ABSTRACT
Flooding is the accumulation of an abnormal large quantity or volume of water in an area not normally covered by water. The phenomenon has become one of the environmental problems posing a serious danger to lives and properties and more worrisome is the threat of flooding to commercial and agricultural activities in Edo State. On this basis, the study assessed flood vulnerability in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
In the study, four research questions were raised and answered while two hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 percent level of significance. A total sample size of 400 subjects was selected through a stratified sampling technique. The descriptive survey method was adopted as the research design while the data for the study were collected with the use of a self-designed questionnaire, interview schedule and focus group discussion. The instrument was validated using the experts’ judgement approach. The data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics involving frequency counts, simple percentages, mean scores and standard deviation. The inferential statistics involved the One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with post hoc tests using the Tukey HSD.
The major findings of the study include the fact that the major causes of flood incidence recorded were largely precipitated human factors and there were no effective and sustainable coping strategies adopted in the area.On the basis of the findings, the study concludes that there is significant flood vulnerability in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State; and that the coping strategies being adopted in the area were not effective and sustainable. The study, however, recommends that there should be immediate construction of earth dams to trap excess water in the area, and that the government and other stakeholders should engage the communities to move permanently to higher grounds since a number of the flood victims have expressed willingness to relocate, and that mitigation measures such as good drainage system, proper waste management systems should be highly promoted in the area as this will go a long way in enhancing community resilience and drastically reduce vulnerability. Finally, the relevant authorities and agencies concerned such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its Edo State counterpart, including that Ministries of Environment and Agriculture, should delineate both the non-flood areas and flood areas as the non-flood areas may serve as temporary shelter for settlement during floods.
