FLOOD RISKS, ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION AND SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT IN THE NIGER DELTA: PATHWAYS TO RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT
Keywords:
Flood Risk,, Niger Delta, Environmental Regulation, Land Use Management, Climate ResilienceAbstract
The Niger Delta area in Nigeria, with its vast wetlands and rivers, has substantial hydrocarbons. However, the area has been getting floods frequently, and the damage to human being, infrastructure and environment are massive. Vulnerability refers to the over-exposure arising from weak enforcement, fragmentation of institutional roles, as well as chaotic urban expansion, despite the existence of the regulatory framework of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), Land Use Act and NESREA oversight. The purpose of the study was to assess the connection between flood risk, environmental regulation, and sustainable land management in the Niger Delta. High-risk areas have been assessed for their relationship to oil and gas infrastructures, human settlements and natural features through a range of geospatial tools such as GIS based flood risk mapping, land-use/land-cover (LULC) analysis and documents review. The results indicate that areas affected by flooding are strongly linked with informal settlements, oil pipelines, and degraded wetlands, pointing to a lack of governance and planning issues. The research indicates that if GIS spatial analysis is coupled with functional environmental regulation and community-based land management, resilience to repetitive flooding will be strengthened. The recommendation broadens policies by calling for clarity in enforcement role guidelines, floodplain zoning, wetlands restoration and mainstreaming climate resilience. The findings of this research provide technical insights and policy insights that are useful for the development of integrated flood risk management frameworks for sustainable development in the Niger Delta.
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