THE EFFECT OF FLOOD ON LAND UTILIZATION: DISASTER PREVENTION IN NIGERIA

THE EFFECT OF FLOOD ON LAND UTILIZATION: DISASTER PREVENTION IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Some environmental effects of flooding in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was reviewed to provide the desired knowledge needed for the effective management of flooding. Floods are caused by many factors: Heavy rainfall, highly accelerated snowmelt, severe winds over water, unusual high tide, tsunamis, or failure of dams, levees, retention ponds, or other structures that retained the water. Flooding can be exacerbated by increased amounts of impervious surface or by other natural hazards such as wildfires, which reduce the supply of vegetation that can absorb rainfall. The effects of flooding from the sources outlined above are felt by various ‘receptors’. These include, people, buildings, infrastructure, agriculture, open recreational space and the natural world. Flood warning is the provision of advance warning of conditions that are likely to cause flooding to property and a potential risk to life.