Natural disasters in Nigeria
In the context of food security, drought can be defined as a naturally occurring phenomenon, often exacerbated by human activities, which persists over a specific period in a particular region, leading to a substantial drop in precipitation levels, resulting in land degradation and significantly reduced agricultural yields.
[15] In recent years, droughts have resulted in a greater number of environmental refugees than any other period in human history and have caused more deaths than any other natural disaster in the latter half of the 20th century.
[21][23][22] Rain-fed agriculture serves as the primary source of food production and livelihood for many impoverished rural farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.
[26] Various Sahelian nations, including Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, and Niger Republic, garnered substantial international attention and support in response to these crises.
[36][37][38] Desertification involves the formation and expansion of degraded areas of soil and vegetation cover in arid, semi-arid, and seasonally dry regions, influenced by climate variations and human activities.
[39] It entails the stripping and degradation of once-fertile land, initiating a self-perpetuating cycle that leads to long-term changes in soil, climate, and biota within an area.
In regions experiencing desertification, people, in their pursuit of sustenance and livelihoods for the population, engage in land management and farming practices that deplete soil nutrients, organic matter, and promote erosion.
These environmental challenges result in diminished soil quality, which in turn leads to reduced agricultural productivity—a pivotal factor affecting food security.
Key features of a desertification process encompass: Nigeria is situated between approximately latitudes 4o and 14o north of the equator and longitudes 2o 2' and 14o 30' east of the Greenwich Meridian.
It has been estimated that between 50% and 75% of states in Nigeria, including Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara, are affected to varying degrees by desertification.
Humans play a role in desertification through ill-advised land utilization practices and the mounting pressure placed on finite resources due to population growth.
Socio-economic Impacts Flooding can arise from intense precipitation or when rivers and seas breach their usual boundaries due to elevated tides, submerging land areas.
The situation can be worsened by an increased number of impermeable surfaces, as well as natural events like wildfires or deforestation that diminish the vegetation available to absorb rainfall.
[70] Presently, there is a heightened focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, one of which involves addressing climate change and its ramifications by enhancing resilience, reducing climate-related hazards, and mitigating natural disasters.
The contamination of drinkable water by pollutants from overflowing sanitation facilities raises the probability of waterborne illnesses like typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis, and hepatitis A (WHO n.d.).
Some of the negative consequences of flood include loss of human life, damage to properties, public transportation systems, power supply, crops, and livestock.
Reports says that seven people lost their lives and about 74,713 others displaced became homeless;[79][80] While 150 farmlands and about 66 houses were destroyed according to Adamawa state Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA).
[96] The Ekiti State governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, through his deputy Mrs. Monisade Afuye, described the incidents as devastating and assured the victims that government would give all the necessary support to mitigate whatever effect this situation must have caused them.
A study carried out in Akwa Ibom, Ondo, and Rivers states revealed that farmers commonly employ land management practices, particularly utilizing mounds, to alleviate the effects of flooding.
This program should encompass continuous monitoring of soil saturation and water levels, enhancing grassroots awareness of weather forecasts, conducting necessary evacuation drills, and providing emergency self-help and survival training for communities.
The ministry also procured and installed four standalone automated functional flood early warning facilities along Alamutu, Eruwa, and Owena River basins.
[102] To notify the public about impending flooding dangers, the federal government empowered the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) to provide precise weather forecasts.
[107] Some of the major landslides that have occurred in Nigeria include: Earthquakes happen worldwide, and different countries experience varying levels of seismic activity.
AWDROP drew the government's attention to a prediction made by a group of researchers, led by Dr. Adepelumi Adekunle Abraham from the Department of Geology at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife.
As suggested by,[133] these stresses resulting from the movement of the African and South American plates might be transmitted to Nigeria, leading to the occurrence of earth tremors along fault lines.
Worldwide, millions of earthquakes of varying magnitudes occur each year, ranging from minor tremors detectable only by sensitive recording instruments to large quakes capable of causing significant human and infrastructural damage.
A fire disaster can be defined as an event that takes place when a flammable substance makes contact with oxygen, resulting in the release of light, heat, and smoke.
For instance, in a typical building fire, the diverse array of fuels such as furniture, clothing, paper, plastics, and other household combustibles, combined with limited ventilation, generates a complex, toxic, and flammable mixture of solids, gases, and vapors through an oxidation reaction.
[150] It was created to foster effective and efficient disaster management among Federal, State and Local Governments, Civil Society Organizations and the private sector.
The Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) was establishment in 2006 to provide geoscientific data and information for land use planning and natural hazard management in Nigeria.
