Author(s): Mayowa Johnson Fasona; Ademola S. Omojola
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: GIS; Floodplain; Flood hazard; Niger River
Abstract: The frequency of occurrences of flood hazards is likely to increase because of increasing uncertainties in the natural-physical systems resulting from climatic change and variability. This will likely increase human risk in the floodplain because the search for livelihood and the home perception of people may continue to outweigh their desire to move from an original place. This study creates and analyses a GIS database for the settlements and resources lying in parts of the Niger floodplain. Existing base maps and socio-economic data for settlements were integrated with other data layers within Arcview GIS. The results show that 17,276km 2 or 69% of the area under assessment is devoted to agriculture. 648 settlements, 50 of which can be classified as urban areas fall within the floodplain. The database also provides a useful baseline data for further large scale (small area) assessment of impacts and mitigative strategies for flood, and blueprint for indicative planning within this part of the Niger floodplain.
Year: 2004