The Prospect of Flood Management in Nigeria

Flood is the most common of all environmental problems and has posed a big threat to lives and properties, and thus constitutes socio-economic and environmental consequences across the globe. Smith (1996) asserted that flood claims over 20,000 lives per year and adversely affects around 75 million people world-wide. In Nigeria, There has been a dramatic rise in the frequency and magnitude of flood disasters, threatening large populations living in diverse environments and causing socio-economic damages including loss of lives in recent years. The focus of this research work is to highlight the socio-economic and environmental problems posed by flood in Nigeria and to assess the prospects of management and control of this environmental hazard hence disaster management involves systematic observation and analysis of disasters to improve measures relating to prevention, mitigation, preparedness, emergency response and recovery.