EFFECTS OF UNREGULATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT ON FLOODING IN THE NIGERIAN ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

Floods make an enormous impact on the environment and society. Floods destroy drainage systems in cities, causing raw sewage to spill out into the bodies of water. Also, in cases of severe floods, buildings can be significantly damaged and even destroyed. This can lead to catastrophic effects on the environment as many toxic materials such as paint, pesticides and garbage can be released into the rivers, lakes, Bays and ocean, killing marine life. Floods may also cost billions of Naira worth of damage to a city, both evicting people from their homes and ruining businesses. It causes significant amounts of erosion in coasts, leading to more frequent flooding if not repaired: a case in point is Lagos bar beach. However, floods do make a slight positive impact on the environment as it spreads sediments containing beneficial nutrients to topsoil that might never arrive there otherwise. This paper will attempt to examine the effects of urban development on flooding in Nigeria