Flood Risk Assessment and Its Implications on Critical Infrastructure Resilience in Nigeria

Abstract

Flooding is one of the recurrent natural disasters in Nigeria that poses huge threats to not just people but also critical infrastructures. In 2024, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) identified 31 states including the FCT as high-risk areas for significant flood impacts. The impact of floods generally has caused devastating damage to critical infrastructures resulting from high rain intensities for a long duration. It becomes pertinent to evaluate the impact of floods on critical infrastructures like roads, bridges, residential buildings, water supply systems, and electricity facilities. Thus, this research seeks to explore the vulnerabilities and impacts of floods on critical infrastructure which is fundamental to economic growth, development, and coping mechanisms. A structured questionnaire was distributed among a sample of 90 including government department, construction industry, and community members to seek their views on the vulnerability risk of infrastructure and flood sources. Results indicate that most of the damages reported 42% were due to the destruction of roads and bridges, followed by residential houses at 31%. The main cause of flooding identified by 54% of respondents was poor drainage systems, while 31% cited poor waste management as a contributing issue. Hence, restoration of the drainage systems, implementation of prohibitions on encroachment of flood-prone areas and improvement of early warning systems are critical and pressing. The uniqueness of the study lies in its effort to address the gaps and challenges that exist in infrastructure resilience by identifying the most critical elements that are prone to risks and proposing mitigation measures against floods in the urban centers of Nigeria which are experiencing rapid growth.