ASSESSING THE CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION STRATEGIES AMIDST HEAVY FLOODING IN LAGOS STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

It is no doubt that every human activity has a direct or indirect impact on the environment, and the activities of expanding population and urbanisation are the most significant factors affecting the environment. The rapid process of urbanisation and the expansion of large cities, particularly in developing nations such as Nigeria, have resulted in the formation of extremely susceptible urban areas. This vulnerability is mostly due to the prevalence of informal settlements and insufficient land management practices. As urban populations continue to expand and climate change induced disasters become more frequent, there is a rising concentration of people in cities. This has resulted to the loss of millions of naira worth of property, with costs increasing daily.

Climate change is linked to the escalating occurrence of extreme weather events that have a substantial impact on metropolitan areas in the developing regions of the world (Adelekan et al., 2022). Climate change consequences on cities, include heightened storm surges, rising sea levels, increased flooding, and intensified heat extremes. The risk of flooding arises from the impacts of rising sea levels, storm surges, and intense and prolonged rainfall (Huq et al., 2017). These factors contribute to different types of floods, such as flash or pluvial floods, urban floods, coastal floods, fluvial floods, sewer floods, and glacial lake bursts. The variations among these types lie in their time and space dimensions (IPCC, 2022). Coastal flooding is caused by the increase in sea level, whereas prolonged heavy rainfall leads to pluvial and river floods. Fluvial floods occur when heavy rainfall enters rivers and results in flooding that overflows from the river channels and banks into flood plains. Fluvial floods can happen in an area even if there is no rainfall nearby, unlike pluvial floods which occur when urban drainage systems are unable to handle excessive runoff from heavy rain. 

Temporally, fluvial flooding is characterised by a longer duration that can extend for days, weeks, or even months. In contrast, pluvial flooding has a shorter duration of no more than a day. This means that fluvial flooding is of greater magnitude. However,  a combination of both types of flooding, as observed in Lagos, can have a severe impact (Chen et al., 2020). The issue of flooding is caused by various factors, including human-induced changes such as urbanisation and demographic activities, which lead to changes in land use. Additionally, the geographical position of most cities in areas prone to hazards worsens the problem of flooding.  This is particularly important for cities in the global south, which house more than one-third of the world's urban population. These cities face a greater risk of exposure to hazardous events such as flooding due to their high population and vulnerable locations... Despite being the smallest state in Nigeria, Lagos serves as the economic centre of the country. It accommodates more than 70% of Nigeria's industrial and economic operations and contributes around 35.6% to the country's gross domestic product (Elias & Omojola,2015;. Komolafe et al. 2014). Lagos has a population of approximately 18-24 million people, with 80% of them living in the metropolitan region. The population density in the metropolitan area is 20,000 people per square kilometre. The convergence of these variables enables a fusion of both pluvial and fluvial floods encountered in the majority of areas in Lagos (Ogunleye & Alo,2021), while coastal towns face the supplementary consequences of coastal flooding due to rising sea levels. The displayed factors emphasise the susceptibility of Lagos and establish it as a suitable backdrop for the research. Therefore, a survey will be conducted in order to assess the climate change adaptation strategies amidst heavy flooding in Lagos state.

Statement of the Problem

Over the years, climate change may result from either natural internal processes or external forces, as well as from persistent anthropogenic alterations in the atmosphere's composition or land usage has become significant contemporary concern that places significant strain on our communities and the environment. The effects of climate change, such as changing weather patterns that endanger food production and rising sea levels that heighten the danger of devastating floods, are widespread and unparalleled in magnitude. Without implementing immediate and significant measures, the process of adjusting to these consequences in the future will become more challenging and expensive. Flooding is a natural disaster caused by human activity that hinders the sustainability of the built environment (Adeofun, 2021). Flooding is the condition in which land becomes submerged in water as a result of a river overflowing due to intense rainfall. This is a negative consequence of climate change and has detrimental impacts on the constructed environment. It hinders the progress of sustainable development. Flooding poses significant risks to human life, property, and infrastructure on a global scale. While affluent countries see frequent occurrences of flooding, it is the developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to its impact. 

Similar to numerous cities in the developing world, Lagos is confronted with the challenge of extreme weather conditions, including heightened storm surges, rising sea levels, and frequent flooding, which are projected to persist.  Urbanisation and population pressure caused the city to experience a decrease in swamp cover from 59.24 km2 in 1986 to 39.1 km2 in 2002. This resulted in the negative consequence of a lack of protection for coastal wetlands (Sunday & Ajewole, 2023). Lagos State's susceptibility to flooding is exacerbated by its geographical location. Situated on the Guinean coast adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, the city-state of Lagos is characterized by the presence of creeks, rivers, and lagoons. Approximately 40% of its land area is comprised of water bodies and wetlands.  Due to the existence of water bodies, the flat topography of Lagos, which has an average elevation of 0.8 metres above sea level, makes it vulnerable to both inland water flooding and ocean surges. According to Satterthwaite et al. (2019), places like Lagos are more vulnerable to severe weather conditions due to the increased population pressure resulting from the economic opportunities available. They contend that the economic opportunities provided by large cities impose constraints on efforts to decrease the growing populationUrban residents in poor countries are vulnerable to the direct and indirect consequences of climate change, possibly due to inadequate adaptation measures. The increase in frequency and intensity of flood events is a result of the trend and occurrence of rising water levels and flooding. Hence, it is in the light of these that the study seeks to assess the climate change adaptation strategies amidst heavy flooding in Lagos state.

 1.3  Objectives of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to assess the climate change adaptation strategies amidst heavy flooding in Lagos state. Specifically, the study will;

To identify the underlying causes of climate disasters in Nigeria.

To examine the effects of flooding on the Nigerian built environment.

To evaluate adaptation strategies that can be applied to reduce flood disasters in Lagos state.

1.4  Research Questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study:

What are the underlying causes of climate disasters in Nigeria?

What are the effects of flooding on the Nigerian built environment?

What adaptation strategies can be applied to reduce flood disasters in Nigeria?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

H0: Climate change adaptation strategies are not significantly effective in mitigating heavy flooding in Lagos State.

Ha: Climate change adaptation strategies are significantly effective in mitigating heavy flooding in Lagos State.

1.6 Significance of the Study

Urban planners will use the findings to design cities that are better equipped to handle heavy rainfall and rising sea levels in Lagos stste. Community leaders and NGOs will also use the findings to advocate for better flood management practices and to educate local residents on maintaining hygiene and safe water practices during floods. Moreover, the findings from this research will assist in the formulation of flood management policies that are centred around the community. This will facilitate cooperation between governmental organisations and citizens in order to execute efficient measures for preventing and mitigating floods. Furthermore, subsequent researchers will use it as a literature review. This means that other students who may decide to conduct studies in this area will have the opportunity to use this study as available literature that can be subjected to critical review. 

1.6 Scope of the study   

The scope of this study is boarded on climate change adaptation strategies amidst heavy flooding in Lagos state. Empirically, this study will identify the underlying causes of climate disasters, examine the effects of flooding on built environment, assess the extent to which adaptation strategies can mitigate the impact of flood disasters and evaluate adaptation strategies that can be applied to reduce flood disasters.Geographically, the study will be delimited to residents of some selected local government area of Lagos state

1.7 Limitation of the study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed. More so, the findings of this study are limited to the sample population in the study area, hence they may not be suitable for use in comparison to other schools, local governments, states, and other countries in the world.

 1.9 Definition of Terms

Climate: refers to the long-term patterns and average conditions of temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, and other atmospheric variables in a particular region over extended periods.

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