The Effect Of Flood On Roads Durability In Nigeria

The Effect Of Flood On Roads Durability In Nigeria

Chapter One

Preface

Background to the study

Encyclopedically, disasters are said to have ruinous effect on profitable development, livelihoods, husbandry, and health, social and mortal life( Wood, 2005). They’re unforeseen, accidental events that may beget deaths or injuries. Abam( 2006) defined flood tide as a large volume of water which arrives at and enthrall the sluice channel and its flood tide straight in a time too short to help damage to profitable conditioning including homes. It’s a natural hazard like failure and desertification which occurs as an extreme hydrological( run off) event( Nwafor, 2006). It could also be seen as the alluvion of an area not typically covered with water, through a temporary rise in position of sluice, swash, lake or ocean( Emodi, 2012). Dragged downfall events are the most common causes of flooding worldwide. cataracts are generally regarded as extreme hydrological events, where there’s excess of water which may have ruinous goods. According to Ayoade( 1988), flooding in the tropics is regarded as incompletely or wholly climatological in nature as they affect from torrential downfall.

Flood disaster isn’t a recent miracle in Nigeria and its destructive tendencies are occasionally enormous. According to the United Nations Environment Program( UNEP, 2006), flooding is one of the major environmental heads ruining the macrocosm within the century and the renaissance. This is especially the case in utmost washes of the world. The reason is attributed to the general rise in ocean position encyclopedically, due to the global warming as well as the impregnated nature of the washes in Nigeria. Periodic cataracts do on numerous gutters, forming a girding region known as flood tide plain. Within the metropolises, mortal conditioning similar as rapid-fire industrialization and urbanization, population growth, exploitation of natural coffers and position of architectures( heads, piers and lands) exacerbates the circumstance of cataracts. Askew( 1999) reiterated that cataracts beget about one third of all deaths, one third of all injuries and one third of all damages from natural disaster.

cataracts do in Nigeria in three main forms; littoral flooding, swash flooding and civic flooding. Coastal flooding occurs in the low lying belt of mangrove and fresh water swamp along the seacoast( Folorunsho and Awosika 2001 Ologunorisa, 2004). It’s generally a function of storm swell, swells( driven by wind) and heavy downfall. River flood tide is a function of downfall and run off volumes within the swash vale. It occurs in the flood tide plain of larger gutters where unforeseen short- lived flash cataracts are associated with gutters in the land areas where unforeseen heavy rains can change them into destructive torments within a short period( Folorunsho and Awosika 2001 Ologunorisa, 2004). Civic flooding on the other hand occurs in municipalities, on flat or low lying terrains especially where little or no provision has been made for face drainage or where being drainage has been blocked with external waste, refuses and eroded soil sediments( Ali, 2005).

Oderrerho( 2004) and Nwafor( 2006) linked twelve( 12) causes of civic flooding. They include; Surcharges in water position due to natural or man- made construction of flood tide paths, unforeseen levee failures, unhappy land use, deforestation of catchment basins, recovery, construction spots and solid waste, shy drainage capacity to manage with urbanization and redundant encroachment in flood tide ways. Civic flood tide problem is a global experience but the operation practices differ according to prevailing technologies and aptness in planning concern.

Nott( 2006), points out that flood tide events may not be considered a natural hazard unless there’s a trouble to mortal life and property. The most vulnerable geography for cataracts are low lying seacoast and deltas, and small basins subject to flash cataracts. Empirical inquiries( Okereke, 2007; Kolawole etal., 2011) have stressed the introductory consequences of flooding as; loss of mortal lives, submerging of hearthstone and thoroughfares, flux of sewage, external pollution and health hazards, business inhibition, aesthetic discoloring, remittal cost and dislocation of services, infrastructural damage, and profitable loss.

In flood tide events, socio- profitable life and livelihood of the affected people may be distorted, in utmost cases spreads and beast are submerged which are the major source of people’s livelihood. Flood losses are ruinous as numerous noway get recovered after the flood tide recedes. Vulnerable communities suffer great losses in events of flood tide, especially when the flood tide is unknown. Hunger, shortage, complaint and epidemic outbreak are generally attendant impacts of flood tide( Mmom and Aifesehi, 2003). Malaria and typhoid outbreaks after cataracts in tropical countries are common. It has been estimated that in India and Bangladesh 300 million people live in areas that are affected by cataracts( Nott, 2006).

It’s well known that the rate of road deterioration increases if the water content of the grainy material increases. In rigid pavements( i.e., concrete), temperature slants across the concrete arbor can beget structuraldefects.Diefenderfer, etal.( 2002). Diefenderfer, etal.( 2002) presents no lower than six adverse goods related to redundant water reduction of shear strength of footloose accoutrements , discriminational swelling on extensive sub grade soils, movement of footloose forfeitures in flexible pavement base and sub base layers, pumping of forfeitures and continuity cracking in rigid pavements, frost- heave and thaw decaying, and stripping of asphalt in flexible pavements. On the positive side, icing proper( optimal) water content greatly improves quilting of the road during construction, and may also increase its adaptability when traded, indeed though this effect is frequently neglected. It’s generally asked to keep the road as close to or lower than optimum water content as possible over time as water and road construction don’t make for a harmoniouscouple.Dawson,A.R.( 2009).

According to McRobert,J. etal.( 2000), Drainage is frequently described as the central and most important aspect of design, construction and conservation of any road, including closed roads. Drainage of closed roads can be of indeed lesser significance because lower quality design and construction norms and borderline accoutrements are generally used, which are more passable to water. Poor drainage will reduce the life of the pavement and have serious environmental impacts if left unbounded. There are numerous approaches to reducing corrosion of exposed shells associated with closed roads, similar as side rainspouts, cut- off figure banks and batter pitches. Any road will readily concentrate runoff, so there’s a need to design and construct roads to allow for frequent and safe discharge.

During the rains, part of the rain water flows on face and part of it percolates through the soil mass as gravitational water until it reaches the ground water. Some water is retained in the pores of the soil mass and on the face of soil patches which can not be drained by normal gravitational styles and this retained water is nominated Held water. It’s needed that the face water from the expressway and shoulder should effectively be drained off without allowing it weep the sub grade. The face water from touching land should also be averted from entering the thruway. The side drains should have sufficient capacity and longitudinal pitches to carry down all the face water collected. This indecorous drainage system causes the failure of road pavements due to numerous reasons similar as increase in humidity content, drop in strength, slush pumping, conformation of swells and corrugations, stripping of bitumen, slice of edges of pavement and frost action.

Statement of Problem

Incidents of flood tide aren’t a recent miracle to people of Makurdi as they’ve been living in flood tide prone areas for centuries. Like utmost civic areas of the third world, Makurdi has endured accelerated population growth which has led to changes in the land use conditioning. Land use changes in particular, have a direct impact on the magnitude and geste of cataracts( Civco et al 2002). Flash cataracts are common features in Nigeria during the stormy season( May- October) but the country’s flood tide event of the time 2012 have been described as the most ruinous in over 40 times.

Two major events took place between the months of September and October 2012 in Nigeria, videlicet the Ladgo Dam flood tide in Adamawa State, and the River Benue and Niger adjoining States cataracts( Niger and Benue States). The event pushed utmost of the country’s gutters over their banks and submerged hundreds of kilometers of civic and pastoral land. This redounded in wide ruinous flood tide disaster that hit the country cutting across major metropolises in about 14 countries that borders the Niger- Benue River. The flood tide submerged houses and several transportation routes throughout the affected areas civil. Overall, an estimated1.3 million people were displaced and about 431 people lost their lives with several hectares of cropland destroyed( MISNA, 2012). Though the surprisingly large flood tide was prognosticated by the Nigeria Metrological Agency NIMET, government at all categories failed to act on time, performing in the worst philanthropic heads in Nigeria since the civil war in 1967- 1970.

Despite the anticipated increase in frequence and magnitude of flood tide in the Nigeria and always Makurdi, many impact assessment studies on the socio- profitable livelihood of the people have been accepted to establish the underpinning causes of their vulnerability. In the absence of comprehensive data and information, the measures to manage with flood tide have remained ad hoc.

Ideal Of The Study

The main ideal of this study is to examine the effect of flood tide on roads continuity in Nigeria. Specifically, the study aims to

Ascertain the causes of flood tide in Nigeria

Examine the socio- profitable effect of flood tide in Nigeria

Examine the effect of poor drainage on flood tide incidents in Nigeria

To ascertain if flood tide affects road continuity in Nigeria

Exploration Question

What are the causes of flood tide in Nigeria?

What’s the socio- profitable consequences of flood tide in Nigeria?

Does poor drainage system the reason for flood tide incident in Nigeria?

Does flood tide affect road continuity in Nigeria?

Significance Of The Study

The significance of this exploration can not be overemphasized because of its immense significance to different groups of people who are in need of information that it’ll give. Its significance includes the following

The study will enable the operation of flooding and give an in- depth understanding and knowledge of the flood tide forestallment strategies available so that they can borrow them adequately.

The study will also serve as a source of secondary data for scholars and scholars who intend to carry out analogous studies in the future.

Scope/ Limitation of the Compass

The compass of this study in terms of its content is confined to the flood tide goods on road continuity with special attention to Makurdi the state capital of Benue state.