Abstract
Flooding is now an annual occurring event in Donga Town especially after heavy rainstorm which is further worsened by the nature of the topography of the area. The knowledge of how the public view flooding is considered a crucial aspect in modern flood management as it steers the development of effective and efficient flood mitigation strategies. This study therefore assessed public perception of flooding in Donga town. Two wards were purposively drawn out of ten wards (Gata Aure and Fada ward). The survey design method was employed in this study. Yamane (1967) method of sample size determination was used to arrive at a sample size of 130 for the study. Systematic random sampling was used in the administration of 130 questionnaires to respondents. Non parametric statistics of Spear Man rank correlation and descriptive statistics (percentages, tables, pie and bar charts) were used to analyze the data. The result of the findings showed that 95% of the respondents were male, 88.4% of the respondents were aware that the area was prone to flooding. Also, about 46.2% perceived that rainfall was the major cause of flooding in the study area. Correlation analysis result was insignificant which implied that in Donga town, educational level of respondents did not influence respondent’s awareness level of flooding and that people’s perception of flooding was influenced by factors other than respondent’s literacy level. The conclusion from the study is that rainfall intensity and amount is the main cause of flooding in Donga town and also individual’s response to flooding in the study area is poor. This study recommends the need to educate the people living in the flood plain on the dangers of continuous occupation of the area.
Highlights
Flooding is one of the most common and widely distributed natural risks to life and property worldwide
According to [4], factors contributing to the frequency and severity of flooding include: Rainfall intensity and duration; antecedent moisture condition; watershed conditions, including steepness of terrain, soil types, amount of vegetation, and density of development, changes in landscape resulting from wild fires; the existence of attenuating features, such as levees and flood control channel; velocity of flow; availability of sediment for transport, and the erodibility of the bed and banks of the water course
Rainfall accounts for 46.2% of the cause of flooding, proximity to the main river accounts for 45.5% and low land area accounts for 8.3% of the cause of flooding
Summary
Flooding is one of the most common and widely distributed natural risks to life and property worldwide. It has a special place in natural hazards and accounts for approximately one third of all natural disasters in both developed and developing world [1]. Flooding is responsible for more than half of all related fatalities and a third of the economic loss from all natural catastrophes. The reason for this as observed by [2] lies in the widespread geographical distribution of river flood plains and low lying coast, together with their long standing attraction for human settlement. According to [4], factors contributing to the frequency and severity of flooding include: Rainfall intensity and duration; antecedent moisture condition; watershed conditions, including steepness of terrain, soil types, amount of vegetation, and density of development, changes in landscape resulting from wild fires (loss of moisture trapping vegetation and increased sediment available for runoff); the existence of attenuating features, such as levees and flood control channel; velocity of flow; availability of sediment for transport, and the erodibility of the bed and banks of the water course
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