Some Aspects of a Historic Flooding in Nigeria and Its Effects on some Niger-Delta Communities

摘要

In recent times, flooding has been a recurrent problem in most parts of the world. In Nigeria, there exist reports of flooding in some towns and cities during heavy downpours but none compares with the flood under review. Flood waters from Cameroun entered Nigeria through the Benue River, into the River Niger on its way to the sea. Lots of physical damages were recorded, including destruction of farmlands and houses. Economic life was halted, people displaced and some lost their lives. Although Cameroun released water from the Ladja dam between July 2nd and September 17th 2012, the waters remained in the Niger delta communities up till November 2012. In this study, towns were chosen from Bayelsa and Delta states for evaluation of the effects of the flood waters. Some physical and chemical parameters were determined, using standard methods. The results revealed that in all the communities, the flood waters were slightly acidic (5.4 – 6.9) and dissolved oxygen was high (3.9 – 6.9mg/l). The heavy metal Chromium was also high. Most of the physical and chemical parameters analyzed were higher in flood water than in Borehole and River Water but generally within allowable limits. Other challenges faced by the people included loss of houses, ponds, farmlands, traditional grounds and means of livelihood, destruction of herbs and vegetation, exposure to wild animals. Wild animals were not spared as their natural habitats were destroyed. Consequently some died, most migrated while some took shelter in abandoned houses. There was an imbalance in the ecosystem and general pollution of the affected communities. The inhabitants of the communities possibly benefitted from some positive aspects of the flood as skill acquisition centres, drugs and food were provided. There was evidence of cooperation and togetherness within the temporary camps erected for victims.