Urban Flooding and Changing Landscapes: Investigating Urban Communities’ Experiences, Perceptions, and Knowledge for Improvement of Flood Risk Management in Nigeria

Abstract

Flooding is a disaster with ripple effects. Its environmental, social, and economic impacts are significant. Floods annually ravage Nigeria constituting an immediate and growing threat amid the global climate crisis. This work studies the increasing occurrence in recent years of pluvial flooding in Port Harcourt, a Nigerian city. Port Harcourt provides a perfect case study for analysing the flooding issue because of the localized flooding experienced in many parts of the city. A mixed methods approach was adopted. Residents with experiences of flooding and experts with relevant knowledge on the phenomenon were engaged with. Focus group discussions, semi-structured one-on-one interviews, and questionnaire surveys were the primary data collection tools. The research sought to understand the perceptions of residents on climate change and flooding events; the core drivers of flooding according to both residents and expert stakeholders; how women living in the formal and informal settlements of Port Harcourt city experience and navigate the perennial flooding; the coping strategies adopted by flood victims to navigate the disaster; how the flooding impacts ways of living and how best it can be controlled; and finally, how the planning process addresses consultation and citizen engagement. Findings revealed new insight on the land administration process as a driver of flooding. Despite a common experience of flooding in one city, there were differential impacts on a settlement basis. Findings also showcase how gender gaps are broadened by flooding and citizens’ feeling of detachment from the government planning processes. Majority of the participants indicated willingness to relocate but were constrained due to funds. This is an indication that adequate engagement with residents living in flood prone locations could lead to outcomes like planned retreat. Results also reveal that waste management is a core area in which citizens have agency to act to alleviate the flooding challenge. The government is encouraged to be more proactive in land administration and protect wetlands. There is also a dire need for provision of sustainable infrastructure. This is the first known work to empirically study flooding with an environmental justice lens in Nigeria and makes novel important empirical, practical, and theoretical contributions.