2023-11-15 21:30:37
372 of the country’s 744 local government areas are at risk of flooding.
Climate disasters are occurring at a frightening pace in Nigeria, and the administration said today it will prioritize efforts to counter the effects of climate change.
In 2022 alone, floods have caused at least 662 deaths, 3,174 injuries, around 2.5 million people displaced and 200,000 homes destroyed.
First successes in mitigating effects
As early as 2012, the World Bank reported that erosion affected more than 6,000 square kilometers of land in the country, including around 3,400 square kilometers highly exposed. At the time, gully erosion was causing an estimated $100 million in damage annually, according to the team behind the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).
Under NEWMAP, the country began working with the World Bank to rehabilitate degraded lands and reduce erosion and climate vulnerability in 23 states. The project had four work streams:
Invest in erosion and watershed management infrastructure to reduce land degradation, Develop information services to strengthen erosion and watershed monitoring and disaster risk management, Strengthen the framework Nigeria’s Strategy for Climate Action to promote low-carbon development, and Support project management at federal and state levels through financial, social and environmental safeguards and oversight, d awareness raising and monitoring and evaluation of projects.
The results reported in 2021 are positive: the project benefited 35,000 people directly and more than 100,000 indirectly through small grants awarded to community interest groups. The team trained 185,058 people, 42% of whom were women.
Regarding the first line of work, the project more than doubled the land under sustainable management, completed nearly five dozen participatory surface water management plans, and significantly reduced gully erosion. .
Regarding the second component, it made it possible to draft guidelines for environmental impact assessment and launch more than a hundred automated hydrology, meteorology and early warning systems in the event of flooding in the area.
The government is restoring land in the northern states of Bauchi, Jigawa and Sokoto by planting thousands of tree seeds and seedlings.
Third, the country has issued green bonds to boost private investment in climate-smart projects, such as the distribution of fuel-efficient stoves and the development of solar-based electricity generators for urban centers. rural health.
Fourth, the team tested the use of remote sensing, geographic information system techniques, 360-degree cameras and drones for remote supervision and grievance resolution.
Overall, NEWMAP has shown Nigeria’s appetite for action and results.
Calls for accelerated action
According to the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), about 178 local government areas (LGAs) in 32 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are in highly probable flood risk areas. Of the country’s 744 LGAs, 224 are located in moderate flood risk areas and 372 are in probable flood risk areas.
Nigeria’s more than 830 kilometers of coastline are increasingly threatened by flooding, erosion and water and air pollution. Communities in the Niger Delta states, which border the Atlantic Ocean, have lost or fear losing their homes and farmland due to erosion of the bedrock that protects the coastline.
Forests are disappearing due to desertification. According to Action Against Desertification, only half of the forests that existed in 2007 remain in the region where it operates.
Suleiman Hussein Adamu, minister of water resources until May 2023, had warned that the floods would take a heavy toll on lives and livelihoods, agriculture, livestock, infrastructure and the environment.
The frequency of natural disasters in the country is linked to climate change, according to Alhaji Musa Zakari, director of human resource management at the National Emergency Management Agency, responsible for disaster management in Nigeria.
Part of the government’s strategy is to inform the public about preventative measures that save lives and reduce damage to property and infrastructure.
“Nigeria may need to re-examine a fundamentally new and more effective approach to disaster management,” Mr. Zakari said in an interview.
New approaches
In August, the Nigeria National Defense College (NDC) presented the findings of its research, titled “Building Climate Resilience for Enhanced National Security: Strategic Options for Nigeria by 2035,” to the government. It recommends adopting strategies to achieve the short, medium and long term objectives of climate adaptation programs.
Vice President Kashim Shettima said the current administration was prioritizing climate change interventions to combat desertification, coastal erosion and flooding by collaborating with relevant people and institutions.
The government shares “concerns about the security implications of underestimating the devastation of climate change,” it said upon receiving the NDC report.
Part of the government’s strategy is to inform the public about preventative measures that save lives and reduce damage to property and infrastructure.
Additionally, as part of the Great Green Wall initiative, which aims to increase the amount of arable land in the Sahel, the government is restoring land in Bauchi, Jigawa and Sokoto states in the north of the country, planting thousands of tree seeds and seedlings.
Vice President Shettima said: “It is heartening to see the agreement between the results [de la recherche] and the political objectives of our government, which reinforces our belief that a holistic and comprehensive approach is essential to effectively address these challenges. »
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Par:
Leon Usigbe
Africa Renewal
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