INTRODUCTION
Many
definitions of flood have been presented over time. An account by Bradshaw
(2007) defined flood as an overflow of water bodies such as rivers and lakes
from its natural boundaries submerging the land. Flooding is excess water
flowing unto dry land (Djimesah et al., 2018).
According to Henry (2006), the European Union (EU) floods directive defined
flood as a large volume of water covering land. Flood is a natural occurrence
that passes through its usual channels but it becomes a problem when humans
occupy the space required by the floodwaters to move (Sarah, 2007).
The frequency of natural disasters has been
on the rise for years resulting in loss of life, damage to properties and
destruction of the environment. Flooding is one of the most devastating
environmental disasters that threaten the world. It has claimed more lives than
any other single natural disaster (Komolafe et
al., 2015).Globally, over 70 million people are exposed to flooding each
year and over 800 million people live in flood prone areas (Peduzzi et al., 2009), resulting in great losses
and disruption of social activities (James, 2000).Poor people in developing
countries reside in flood plains and steep hills with little access to
resources making them more vulnerable to the flood (Grunfest, 1995). The
poverty levels also affect their flood recovery process. In Nigeria, flood has
been a common occurrence. The country has experienced three prominent flood
incidences in 2012, 2018 and presently 2022 (Umar et al., 2022). The 2012 flood in Nigeria was devastating. The heavy
rains made water reservoirs and dams to overflow leading to loss of lives and
property. Over 7.7 million people were affected by the floods, about 363 people
were killed and 600,000 houses destroyed. The floods caused Oke-Ayo and Eleyele
residents of Ibadan to leave their homes. Some lives were lost and properties
damaged at Olodo and Apete areas of Ibadan (Onifade
et al., 2014). In Plateau
State, 39 people were killed and about 200 houses were destroyed as a result of
the flooding (Onifade et al., 2014).The federal
government of Nigeria stated that about 603 people have been killed and 2.5
million people displaced from their homes in the current 2022 flooding across
the country. The Ministry of
Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development further
revealed that about 82,053 houses were completely destroyed, and 332, 327
hectares of land completely submerged. Other statistics show the number of
injuries as 2,407, partially destroyed houses totaled 121,318, and farmland partially
affected was 108,392.
Flooding in Nigeria occurs in three forms;
coastal flooding, river flooding and urban flooding also called flash floods.
Coastal flooding occurs in the low-lying belt of mangrove and fresh water
swamps along the coast. River flooding occurs in the flood plains of the larger
rivers while urban flooding is linked with rivers in the inland areas. It is
often short-lived and the sudden heavy rains in the inland areas can change
them into a destructive torrent (Scott, 2007). Many factors are responsible for
flooding which include; dumping of refuse in water bodies (David, 2004),
constructing buildings on flood plains and poor maintenance of drainage
facilities (Ajayi, 2012).Removal of vegetation, increase in the size of water
channel and increase in erosion also contribute to flooding. Flooding can also
be caused by excess rainfall when the absorption capacity of the soil is
exceeded (Tramblay et al., 2021).
Other causes of flooding include; climate change, excessive precipitation, rise
in sea level and increase in population (MacLeod et al., 2021).
Flooding has many extreme negative social,
economic and environmental impacts (Apan et
al., 2010). Some of the negative impacts of flooding include; damage to
properties, crops and livestock, loss of human life, health problems, damage to
roads, bridges, and power plants. There is also disruption of economic
activities and livelihoods of victims (Ajayi, 2012). Despite these negative
impacts of flooding, it still has some important role to play in the
environment. It recharges groundwater systems, fills wetlands, moves nutrients
around the ecosystem, increases fishing activities and triggers dispersal,
migration and breeding (Jeffrey, 2010; Iwena, 2015).Mitigating flood disasters
can be achieved through improved drainage systems, construction of flood breaks
and preventing land owners from constructing permanent or temporal structures
on water channels (Goldenburg, 2009; Jeffrey, 2010).This study is aimed at
accessing the impacts of the 2022 flooding on the residents of Yenagoa metropolis, Bayelsa State,
Nigeria.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Primary and
secondary data were used in this study. Primary data was collected with the use
of questionnaire and personal interview to acquire information on the impacts
of the 2022 flood from the residents of the affected areas in Yenagoa
metropolis, Bayelsa State. The questionnaires were administered to sampled
households in Yenagoa using random sampling technique with the head of each
house or the next of kin been the respondent.
Simple
random sampling technique was used to select five communities in Yenagoa
metropolis namely; Swali, Opolo, Tombia, Akenfa and Agudama. Our preliminary
studies revealed Swali community has a total of 1285 households, Opolo community
has 1525 households, Tombia community has 2346 households, Akenfa community has
1651 households and Agudama community has 975 households. The administration of
the questionnaires was done using 10%of the total households in each community.
As such; 129, 153, 235, 165 and 98 questionnaires were administered to
respondents in Swali, Opolo, Tombia, Akenfa and Agudama respectively. The total
number of administered questionnaires was 780 out of which 720 questionnaires
were retrieved (Wizor et al., 2014).
RESULTS
Of all the
respondents, 68.8% agreed that their beds were damaged by the flooding, 62.6%
agreed on rugs and 56.7% on chairs. The result presented in Table 1 clearly
revealed that televisions, radios, chairs, tables, beds, refrigerators, rugs
and other properties were damaged by the flood.
As
presented in Table 2, the open wells and boreholes of 97.8% and 94.9% of the
respondents respectively, were affected by the flooding. Only 0.8% of those who
had closed wells were affected.
Figure
1 revealed that the flooding caused the buildings of 71% of the respondents to
collapse while that of 29% remained standing (unaffected).
The
loss of farm produce caused by the flooding as presented in Figure 2 showed
that 77% of the total respondents lost their produce to the flood while 23% of
them were unaffected.
Figure
3 revealed 38.5% of the respondents suffered diarrhea during the flooding while
29.6% had malaria.
Table 1:Impact
of Flooding on Property
Property Yes No No Response Total
Freq Per Freq Per Freq Per Freq Per
Television 368 51.1 272 37.8 80 11.1 720 100
Radio 388 53.9 181 25.1 151 21.0 720 100
Chairs 408 56.7 219 30.4 93 12.9 720 100
Tables 256 35.6 241 33.5 223 31.0 720 100
Bed 495 68.8 123 17.1 102 14.2 720 100
Fridge 385 53.5 209 29.0 126 17.5 720 100
Rug 451 62.6 181 25.1 088 12.2 720 100
Others 263 36.5 32 4.4 425 59.0 720 100
Key: Freq = Frequency, Per = Percentage
Source: Authors’
Field Survey (2022)
Table 2: Impact of Flooding on Sources
of Drinking Water
Source Yes No No Response Total
Freq Per Freq Per Freq Per Freq Per
Open Well 704 97.8 nil nil 16 2.2 720 100
Closed Well 6 0.8 705 97.9 9 1.3 720 100
Borehole 683 94.9 nil nil 37 5.1 720 100
River 711 98.8 nil nil 9 1.3 720 100
Key: Freq = Frequency, Per = Percentage
Source: Authors’
Field Survey (2022)
Figure 1: Impact of the Flooding on Buildings
Source: Authors’
Field Survey (2022)
Figure 2: Loss of Farm Produce during the Flood
Source: Authors’ Field Survey (2022)
Figure 3: Impact of the Flooding on Health
Source: Authors’
Field Survey (2022)
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
The impacts
of the 2022 flooding on the residents of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria was
severe. Properties such as televisions, radios, chairs, tables, beds,
refrigerators and rugs were damaged. From the findings, beds and rugs were the
most affected probably because they easily take up and retain water (Table 1).
The
drinking water sources of the residents were also affected (Table 2). Those who
depend on rivers, open wells and boreholes felt the most impact because these
water sources were unprotected and exposed. As such; the water was prone to
contamination and infiltration by the flood carrying a lot of dissolved and
undissolved contaminants, pathogens inclusive (Ten Veldhuis et al., 2010).
The flooding only affected 0.8% of the respondents who use closed wells as
their water source because the wells were protected.
The
buildings of most respondents (71%) collapsed as a result of the flooding
(Figure 1); implying that they would have to relocate to dry grounds pending
renovation of the buildings after the flood resides. This must have placed much
stress on the affected residents because of the hike in the cost of rented
apartments and transportation during the period of the flooding. The damage of
farm produce caused by the flooding (Figure 2) also resulted to a serious hike
in food prices. Douglas et al. (2005)
also implicated flooding as the cause of widespread crop damage.
These
findings collaborates the reports of Ajayi (2012) who asserted that flood
damage resulted to loss of life, damage to property, destruction of crops and
deterioration of health conditions. The common health issues experienced during
the flooding include; diarrhea, measles, cough and malaria (Figure 3). The most
common among the respondents was diarrhea (48.5%) meaning the affected
respondents must have consumed flood contaminated water or food. This further
confirms the findings in Table 2 where the contamination of the drinking water
sources was attributed to the flooding. Hakim et al. (2014)
also implicated diarrhea in his studies; as a common health challenge that
occurs during flooding.
CONCLUSION
The impacts
of the 2022 flooding on property, drinking water sources, buildings, farm
produce and health were severe. Many people left their homes and properties
were destroyed. Damage to crops led to a hike in food prices. The disease
outbreak during the flood included diarrhea, measles, cough and malaria, the
most common of which was diarrhea. Majority of the respondents agreed that
their drinking water sources were also contaminated by the flood.
It is
recommended that government should implement flood preventive measures so as to
reduce its impact on the residents of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
Acknowledgement
The authors
wish to thank the respondents for their cooperation.
Competing interest
The authors
declare no competing interests.
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