The document summarizes the environmental effects of flooding in Nigeria using the 2012 flood as a case study. Some key points: - The 2012 flood affected over 7 million people across 21-34 states, displacing over 2 million people. It caused widespread damage to infrastructure, settlements, farms and the environment. - Environmental impacts included disrupted transportation, communication, drainage systems and aquatic life. Housing and agricultural lands were inundated. Health hazards like water pollution and diseases increased. - NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency) intervened before, during and after the flood by issuing warnings, coordinating response efforts, providing relief supplies and supporting recovery activities with international partners like the UN. - Long term impacts

1. 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
COORDINATOR
1st July, 2013.

2. DEFINITION OF TERMS
 DISASTER: 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

3. IN THE BEGINNING…

4. 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.

5. “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)

6. TYPES OF FLOOD
Floods can be classified into 3 broad categories
i. Meteorological: As a result of rainfall of a
long duration – resulting from saturation of
the soil
ii. Coastal floods: when storms and heavy
waves bring seawater on to the coastal land
iii. 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

7. 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.

8. CAUSES OF FLOOD; Example:
 ENCROACHMENT on River Channels

9. ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF
FLOOD DISASTER IN NIGERIA
CASE STUDY OF THE
GREAT FLOOD OF
OCTOBER, 2012.

10. 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

11. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
 Disruption of Public Infrastructure –A collapsed
dam

12. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
 Roads and bridges were destroyed

13. Disruption of Transport System

14. BRIDGES WERE CUT OFF

15. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
cont.
 Communication links and electricity were cut
off

16. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
cont.
 SETTLEMENTS and Communities were
ISOLATED.

17. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
cont.
 Houses were submerged

18. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
cont.
Disruption of drainage
system
Sewage spills were
common

19. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
cont.
 AQUATIC LIFE was destroyed; Fish washed
away from ponds

20. HEALTH HAZARD: Wet surfaces
led to allergy

21. WATER POLLUTION

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

23. 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…

24. 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

25. 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.)

26. 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

27. 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

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

29. NEMA’s COLLABORATION WITH
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

30. 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.

31. 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.

32. CONCLUSION
I 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

33. THANK YOU ALL !
! !