Implications of Flooding on the Socio-Economic Status of Residents in Flood Prone Areas in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

This study examined the implications of flooding on the socio-economic status of residents in flood prone areas in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The study specifically described the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; examine the effects of flooding on the socio-economic variables of the respondents; and identify the approaches to curtail flooding effects in flood prone areas. A multistage sampling technique was employed in the selection of six flood prone communities in Bayelsa State, and 20 respondents were randomly selected from each community given a total of 120 respondents as the sample size. Primary data were sourced through questionnaires. Descriptive statistical tools were used for the analysis. The findings showed that 54.2% of the respondents were between the age range of 31-40 years with a mean age of 32 years; they are gender inexclusive with male having 55.8% and female 44.2%. 54.2% were married, most of them are literate with 41.6%, and 54.2% had household size between the range of 4-6 persons. 50.8%, 39.1% and 33.3% of the respondents agreed that the effect of flooding on income, farmland and food insecurity respectively were very high; Traditional crafts like boat building, houses, business centers, roadsided businesses and pond fishing were high with 38.3%, 32.5%, 33.3%, 43.3% and 31.6% respectively; local industries like alcohol preparation, animal husbandry, training centers, fishery (artisanal), construction works and processing industries were average with 50.8%, 46.7%, 45.5%, 31.6%, 50% and 33.3% respectively; educational institutions, health, water, price of commodities (food produce), local marketing and transportation were very high with 46.7%, 33.3%, 43.3%, 32.5%, 39.4% and 46.7%; implying that their socio-economic variables output will be very low ( an inverse relationship) as a result of flooding effect. Furthermore, the results showed that all respondents agreed with the listed approaches as ways to curtail the effects of flood in flood prone areas, with a criterion mean score of > 2.50. The study concluded that flood have adverse effect on socio-economic variables of the respondents. It was recommended that, building of resilience walls, culverts and drainage channels around the affected communities, land reclamation, elevated foundation of building for residents, government intervention responses plans and standard road network should be provided.