Climate Change
Flood Disaster: Effect Of Climate Change In Nigeria
No fewer than 100 households were affected by flood in Makurdi, the state capital, of Benu State following recent rainfalls.
As global warming continues to exacerbate sea level rise and extreme weather, our nation’s floodplains are expected to grow. Climate Change in Nigeria have brought destruction to every state and nearly every country in Africa, and they are getting worse.
The 2022 Seasonal Climate Prediction released by Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Annual Flood Outlook released by Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) said almost 233 local government areas in 32 states and FCT that would experience flooding in 2022.
Nigeria as a country for decades has not taken impact on Climate Change like other countries that predicated the magnitude of floods, often low-lying areas with poor drainage are particularly vulnerable, and floods with speed and unpredictability are responsible for the greatest number of flood-related fatalities.
Afrika Eyes gathered that no fewer than 100 households were affected by flood in Makurdi, the state capital of Benu State following recent rainfalls.
Flood had become a yearly routine in Nigeria in the last decade, destroying property worth millions and loss of lives in some cases.
According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global average temperature has increased by nearly 0.8ºC since the late 19th century however, there is considerable geographic variation in temperature rises around the globe, also noted in its special report on extremes, it is increasingly clear that climate change “has detectably influenced” several of the water-related variables that contribute to floods, such as rainfall and snowmelt.
However, there are many factors that flood disasters, weather events (heavy or prolonged rains, storm surge, sudden snowmelt), and then there are human-driven elements, including how we manage our waterways (via dams, levees, and reservoirs) and the alterations we make to land.
Heavier rainfall does not automatically lead to floods, but it increases the potential for them. And even moderate amounts of rainfall can cause serious damage, particularly in places where urban flooding is on the rise.
When flooding inundates a home or community, it upends lives and introduces a litany of potential short- and long-term consequences and the most obvious include loss of life.
Robert T. Watson, formerly Chair of the IPCC, warned that: “Projected changes in climate could lead to an increase in the number of people at risk of malaria of the order of tens of millions annually”15. More flooding will increase the risk of water-borne diseases such as cholera, dysentery and hookworm. Countries already suffering health and sanitation problems will be hit hardest by these changes.
Therefore, Nigeria’s Government must be committed to ensuring that society is adapting to the effects of climate change and to enhance existing activities, which minimize current disaster risks.