5 Major Causes of Flooding in Nigeria

Nigeria is currently plagued with flooding and the effects become horrendous as the day goes by. With over 500 people confirmed dead and over 1 million displaced, experts have asked Nigerians to prepare for more flooding and you probably wonder why.

In this article, RNN gives insight into the major causes of flooding in Nigeria in the most direct and comprehensible way possible.

Here are 5 major causes of flooding in Nigeria right now.

5. Heavy Rainfall

There’ll probably be no flood if we weren’t currently in the rainy season. Although there are several other reasons for the excessive water bedeviling the country, some States started experiencing flood issues when heavy rainfall started between July and September. Other factors simply accentuated the flood.

4. Poor Waste Management

The current flooding in Nigeria has been tagged the worst flooding in a decade and it’s a result of many contributions, including “Poor Waste Management”. Waste has always been one of the major causes of flooding in Nigeria and there seems to be little to nothing done to reduce its effect or totally eradicate this problem.

Waste, especially plastic waste, not only contaminates the seas but also clogs drains, thereby causing a flood in those areas. Some Nigerian States with a high rate of flooding also have issues managing waste, thereby increasing the risk of flooding in those areas. Create proper waste management systems in these areas and you’ll reduce the likelihood of flooding by a reasonable percentage.

3. Poor Drainage Systems

This is very similar to poor waste management as some of the issues regarding drainage systems in Nigeria are also caused by improper waste disposal. Drainage systems in Nigeria are put in place to ease the flow of water, especially during the rainy season.

Areas that are prone to flooding will need as many drainages as possible to reduce risks. However, some of these areas lack enough drainages. On the other hand, some areas that have enough drainages experience clogging. These drainages, although present, are clogged, thereby stopping the flow of water.

2. Opening of the Cameroon Dam

This is probably the most highlighted cause of flood in Nigeria all over social media. However, even though the opening of Cameroon’s Lagdo dam is a major cause of flooding in Nigeria, it is not the only reason why over 1 million people have been displaced.

Operators of the Lagdo Dam in the republic of Cameroon opened up the dam on September 13, 2022 order to release excess water. This excess water flows into the country (Nigeria) through the River Benue and its tributaries, thereby causing flooding, especially in places already affected by heavy rainfall.

The opening of the dam further complicates the flood situation as some inland reservoirs like the Kainji, Jebba, and Shiroro dams are affected and some dams in the country are currently experiencing an overflow. States like Kogi, Benue, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, Gombe, and Yobe are largely affected by the release of water from the dam.

Credible news sources however report that a notice was sent to the Nigerian authorities before the opening of the dam. This brings us to our final point on the causes of flooding in Nigeria at the moment.

1. Lack of proper flood control measures

The current flooding in Nigeria is not one that was unforeseen. Agencies like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) issued a warning against flooding a few weeks back and even in recent times, there are reports that it might get even worse.

Flood control measures like afforestation and the construction of reservoirs and embankments can reduce the risk of flood greatly. However, none of these measures were taken after the flooding in the past year. We can only hope that this year’s flooding will serve as an eye-opener and spur the Nigerian authorities to take precautions against the coming year.

Major Causes of Flooding in Nigeria (Summary)

The above-listed are the major causes of the current flood situation in Nigeria. Heavy rainfalls and the opening of the Lagdo Dam are not the only two causes of the flooding as we have seen. Here’s a highlight of the major causes highlighted in this article.

1. Lack of flood control measures
2. Opening of the Cameroon dam
3. Poor drainage systems
4. Poor waste management
5. Heavy rainfall