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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to Study
The study explores the impact of floods on the socio-economic livelihoods of people in Ikere community in Ekiti State.
The aim of this study is to provide a thorough understanding of the impact of floods on the socio- economic livelihoods and underlying causes of the community’s vulnerability. The contribution of the research should compel other stakeholders to undertake further research in issues that may arise in this study and need further inquiry.
The frequency of natural disasters has been increasing over the years, resulting in loss of life, damage to property and destruction of the environment. The number of people at risk has been growing each year and the majority are in developing countries with high poverty levels making them more vulnerable to disasters (Living with Risk 2006:6).
Grunfest (1995) argues that due to high poverty levels, people have become more vulnerable because they live in hazardous areas including flood plains and steep hills. They have fewer resources which makes them more susceptible to disasters .They are less likely to receive timely warnings. Furthermore, even if warnings were issued, they have fewer options for reducing losses in a timely manner. The poverty level affects the resilience and process of recovery from disasters. Disaster mitigation, preparedness and prevention needs to address socio-economic issues not only geological and meteorological aspects.
According to Carter (1991:1), floods have the following characteristics:
- Long, short and no warning, depending on the type of floods (for example, flooding within parts of a major river may develop over a number of days or even weeks, whereas flash floods give no warning);
- Speed or onset may be gradual or sudden; and
- There may be seasonal patterns of
Major effects arise mainly from inundation and erosion and may include the isolation of communities or areas and involve the need for large scale evacuation.
The Third World Water Forum: Poverty and Floods held in March,2003 indicated that in recent years ,floods had become more frequent and of increasing severity resulting into loss of life, injury, homelessness, damage to infrastructure and environment as well as impacting on other critical sectors such as education and agriculture .
Nigeria has not been spared by floods which have had adverse impacts. According to assessments undertaken by the Nigeria Vulnerability Assessment Committee, heavy rains experienced in recent years have resulted into recurrent flash floods and water logging in valley and / or low lying areas respectively causing varying impacts on a number of sectors namely infrastructure , agriculture ,education ,health ,water and sanitation and habitation ( Nigeria In – Depth Assessment of Floods Report,2007 ).
Statement of the problem
The problem which this study addressed is the impact of floods on the socio-economic livelihoods of people in Ikere community in Ekiti state of Nigeria. The study area is in a low-lying, severely flood prone area (wetlands). The population along the river has grown over the years. More than 8,000 people live in this area. Almost three quarters of the land is used for crop production, mainly maize and vegetable gardening. Other crops grown include sorghum, millet, groundnuts, beans and sweet potatoes. Some livestock farming is also present and fishing is practiced. Owing to its geographical location, that is, along the river banks, the communities have a limited capacity to control the hydrological events ensuing from the river catchment (Nigeria In –Depth Assessment of Floods Report, 2007).
The area has suffered floods for three (3) consecutive rainfall seasons namely; 2005/06, 2016/17 and 2017/18.The 2017/18 season has been described by the community as the worst in terms of the amount of rainfall received and level of impact. The floods caused displacement of people from their usual dwelling places resulting into varying impacts on infrastructure, crops, health,
education, environment as well as damage to property (Nigeria In-Depth Assessment of Floods Report, 2008).
This case study therefore endeavored to answer the following questions:
- What is the impact of floods on the socio –economic livelihoods of people in Ikere community?
- Who are the most vulnerable groups to floods and what are their Adaptation Measures?
- What are the sustainable developmental and policy options to deal with the problem of floods?
Overall, the study findings will contribute to efforts in enhancing Disaster Risk Management and Mitigation in flood prone areas.
Objectives of the Study
The overall objective of the study is the analysis of effect of flood on livelihoods and adaptation measures of smallholder crop farmers in Ikere community in Ekiti state of Nigeria.
The specific objectives of the study were as follows:
- To identify the impact which floods have had on the socio-economic livelihoods of the people in Ikere community;
- To establish and analyze the underlying causes of vulnerability of the people in Ikere community;
- To establish vulnerable groups that are most affected by floods including gender considerations;
- To identify coping mechanisms employed by the community during floods and strengthen positive Adaptation Measures; and
- To establish cultural impact on traditional patterns of life and work, family structures and authority, religious and tribal factors, archeological factors and social
Significance of the Study
The study is important because it assesses and estimates the effects of the floods on the community’s socio-economic livelihoods. The study also endeavours to establish the underlying causes of vulnerability of people in Ikere community. More importantly, it is envisaged that the outputs of the study will be key inputs in the designing of sustainable mitigation measures to minimize the impact of floods and the associated risks.
Scope of the Study
The study was undertaken in Ikere Community in Ekiti state of Nigeria. Ikere suffered erratic rainfall patterns particularly drought which caused widespread crop failures in the 1998/9, 2002/3 and 2003/4 agricultural seasons. Floods are also a cause of crop failure, although less frequently than drought. In the recent past agricultural seasons (2005/06, 2016/17 and 2017/18), floods have also become an important cause of crop failure and impacted on critical sectors of the economy (Concept Note on the Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis, 2006). Ikere community was selected for the study because the floods have become a recurrent phenomenon there for three (3) consecutive rainfall seasons, that is, 2005/2006, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 (Nigeria In-Depth Assessment of Floods Report, 2008). The problem studied therefore was of societal concern because floods have negatively impacted on the community.