Projected Impact of Sea Level Rise on Nigeria’s Coastal City of Calabar in Cross River State

Abstract

This study projects the impact of sea level rise on Nigeria’s coastal city of Calabar in Cross River State. Data for the study were obtained from both secondary and primary sources through the use of the internet and questionnaire administration respectively. The data were analysed using the geographical information systems (GIS), frequency tables and percentages. The results revealed that at 0.3 m rise in sea level, about 4.56% of the total land area will be covered with flood water. This would affect 159 houses, with approximately 1,431 persons. Further, at 3.0 m rise in sea level, about 10.10% of the area will be flooded, affecting 2012 houses with an estimated population of 18,108 persons. Again, the resilience of the residents to the vagaries of flooding by sea level rise is generally low due to very low income and lack of awareness. The study concluded that Calabar City is vulnerable to the impact of sea level rise which is primarily caused by climate change. Therefore, awareness campaign on the impact of flooding by sea level rise on coastal communities should be carried out by the appropriate agencies of government in the State.

A Geospatial Expose of Flood-Risk and Vulnerable Areas in Nigeria

“…The current trend of flood occurrences and impacts in Nigeria calls for more studies and accurate spatial information on the potential flood hazards (Umar, Abdullahi & Usman, 2019). The dearth of studies that holistically adopt GIS in planning for flood disaster in Nigeria means there is a crucial need to explore more effectively, the use of recent geospatial methods and data for flood hazard mapping, exposure and vulnerability (Komolafe, Adegboyega & Akinluyi, 2015;Efiong & Ushie, 2019). This highlights the need for flood-risk and vulnerability maps as well as information that would be effectively communicated to decision makers, emergency response units and the public (Yahaya & Abdalla, 2010;Fadhil, Ristya, Oktaviani & Kusratmoko, 2019).…”