Assessment of the Environmental Effects of Flooding in Makurdi Area of Benue State, Nigeria

Makurdi town of northcentral Nigeria is drained by River Benue, River Katsina-Ala and the smaller tributaries of the Cross River. The people of the town depend on the land and water resources for sustenance. However, a large portion of the area is flooded annually leading to loss of life and destruction of properties. This study assessed the environmental effects of flooding in the area with a view to identify the causes of flood and areas that are vulnerable to flood, for proper flood disaster preparation and mitigation in the future. The study used questionnaire survey to acquire primary data. The questionnaires were administered randomly to the residents and purposively to government/environment officials in the area. The information obtained through the questionnaire included causes and severity of flood in the area, environmental effects and control measures of flood. In addition, secondary data was obtained from the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment, population report from the National Population Commission, report of registered voters in the study area from the State Independent Electoral Commission. Findings revealed that although physical factors influence flooding in the town, anthropogenic factors are also very influential in the severity of flood in the area. The environmental effects of flood include destruction of houses and displacement of people, disruption of livelihood of the people in the flood prone areas, pollution of domestic water supply causing health problems to the people in the area.This paper recommended strategies to check flooding in Makurdi, which requires a combination of engineering and spatial planning measures; as well as a synergy among all stakeholders for proper flood management in the area.