NATIONAL WATER RESOURCES INSTITUTE,

KADUNA

DEPARTMENT OF HYDROLOGY AND WATER

RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (HWRM)
 INTRODUCTION
Devastating floods are becoming annual events in Nigeria and
occur in all parts of the country resulting in losses of lives and
properties. Opinions are diverse on the reasons for the flood.
Climate change has in recent time caused unusually high rainfall
pattern across the globe; raises the water levels in the oceans
and caused back flow at the delta. Excess releases from dams
whose operational capacities could not cope with excessive
inflows into their reservoir areas has also been fingered as
responsible for flooding in Nigeria. Poor and inadequate
drainages both natural and artificial also contribute in no small
measure to the problem. Improper urban development planning
that is incapable of preventing construction of residential and
commercial structures in flood plains and flood prone areas
exacerbates the situation.
 INTRODUCTION CONT’D
It has become imperative to embark on intensive and multi-disciplinary
studies to determine the effectiveness of natural and artificial drainages
in our urban centres to contain and regulate flood waters. This should
be with a view to develop appropriate mitigations using drainage
design and management practices for our urban centres to control
flooding and reduce its impacts on the inhabitants.
 OBJECTIVES
To effectively mitigate flooding issues, NWRI adopt the following:
Constitute downstream bankfull and flood dimensions database for assessment of
downstream community’s levels of vulnerability and risks assessments to flood;
Develop reservoir operational codes for downstream flood control;
Identify existing flood control measures (structural and non-structural) and assess
their efficiencies;
Identify existing good and bad human practices relevant to flood management;
Study of the impacts of urban development plans and procedures on natural and
artificial drainage networks of urban centres with particular emphasis on flood
plains and flood prone areas;
Produce flood inundation maps for a particular flood event and
Recommend appropriate disaster risk reduction strategies.
Concept of Research in NWRI: HWRM in
focus
Research activities are mainly
applied, focusing on finding
solutions to problems relating to
development and management of
water resources across Nigeria.
HWRM conduct applied research
and provide solutions related to
the following aspects:
1. Erection of flood marks;
2. Flood assessment;
3. Erosion and flood control
4. Reservoir sedimentation
studies
 FLOOD MARK
The Flood Mark is free-standing
monument structure that serve as flood
early warning system. It is colour coded
from the base to top as green, amber and
red. The green which signifies normal
flood level that is safe, amber signifies
warning (high water level approaching to
cause flood) and red signifies water level is
high and flood is imminent. The flood
mark has being very helpful in the
Communities where it had been erected.
The Flood mark have been erected in
Kaduna, Lokoja, Makurdi, Onitsha and
Yola.
 RAPID FLOOD ASSESSMENT
Rapid flood assessment is
the activities carried out
during flood events for on-
the-spot evaluations of
the damages caused,
possible cause(s) of the
flood and inundation level
of the flood event with the
aim of finding solution to
the causes of the flooding.
Assessment of flood events in Nigeria have being carried out
by HWRM in the following locations for the various years as
indicated:
• Jibia in Katsina State, 2018;
• Abeokuta in Ogun State, 2018;
• Jigawa state, 2019, 2020 and 2021;
• Lokoja in Kogi State, 2022;
• Makurdi in Benue State, 2018 and 2019;
• Osogbo in Osun State, 2019;
• Odugbo in Benue State, 2023;
• Lokogoma in FCT, 2019;
• Gwagwalada in FCT, 2020;
• Dei-Dei in FCT, 2020;
• U/maigero in Kaduna state 2020;
• Ningi in Bauchi, 2021 and
• Kaduna, 2015, 2018 and 2020
PHOTOS FROM JIBIA 2018 FLOOD
EVENT
Destructions along inadequately sized drainage channel
PHOTOS FROM ABEOKUTA 2018
FLOOD EVENT
Building along river path Poorly aligned crossing culvert
PHOTOS FROM JIGAWA STATE
FLOOD EVENT
Crossing culvert blocked with aquatic plants Flood inundation level at Hadejia
LOKOJA 2022 FLOOD EVENT
Typical Inundation map of a flood event ASSESSMENT
OUTCOMES FROM FLOOD
LOKOJA 2022 FLOOD INUNDATION
MAP
 Flood and Erosion Control
Flood and Erosion Control Study
involve topographic survey of the
area, determining the carrying
capacity of the existing drainage
structures and re-designing
adequate drainage structures
where required to effectively
discharge flood water.
The study have been carried out in
the following locations:
• Ogun State College of Health
Technology, Ilese;
• Auyo in Jigawa and
• Farin-Gida in Kaduna State.
• Similarly, study is ongoing on
Erosion and flooding problem in
Gombe State.
 Reservoir Sedimentation
Summary of outcome of sedimentation studies on some
• It is a common knowledge reservoirs in Nigeria
that most of our reservoirs
are silted and the capacity
that supposed to contain
flood water has been filled
with sediments.
• NWRI carried out
sedimentation studies of
some dam reservoirs to
determine their level of
siltation.
• The main recommendation in
all the reports is the need to
de-silt the reservoirs to
create capacity to contain
more flood water.
 GENERAL CAUSES OF FLOOD
 High intensity short duration rainfall
 Bifurcation of river channels as a result of undefined water paths
 Inadequate capacity of River channel to contain the flood water
 Inadequate capacity of river crossing structures
 Reservoir siltations
 Building along flood plain or stream path.
 Dumping of refuse along canal and river course
 High rise of ocean tides
 Reclamation of the ocean by sand filling without provision for the
displaced water.
 Non-channelization of Urban river course
Flood Prevention Measures
 Building of flood wall;
 The use of sand bags;
 River training;
 Provision of adequately sized drainages;
 Channelization of Urban river channel;
 De-silting of channels to contain flood water.

The way forwards
Sedimentation studies on our river channel and dam reservoirs.
 Dredging of dam reservoirs to create space to accommodate the flood water.
 The government and the people should recognize the need and importance of environmental
impact assessment (E.I.A). This would help to indicate how any project would affect the
environment;
 In order to check flooding in Nigeria, a combination of engineering and spatial planning
measures is required;
 There should be a synergy among ministries/agencies as well as stakeholders in flood disaster
management and interventions.
 There is also the need to harmonize the operations of all the relevant agencies for greater
efficiency;
 Maintenance of drainage system should be put in place in both rural and urban areas
 Public awareness campaign should be intensified to educate the people on the danger
associated with living on flood prone areas and management of drainage channels;
 Flood forecasting and early warning system (flood mark) should be provided in every flood prone
states in Nigeria in order to help in warning people of an impending flood well ahead of time.
 More efforts should be placed on structural solutions i.e river training, building of flood walls
and channel capacity improvement.
Thank You.