ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE INDUCED-URBAN FLOODING ON THE ENVIRONMENT

This study focuses on the effects of climate change on urban flooding in Lokoja Nigeria, which lies at the confluence of the two major rivers in Nigeria; Niger and Benue and therefore is vulnerable to flooding as a result of a changing precipitation pattern. The study focuses on three main objectives: assessing the rainfall characteristics, assessing the current and possible flood mitigation measures and assessing the social economic and environmental effects of flooding in Lokoja. Through quantitative means, the study relied on secondary climate data obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency for the period between 1988 and 2022 and primary data obtained from an online survey of residents of the most flood-prone neighbourhoods. Trend analysis was conducted to analyse rainfall data, multiple regression was used to determine environmental and socio-economic impact of flooding and statistical method was used to evaluate adaptive measures. The study establishes that climate change has led to an increased and more frequent occurrence of rainfall which consequently has led to increased flooding in Lokoja. The study also shows that poor infrastructure particularly drainage systems make the area more prone to floods. Therefore, residents’ experiences reveal the importance of developing flood resistance cities, reliable Warnings, and Community-Based Adaptation. Thus, the study highlights the need to improve the capacity of Lokoja to adapt to climate-induced urban flooding and presents findings that can be useful for other flood affected areas of the world.