The document discusses mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into sustainable national water resources development programs in Nigeria. It outlines challenges to water resources management in Nigeria including devastating erosion, perennial flooding, recurring droughts and increasing desertification. The national approach to reducing water resources management related disasters includes the National Water Policy and National Erosion and Flood Control Policy. Integrating disaster risk reduction concerns into integrated water resources management requires strengthening institutions and legal frameworks. The document recommends promoting integrated water resources management planning and developing national disaster prevention and response systems to institutionalize disaster risk reduction in water resources development.

1. Mainstreaming Disaster Risk
Reduction into Sustainable
National Water Resources
Development Programmes
D. Bashir and M. Garba
National Water Resources Institute,
Kaduna
Presentation at the Conference of Chief Executives
and Heads of Disaster Management Organizations in
Nigeria, held at Rockview Hotel, Abuja on 21-22
August, 2007

2. Outline of Presentation
 Introduction
 Factors Affecting Disaster Impacts
 Impacts of Climate Change
 Disaster Risk Reduction
 Vulnerability to Disasters
 Vulnerability to Water Related Disasters
 Challenges to Water Resources
Management in Nigeria
 National Approach to Reduction of WRM
Related Disasters
 Integrating DRR Concerns into IWRM
 Framework for Mainstreaming DRR
 Constraints to DRR Programs
 Recommendations

3. • Disaster is a serious
disruption of the
functioning of a
community or a society
causing widespread
human, material,
economic and/or
environmental losses
which exceeds the
ability of the affected
community or society to
cope using its own
resources (UN-ISDR,
2002)
Introduction

4. Introduction
• DFID characterized disaster to include:
– death toll;
– traumatized population (through injury,
homelessness, loss of livelihoods);
– environmental and economic impacts that
overwhelmed the coping capacity of the
affected people)

5. • Disaster, as a result of
water related hazards,
impact on people in a
variety of ways leading to
jeopardizing human
security and hampering
socio-economic
activities.
Introduction

6. Factors Affecting Disaster
Impacts
• Impacts of disasters are
exacerbated by a number of
factors that include:
– poor land-use planning,
– population growth,
– environmental
mismanagement,
– increasing levels of
vulnerability,
– poor planning,
– poor governance,
– climate change,
– lack of regulatory
mechanisms, &
– corruption

7. Impacts of Climate Change
• Water related hazards are likely to get
worse in this century due to climate
change
• IPCC estimated the impact of global
warming and predicted that:
– "Drought-affected areas will likely
increase in extent;
– Heavy precipitation events, which are
very likely to increase in frequency, will
augment flood risk."

8. Impacts of Climate Change
• Using historical data (1960-
2002), Wheeler (2007)
constructed a weighted human
risk measure to obtain an index
of human flood damage risk in
each country.
• He also developed a physical
flood risk index by dividing the
total number of severe floods
from 1960-2002 by population in
1980.
• Using these indices and
development status based on the
World Bank's per-capita income
categories he developed the
relationship between dev. status
Relationship of physical flood risk and income
Relationship of human damage risk and income

9. Concepts and Definitions
• Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is the
systematic development and application
of policies, strategies and practices to
minimize vulnerabilities and disaster
risks throughout a society, and to avoid
(prevention) or to limit (mitigation and
preparedness) the adverse impact of
hazards, within the broad context of
sustainable development (UN-ISDR,
2002).
• Sustainable water resources
development implies water resources
utilization with adequate conservation

10. Disaster Risk Reduction
• Disaster risk reduction (DRR) becoming
prominent on the policy agenda of countries
• The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have
stressed the need for closer interaction between
disaster risk reduction and sustainable
development to speed up the attainment of
poverty eradication and the creation of
sustainable environment
• Effectiveness of DRR strategy in water resources
dev. Programs is dependant on integrated
approach to disaster management
• A sound DRR policy should aim at realizing the
major objectives of sustainable development
through reducing the burden of disasters on the
environment, the poor and most vulnerable

11. Vulnerability to Disasters
• Vulnerability results from people’s
exposure to hazard and their
susceptibility to hazard impacts
• It reflects social, economic, political,
psychological and environmental
variables
• It can also be defined as lack of
capacity to anticipate, cope with,
resist and recover from hazard
impacts

12. Vulnerability to Water
Related Disasters
• Socio-economic conditions
– Poverty,
– Demographic pressures,
– Urbanization,
– Technological level,
– Alternative livelihoods,
– Behavioral challenges.
• Governance
– Government policies,
– Capacity and willingness of the national
treasury to provide adequate funds,
– Regulatory framework & enforcement
mechanisms,
– Fragmented institutional structures.

13. Vulnerability to Water
Related Disasters
• Resources utilization
– poor environmental planning,
– land use & other natural resource management
practices,
– water use trends,
– environmental degradation.
• Awareness
– environmental awareness,
– level of understanding of risk and vulnerability,
– effectiveness of public awareness
programmes.
• Monitoring and evaluation
– monitoring, forecasting and early warning
capacities,
– imbalance between prevention & response
resources,

14. Challenges to Water Resources
Management in Nigeria
• Major challenges arise
from inadequate
catchment management
resulting in:
– devastating erosion,
– perennial flooding,
– recurring drought,
– increasing
desertification,
Nguru-Hadejia Federal Highway - August 2004
• These, in many cases, have
reached alarming
proportions enough to be
classified as disasters

15. Challenges to Water Resources
Management in Nigeria
About 10% of the
country’s land mass is
under severe erosion
problems with more
than 50% of the
affected areas
concentrated in the
southeastern Nigeria "According to credible reports,
Anambra, Abia, Imo, Enugu and
Ebonyi States have over 750, 650,
500, 400 and 250 major erosion sites
respectively. This gully census is
conservative and incomplete since
smaller and young gullies were not
enumerated. These younger gullies
shall ultimately mature within next
year and pose as serious a hazard as
older ones" – Egboka (2006)

16. Challenges to Water Resources
Management in Nigeria
Every year floods in various
parts of Nigeria have been
reported to cause the death of
many people, forced thousands
of people from their homes,
and destroyed scores of
houses and many social
infrastructures such as
schools, roads and bridges

17. Challenges to Water Resources
Management in Nigeria
State Location Destruction
Lagos Kosefe District
and Ikorodu
•6 dead
•200 buildings destroyed
•4,000 people displaced
Ogun Abeokuta •400 houses flooded
•1,000 people displaced
Taraba Jalingo •Bridge over R. Jalingo
collapsed
•Over 12 people dead
•50 houses washed away
•3,000 people displaced
Sokoto Sokoto,
Shagari/Tureta
Road,
Sokoto/Gusau
Road,
Giyawa Village
•5 people crushed, 2 dead
•Shagari/Tureta Road
submerged
•Sokoto-Gusau highway cut
off
•30 houses destroyed
Platea
u
Wase LGA •10 communities affected
•19 people dead
•50 houses washed away
•3,000 people displaced
In the weekend
of 3rd
to 5th
August, 2007,
some of the
reported
devastating
floods include:

18. Challenges to Water Resources
Management in Nigeria
• Some extreme cases of drinking water quality problems
in a number of locations in Nigeria have been reported
(Ince et al., 2006):
– high nitrate concentrations in Plateau (246.4 mg/l),
Adamawa (149.6 mg/l), Oyo (88.0 mg/l), Kebbi (88.0 mg/l)
and Benue (88.0 mg/l) States. These are far above the
WHO GL (50 mg/l) and may results in child mortality;
– high fluoride concentrations (> WHO GL of 1.5 mg/l) in
Yobe (22 mg/l), Plateau (10.5 mg/l) and Oyo (7.5 mg/l)
States which may cause dental and skeletal flourosis that
cause deformation and disability in susceptible
individuals;
– Very low pH values were recorded in Plateau (3.6) and
Lagos (3.7) States. These acidic waters, if consumed, will
cause persistent stomach upset problems;
– Very low quality of water supplied by public water
agencies with national compliance for turbidity of utility
pipe water of only 55%, thermotolerant coliforms (TTC) of
77% and faecal streptococci (FS) of 75%. These indicate
serious concern for public health.

19. National Approach to Reduction
of WRM Related Disasters
• Draft National Water Policy:
– seeks to improve on the nation’s water resources
management including the management of
hydrological risks and vulnerabilities,
– Is deficient on strategies on how to prevent such
hazards/disasters
– Emphasized for the assessment of water
resources is to improve real time forecasting of
hydrological phenomena

20. National Approach to Reduction
of WRM Related Disasters
• National Erosion and Flood Control Policy:
– is aimed at ensuring co-coordinated and systematic
measures in the management and control of the
hazards of erosion and floods.
– encourages participatory approach towards reducing
the impact on people and the environment in an
integrated manner by:
• Evolving a mechanism for forecasting, monitoring and
control of erosion and floods.
• Reviewing the land use laws and regulations.
• Creating public awareness to encourage participation.
• Promoting and strengthening training at all levels in
erosion and flood prevention, management and control.
• Protection of the marginal lands by limiting utilization to
their carrying capacity.
• Subjecting resources users and developers to guidelines
in order to reduce the vulnerability of the environment to
disaster.
• Providing early warning systems to avert the escalation
of flood and erosion hazards.

21. National Approach to Reduction
of WRM Related Disasters
• To implement the National Erosion and
Flood Control Policy, an Action Plan was
developed to achieve the following:
• Involvement of all stakeholders in the
prevention and management of erosion
and flood;
• Coordinated participation of other tiers of
government in service delivery for
erosion and flood control;
• Creation of efficient institutional
arrangements and legal framework for
erosion and flood management; and
• Sustainable funding mechanism for
effective erosion and flood management.

22. National Approach to Reduction
of WRM Related Disasters
• To regulate soil and water management
activities Technical Guidelines were
produced to provide necessary
instructions to guide all aspects of:
– planning and location,
– design features,
– construction practice,
– maintenance,
– research and development;
• for:
– Inland erosion control,
– Flood control,
– Watershed management,
– Coastal zone management, and
– Dams and reservoirs.

23. Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM)
• IWRM is a process that promotes the
coordinated development and
management of water, land and related
resources, in order to maximize the
resultant economic and social welfare in
an equitable way without compromising
the sustainability of the vital ecosystems.
• IWRM is characterized by the following
approaches that will ensure a reasonable
reduction in minimizing disaster or its
impacts:
– integrated,
– management,
– stakeholder,
– partnership,
– balanced sustainable approach

24. Integrating DRR Concerns into IWRM
• For effective integration of disaster risk
reduction concerns into IWRM and related
development policies, there is the need for
effective institutional strengthening that
involves:
a)Strengthening appropriate legal frameworks
based on risk management strategies with due
consideration to the development processes;
b)Informed decision making based on sound
scientific knowledge, as well as local indigenous
knowledge;
c)Using tried and tested techniques, and evaluating
any promising innovations;
d)An information base which supports planning and
a proactive response to disaster mitigation and
reduction;

25. Integrating DRR Concerns into IWRM
e) Participatory and transparent approach which
includes a representative range of stakeholders in
the decision making process;
f) Regional and sub-regional approaches, strategies
and cooperation arrangements for a harmonized
approach;
g) Partnerships among different levels of
Government, civil society, private sector groups
and communities;
h) Decentralized decision-making through local
authorities and basin committees, including the
provision of adequate resources and clarify
division of responsibilities at various levels;
i) Effective policies to regulate further growth of
human settlements in risky areas including
appropriate economic policies, such as fiscal
incentives for orientation of economic activities
away from disaster-prone areas

26. Framework for Mainstreaming DRR
• Mainstreaming DRR should aim at building partnerships
and collaboration between stakeholders. Strategies to
achieve these include the following:
– Develop a system of Indicators to assess disaster risk and
develop an assessment methodology to measure key water
related risk elements across all the States.
– Determine vulnerability to natural hazard events and the
performance of different disaster risk management policies
and tools where available.
– Produce a risk model to be used as a tool to focus attention
on risk in order to stimulate actions to reduce risks in
disaster prone areas.
– Design and support the implementation of an effective water
resources data management system.
– Develop a way of capturing progress qualitatively and
quantitatively, in each thematic area that contributes to
reduction of identified risks.
– Incorporate risk assessment into development project
appraisal and in monitoring and evaluating the impact of
initiatives specifically for reducing risk.
– Set up minimum standards to be attained in disaster
assistance by specifying what people affected by disasters
have a right to expect from humanitarian assistance.

27. Constraints to DRR Programs
• Key factors that may constraint the attainment of
the objectives of DRR program:
– Poverty and poor level of basic education among the
generality of the populace;
– High level of corruption;
– Perception of politicians and policy makers that
disaster risk reduction is much less visible than
emergency response;
– Donors and support agencies less willing to fund risk
reduction compared to their support for emergency
assistance;
– Insignificant attention to and little interest in disaster
risk reduction by the media;
– Low awareness and education on disaster risk
reduction among NGOs and their tendency to follow
donor priorities;
– Assumption that poverty-focused development will
automatically reduce disaster risk;
– Weak water resources data acquisition and

28. Recommendations
• To institutionalize disaster risk reduction in
water resources development and
management in Nigeria, a wide range of
strategies and activities are required to be
carried out in a holistic and coordinated
approach. To this end, we recommend the
following:
– Promote development of IWRM plans by supporting
and coordinating the efforts of all water resources
management stakeholders in this regard. As Nigeria
is yet to develop its National IWRM Plan, there is
urgent need to embark on a holistic programme of
developing IWRM Plans from the LGAs to the Federal
levels.
– Develop National Systems for Disaster Prevention
and Response by establishing legal and regulatory
frameworks and programs that bring together the
planning agencies, local governments and civil
society organizations; developing national
strategies for risk reduction, and assessing inter-

29. Recommendations
• Minimize vulnerability by Supporting and empowering
poor households and communities to reduce their
vulnerability to natural hazards and enhance their
capabilities to recover from disasters through
reconstruction assistance.
• Involve the private sector by creating conditions for the
development of insurance markets, encouraging the use
of other risk-spreading financial instruments where
appropriate, and designing economic and regulatory
incentives for risk reduction behavior.
• Provide risk information for decision-making by
establishing an effective national water resources data
management system. This will facilitate evaluating risk
assessment methodologies, developing indicators of
vulnerability, and stimulating the production and wide
dissemination of risk information.
• Foster regional cooperation in the management of
transboundary water resources by supporting regional
organizations to promote coordinated actions and to
mobilize regional and international resources for

30. THANKS FORLISTENING