Potentials of effective urban planning as tool for disaster risk reduction in Nigeria

Abstract

In the last couple of years, disaster occurrence, both natural and human-induced are increasing worldwide. The magnitude of these disasters and the severity of their impacts have become sources of concern to development analysts and disaster risk managers. This study highlights that unlike what obtains in many other parts of the world such as Europe, North America and South East Asia that are particularly ravaged by natural disasters such as landslides, earthquakes and hurricanes amongst others, the disasters commonly experienced in Nigeria as in many other sub-Saharan African countries, safe for perennial flooding, are mostly human-induced disasters. In spite of the low frequency of natural disasters in the country the frequency and severity of human-induced disasters in recent times has become worrisome. This study therefore, emphasize that many of the this kind of disasters such as building collapse, fire outbreaks, pollution and epidemics occur in the country as a result of the inappropriate pattern and poor land-use planning and uncoordinated physical development activities, particularly in the urban areas. The paper therefore, highlights the relevance and utility of effective urban land-use planning and physical development tools such as land-use zoning, prevention of unwholesome and incompatible land-uses amongst others as veritable tools or measures for the prevention and minimization of human-induced disasters in the Nigeria.