more lives and causing more property damage than any other natural phenomena”(Bolanle Wahab, August 2012)

TYPES OF FLOOD

Floods can be classified into 3 broad categoriesi. Meteorological: As a result of rainfall of a long

duration – resulting from saturation of the soilii. Coastal floods: when storms and heavy waves

bring seawater on to the coastal landiii. Flash flood: lots of rainfall over a short period

of time. Occurs with little or no warning and cause the highest loss of human life, damage to infrastructure and public and private property

CAUSES OF FLOOD (with particular ref to the 2012 flood in Nigeria)

- Climate change – excessive rainfall- Release of water from Lagdo dam in Cameroun- Release of water from local dams- Poor drainage network- Inadequate canals/culverts in view of present

climatic reality- Encroachment on river channels- Dumping of refuse in river channels- Etc. Etc. Etc.

CAUSES OF FLOOD; Example: ENCROACHMENT on River Channels

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF FLOOD DISASTER IN NIGERIA

CASE STUDY OF THE GREAT FLOOD OF OCTOBER, 2012.

IMPACT OF THE 2012 FLOOD Number of states covered – between 21 and

34 states at different times Number of LGAs – 256 Number of houses submerged – 597,476 Number of communities – 3,870 Number of people affected – about 7 million Number of people displaced – about 2.1

million Number of deaths – 363 Economic losses – N2.6 trillion

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Disruption of Public Infrastructure –A

collapsed dam

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Roads and bridges were destroyed

Disruption of Transport System

BRIDGES WERE CUT OFF

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT cont. Communication links and electricity were

cut off

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT cont. SETTLEMENTS and Communities were

ISOLATED.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT cont. Houses were submerged

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT cont.

Disruption of drainage systemSewage spills were common

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT cont. AQUATIC LIFE was destroyed; Fish

washed away from ponds

HEALTH HAZARD: Wet surfaces led to allergy

WATER POLLUTION

EROSION Top soil was washed away Agricultural lands were inundated Farm animals were submerged

OTHER HEALTH HAZARDS General serious health hazards Stagnant water at homes Wet surfaces lead to allergies Amphibious reptiles were washed ashore

– snake bites were common Sources of water were contaminated Etc, etc, etc…

THE INTERVENTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH NEMA DURING

THE 2012 FLOODING IN NIGERIA BEFORE THE

FLOOD- Following NIMET’s

prediction, NEMA sent EW (Early Warning) messages to State Governments and relevant MDA’s

NEMA’s Intervention Before the Flood cont.

-NEMA organized various Stakeholders’ workshops, seminars and conferences.-Placed several TV and Radio jingles for awareness creation-Advocacy visits to vulnerable communities using Emergency Management Vanguards (EMVs.)

THE INTERVENTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH NEMA DURING THE 2012 FLOODING IN NIGERIA cont.

DURING THE FLOOD- Activated the National Contingency Plan,- NEMA supported SEMAs and other stakeholders

in search and rescue operations,- Deployed men and material resources,- Supported SEMAs in identification,

establishment and management of Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) Camps

- Evacuation of victims- Provision of relief materials

THE INTERVENTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH NEMA DURING THE 2012 FLOODING IN NIGERIA cont.

AFTER THE FLOOD, NEMA- Continued to support states, victims and IDP Camps

- Provided technical support to the Presidential Committee on flood

COLLABORATION AFTER the FLOOD cont.

-Continued collaborations with UN Agencies and other international partners-Assisted the States to conduct PDNA (Post Disaster Needs Assessments.)

NEMA’s COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

THE INTERVENTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH NEMA DURING THE 2012 FLOODING IN NIGERIA cont.

AFTER THE FLOOD (CONTD.)- Sought and gained the support and intervention of UN

Agencies and other International Donor Agencies such as: The World Bank, European Union, Japanese International Cooperation Agency, UN-OCHA, Government of South Korea, International Organization of the Red Cross, UNICEF, WHO, ECOWAS, etc.

THE INTERVENTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH NEMA DURING THE 2012 FLOODING IN NIGERIA RECOVERY MEASURES:- Medical Support – Provision of

dignity kits- Psycho/social support and

counseling etc.

- Rehabilitation of victims continued.

CONCLUSIONI commend the efforts of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research in choosing the topic “Humanitarian Disaster Risk Management: Case Study of Flooding in Nigeria” as the theme of this symposium.

The theme cannot be more apt than now with the advent of climate change and its attendant consequences

I would like to appeal to other Academic and Research Institutes as well as Corporate Organizations to emulate the good gesture of the NIMR to go all out and suppot research into the current environmental challenges facing the country.

Disaster management is everybody’s business

THANK YOU ALL ! ! !