Over 1.4 million individuals have been displaced, 500 died, 1000’s injured in floods in Nigeria
Photograph: EPA / GEORGE ESIRI Nigeria is experiencing its worst flooding in over a decade. Over 1.4 million individuals have been displaced, 500 have been reported lifeless and 1000’s have been injured.
Flooding isn’t a brand new problem in Nigeria — it’s one of many nation’s most prevalent pure disasters. Throughout the wet seasons, from March to July and mid August to mid October within the south, and July to October within the north, main rivers often burst their banks. Dams burst too. This causes flooding in quite a few Nigerian states, amongst them Delta, Kogi, Anambra, Bayelsa, Adamawa and Niger.
Numerous specialists have written for The Dialog Africa on Nigeria’s flooding problem and steps wanted to alleviate their worst results.
Right here we share three insightful reads.
Surroundings researcher Adaku Jane Echendu explains that – not like some pure disasters – floods as a result of rainfall might be managed with correct planning and infrastructure.
She reveals that the primary drivers of Nigeria’s embody poor, or non-existent, drainage programs, poor waste administration, unregulated city growth and the lax implementation of legal guidelines.
Learn extra: Nigeria has a flooding challenge: here’s why and what can be done
Floods might be significantly devastating in Nigeria’s cities, inflicting the displacement of a whole lot of 1000’s of individuals. In a research of Lagos and Port Harcourt, catastrophe danger discount and resilience specialist Olasunkanmi Habeeb Okunola found that a wide range of elements make cities susceptible. These embody institutional failures, insufficient infrastructure and an absence of catastrophe schooling.
Okunola outlines what cities should do to raised deal with the danger of floods. Key to that is the necessity for presidency, non-governmental businesses, community-based organisations and residents to hitch forces and put together for floods, decreasing their affect.
Learn extra: What Nigerian cities can do to cope better with flood risk
Flooding might appear to be an inevitable actuality for Nigeria. However, argues water administration skilled Nelson Odume, dangers might be minimised in a wide range of methods. Probably the most important of those is coordinated spatial planning. This entails bringing city planners and environmental practitioners collectively to organise the distribution of individuals and actions in an area.
He outlines the steps Nigeria must take to take care of flooding. These embody putting in gauging stations, creating appropriate fashions for hydrological predictions, and gathering knowledge that can allow correct flood forecasting.
Learn extra: Why Nigeria is not prepared to deal with flooding
Moina Spooner, Assistant Editor, The Conversation and Wale Fatade, Commissioning Editor: Nigeria, The Conversation.
This text is republished from The Conversation below a Artistic Commons license. Learn the original article.
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