Determining The Number of People Impacted by Flooding in Niger State of Nigeria

Abstract

The flooding in Niger state has affected a significant population of people, with its devastating impact felt by both rural and urban communities. According to recent reports, the number of affected individuals has reached an alarming number, with thousands being forced to evacuate their homes and seek shelter in temporary camps. The flooding has caused severe damage to infrastructure and disrupted the daily lives of the affected population. As a result, this paper established the population of people affected by flooding in the study area. This study utilized descriptive research design to systematically collect data on the affected populations. It involves collecting numerical data to quantify the extent of the population affected - Target population, residing in flood-prone areas of Niger State: Muregi, Gbajibo, Essan, Gurmana, Gusuru, Bere, Akare, Wushishi and Maito. Using population records and structured questionnaires, descriptive statistics was used to provide overview of the population affected by flooding. The findings revealed that a projected population of about 16,211 people are vulnerable to flooding, 10,302 people are more vulnerable to flooding, 9,721 people are very vulnerable to flooding, 10,396 people are highly vulnerable to flood, while 6,396 people are extremely vulnerable to flood. The study conclude that flood is a natural disaster but man contributes significantly to its occurrence due to his involvement in activities that disrupt the environment like encroachment of human activities on floodplains and violations of building regulations. It thereby recommends that settlements that are within or adjacent to the areas vulnerable to flooding should be resettled to most suitable areas identified in the study.