DETERMINING FLOOD MITIGATION MEASURES IN SELECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS IN ANAMBRA STATE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17977/um063.v5.i10.2025.1Keywords:
Flood mitigation, Agro-forestry, Artificial levees, Water waysAbstract
This study was driven by the need to determine flood mitigation measures already adopted by the five selected local Government Areas of Anambra State which have had persistent flood incidence. It is hoped that findings of this research will help to improve on the areas where mitigation measures are inadequate. Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the study area, and simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. In all, a total of 392 out of 400 structured questionnaires administered for data collection were retrieved. Analysis of the responses revealed that public education and early flood warning on overall mean responses of 3.33 was highest. Subsequently, overall mean responses on flood warning being issued by government before any flood incidence was seen on 3.31; enforcement of environmental sanitation law was seen on 3.27; enforcement of periodic sanitation was seen on 3,23; clearing of drainages and water ways was seen on 2.92; construction of drainages by the government war seen on 2.67; and construction of drainages through community effort was seen on 2.50. Analysis of responses also revealed that poor flood mitigation measures on the area of construction of artificial levees; building of dams; and afforestation of waterways. Their overall mean responses are 2.14; 2.22; and 2.32 respectively. The research therefore recommended among others that intensive agro forestry along major drainage networks to regulate river flooding, and within fast developing areas to minimize incidence of surface runoff that is associated to increasing paved surfaces. Additionally, it recommended construction of dams at the upper catchment in the basin, and artificial levees to regulate excess water and floods during heavy rains. It also recommended regular clearing of existing water ways as well as construction of more drainage channels to enable easier and freer water flow within their channels.
References
Acheampong, R. A., & Anokye, P. A. (2013). Understanding households’ residential location choices in Kumasi’s peri-urban settlements and the implications for sustainable urban growth. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(3), 60–70.
Bradshaw, C. J. A., Sodhi, N. S., Peh, S. H., & Brook, B. W. (2007). Global evidence that deforestation amplifies flood risk and severity in the developing world. Global Change Biology, 13(11), 2379–2395. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01446.x
Brebante, M. (2017). Analysing the effects of land cover/land use changes on flashflood: A case study of Marikina River Basin (MRB) (Master’s thesis, University of Twente, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation).
Ebuzoeme, O. (2015). Evaluating the effects of flooding in six communities in Awka, Anambra State of Nigeria. Journal of Environmental and Earth Science, 5(4), 26–38.
Fohrer, N., Haverkamp, S., Eckhardt, K., & Frede, H. G. (2001). Hydrologic response to land use changes on the catchment scale. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Part B: Hydrology, Oceans and Atmosphere, 26(7–8), 577–582. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1464-1909(01)00052-1
Hansson, K., Danielson, M., & Ekenberg, L. (2008). A framework for evaluation of flood management strategies. Journal of Environmental Management, 86(3), 465–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.12.032
Hirji, R., Johnson, P., Maro, P., & Chiuta, T. M. (2002). Defining and mainstreaming environmental sustainability in water resources management in Southern Africa. South African Development Community / IUCN / South Africa Research Documentation Centre / World Bank.
Lwenya, C., & Yongo, E. (2010). Human aspects of siltation of Lake Baringo: Causes, impacts and interventions. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 13(4), 437–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/14634988.2010.528729
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). (2022). Report on flood disasters in Nigeria. Government Press.
National Population Commission (NPC). (2006). National population census figure 2006.
Njoku, J. D., Amangabara, G. T., & Duru, P. N. (2013). Spatial assessment of urban flood risks in Aba metropolis using geographic information systems techniques. Global Advanced Research Journal of Environmental Science and Toxicology, 2(3), 86–92.
Nwigwe, C., & Embargo, T. T. (2014). An assessment of the causes and effects of flood in Nigeria. Standard Scientific and Research Essays, 2(7), 307–315.
Panahi, A., Alijani, B., & Mohamadi, H. (2010). The effect of land use/cover change on the flood of the Madarsu Basin of Northeast Iran. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 2(4), 373–379. https://doi.org/10.4236/jwarp.2010.24043
Solin, Ľ., Feranec, J., & Novacek, J. (2010). Land cover changes in small catchments in Slovakia during 1990–2006 and their effects on the frequency of flood events. Natural Hazards, 54(2), 499–511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-009-9479-8
Tabiri, M. O. (2015). Perennial problem of floods in Accra: What is the way forward? International Journal of Advanced Research in Education & Technology, 2(3), 198–201.
Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis (2nd ed.). Harper & Row.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
3.png)
1.png)
1.png)
