Relationship between urban planning and flooding in Port Harcourt city, Nigeria; insights from planning professionals

Abstract

Flooding is widely recognised as a global problem which has worsened in recent years due to climate change. In Nigeria, flooding remains the most widespread environmental disaster with the population of 200 million suffering numerous threats from perennial flooding. Port Harcourt in Southern Nigeria experiences annual flooding on a significant scale. While research has linked the flooding in Port Harcourt to poor urban planning, little research has engaged with planning professionals to investigate this relationship. This paper fills this gap. It explores how urban planning is linked to flooding in Port Harcourt and reports on qualitative research undertaken with five urban planners in Port Harcourt. The findings affirm that poor planning and/or lack of compliance with planning regulations are the main factors contributing to the flooding of Port Harcourt. The urban planners gave their expert opinions on how to control the flooding and unanimously agreed that improved planning practices could control the endemic flooding problem in the city. This implies that the government needs to work more closely with urban planners and other stakeholders to effectively control and find a lasting solution to the flooding problem in Port Harcourt city.

Effect of flood risk management methods on urban flooding: Article review

“…[47] conducted a questionnaire-based telephone survey. [49] explored appropriate flood-related urban planning using a qualitative approach in five steps and surveyed to investigate perceived risk (RP). RP was assessed through a score built on four items covering personal, residence, and sociodemographic variables related to RP flooding [50].…”

“…41 Echencu 2020 Explores how urban planning relates to flooding in Port Harcourt and reports on qualitative research conducted with five urban planners in Port Harcourt [49].…”

Flooding, Food Security and the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria: An Assemblage and Systems Thinking Approach

“…Human activities tied to urbanization have increased flood risks. However, the detachment of urban planning and implementation from reality worsens the problem (Echendu 2021b). Poor physical planning also manifests in the indiscriminate construction of buildings, including on drain paths and waterways in Nigeria, which contribute to flooding.…”

Development of Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) Models for Manually Operated Rain Gauge Catchment: A Case Study of Port Harcourt Metropolis Using 50 Years Rainfall Data

“…Furthermore, a research conducted in Nigeria by (Ede et al, 2019) revealed that several bridges failed due to flood as could be seen in Table 1. Port Harcourt being the capital of Rivers state in South-Southern Nigeria have been experiencing annual flood in a significant scale (Echendu, 2021). Although urban flooding could be caused by several factors notwithstanding, lack of good surface drainage network system is a key factor.…”