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CPED POLICY BRIEF SERIES 2020 NO. 1 PREFACE Flood Risk Mitigation in Niger Delta This policy brief is the first in the series of Region: Strategies for Protecting communication to policy and decision Buildings and Properties makers on the on-going research project of the Centre for Population and Environmental By Development (CPED) titled “Empowering

women as key leaders in promoting

Gideon E.D. Omuta & community-based climate change Osagie Aitokhuehi adaptation and disaster risks reduction initiatives in Niger Delta region” funded by the International Development and Research PROJECT PROFILE Centre (IDRC) under its climate change Project Title: “Empowering women as key program. leaders in promoting community-based climate change adaptation and disaster risks reduction CPED’s Policy Brief Series is designed to draw initiatives in Niger Delta region” attention to key findings and their policy Funding: International Development Research implications as projects are being executed. Centre (IDRC) This edition which focuses on Flood Risk Mitigation in Niger Delta Region: Strategies Implementing Partners: Centre for Population for Protecting Building and Properties is and Environmental Development (CPED), Intervention Council for Women in Africa based mainly on the outcome of the (ICWA) & Ministry of Environment qualitative surveys in the region in which key (DMoE) stakeholders and household members participated in the research process as household respondents.

We are particularly grateful to IDRC particularly the Programme Officer in charge CONTACT INFORMATION - Professor Emeritus Andrew G. of our project, Dr. Melanie Robertson, for Onokerhoraye, Executive Director, CPED & the support to CPED which has enabled the Project Principal Investigator Centre to carry out the study and the Email: [email protected] publication of this policy brief. We also appreciate the cooperation of the leaders of - Engr. Job I. Eronmhonsele, Deputy Executive various groups and community-based Director, CPED & Member Project Research Team organisations in the target communities for Email: [email protected], their collaboration with CPED in the on-going [email protected] implementation of the project. Mobile Phone: +234 8080472801

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timeously, coastal flooding would be INTRODUCTION aggravated in the future. One of the most Flooding is considered as one of the most major envisaged environmental challenges hazardous, frequent and widespread natural would be that rivers would overflow their disasters, yet it seems to have been banks and cause flooding in their adjoining accepted as part of the lives of some susceptible low lying, usually, small communities in the world. With the on-going settlement and communities. While these climate change and climate variability, and areas are no stranger to flooding current their consequential effects of increasing coping strategies are being stretched. weather and climatic extremes, including heavy and concentrated precipitations, According to the Emergency Preparedness coupled with other environmental woes, and Response (EPR) and Disaster Risk flooding has become a major problem of the Reduction (DRR) Capacity Assessment global community, including . Report (2012), an estimated 25 million people or 28 percent of Nigeria’s population All over the world, coastal areas are very live in the coastal region and are at risk of important regions, as they host huge flooding. In addition, even larger populations, diverse ecosystems and natural settlements along Rivers Niger and Benue resources. However, owing to their settings, are also threatened by major floods, such as elevations and proximities to the sea, their the one which occurred in September, 2012. sustainability is threatened by climate change, particularly, global warming, and Coastal flooding in the Niger Delta and human activities. Nigeria is located along across Nigeria has resulted in huge collateral Africa’s west-central coast. Its coastline is losses of human lives; destruction of approximately 853 KM long, bounded to the economic, social infrastructure, such as west by the Benin Republic and to the east water supply, electricity, roads, railway lines by Cameroon. In recent times, as a result of and livelihood assets. Perhaps of more its low-lying topography, the coastal zone importance is that climate change-induced has been experiencing intensive and floods have cause the loss and damages to sustained flooding due to more violent personal properties, particularly, residential coastal storms and prolonged and intensive houses. Floods have both short term and rains from April through October, with an long term negative impact on residential increasingly unpredictable August break. property value; as they become less attractive to renters and costly to renovate The most significant factor implicated in the and restructure. Depending on the duration increasing flooding in the zone is climate of the floods, some may be completely lost change, responsible for severe storms and and abandoned, due to the total cost of increasing precipitation. Although up-to- recovery. Unless and until the underlying date, empirical data on the rising sea level in environmental and flooding challenges are Nigeria are scarce, it is believed that climate taken care of, such property will remain change is also causing rising sea levels, which valueless or under-valued, compared to cause saltwater intrusion into the low-lying those in less flood-prone or environmentally coastline, and that unless something is done, challenged areas. It is on this background, www.cped-ccp.org.ng|www.cped.org.ng|Email:[email protected]

P a g e | 3 therefore, that this policy brief examines the questionnaires were administered in each houses located in the flood-prone areas and LGA, making it a total of 4,000 tries to proffer possible ways to reduce or questionnaires. mitigate future damage, destruction and loss of residential buildings and property in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

METHODOLOGY FINDINGS A structured household questionnaire was From the quantitative survey data analyzed, as seen in the figure below, shows the used to collect quantitative data in 10 target percentage of residential houses in flood- LGAs, namely, , , prone areas compared to those located in , , , upland areas. Sapele, South, , Patani and South. A total of 400 household

Fig. 1: Location of Houses of Respondents, by LGA

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The chart above, shows that over 80 per cent the foundation may vary from site to site of the sampled houses in Ndokwa East, depending on the ground level. However, a Burutu, Patani LGAs are located in flood- height of at least 1.5 meters above the prone areas. This is because these houses ground-level, is recommended. are all located along the coastline areas, and are susceptible to the flooding that 3. Construction of Concrete Drains emanates from the river overflow due to Where they are not yet provided, concrete heavy rainfall. These areas are consequently exposed to the highest risks of flooding. On drains should be provided to channel surface the other hand, Aniocha North, Ika South run-off and flood waters from residential and Sapele are the least flood-prone LGAs, areas to the nearest natural drainage with less than 15 per cent of their sample channels. Disjointed or dis-continuous houses at the risk of flooding. drains must be highly discouraged. As the need arises, bridges, culverts, canals and all RECOMMENDATIONS FOR such devices may need to be constructed to COMMUNITY DWELLERS AND facilitate the unhindered flow of surface GOVERNMENT water and flood water.

4. De-silting of Drains: 1. Avoid Building in Flood-prone Areas: Where they already exist, the local authorities must ensure that the dumping of In order to minimize and if possible prevent refuse and wastes into the drains is highly damages and losses due to flooding, building prohibited; as such habits would impede the in flood-prone areas should be discouraged. free flow of flood water and surface run off. However, if there is a shortage of high land Where erosion causes drains to be filled, locations, the design, choice and silted or blocked, the appropriate local construction of the property should be such authorities must ensure that they are de- as to withstand the challenges of flooding. In silted timeously. The materials removed such cases there should be very strict from the drains must be evacuated immediately to prevent them from being supervision to ensure compliance with washed back into the drains. Severe approved standards. penalties should be imposed on all violators.

2. Elevations of Buildings: 5. Reserving the Right of Way(ROW) One of the ways to prevent loss or damage of Natural Drainage Channels and due to flooding in areas like Patani, Burutu Wet Lands: and Ndokwa East LGAs, where developable high land sites are limited, is to obtain The encroachment on natural drainage correct data on the mean high level of flood channels must be highly prohibited. Policies water and to ensure that foundations are should be designed to ensure that property above such levels. This may require piling developers are not allowed to build and concrete enforcements. The height of structures on natural drainage channels such as rivers, streams, creeks and wet lands, www.cped-ccp.org.ng|www.cped.org.ng|Email:[email protected]

P a g e | 5 including swamps. Development control officers who approve any permit for such encroaching structures, should be severely CONCLUSION sanctioned. Flood-proofing does not guarantee that Mother Nature would not prevail in the

6. Flood Insurance: event of a flood. However, a well-thought- As climate change-induced coastal flooding out flood mitigation plan in combination is envisaged to increase in the future, and as with property-flood insurance will the damages and losses caused by these significantly reduce the risk of flood damage envisaged floods are also expected to for property owners. In this light, the increase, it is recommended that significance of pre-planning (both by the government should consider a property- government and community dwellers) flood insurance policy. Such a policy would cannot be underestimated; there are help to protect property owners and their permanent flood mitigation strategies properties from losses and/or damage due individuals or the government can to unpredictable prolonged rains, coastal implement to protect residential buildings storm surges, and sea-level rises, in the and properties. flood-prone areas of the Niger Delta region.

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