AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CAUSES AND HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF FLOOD DISASTER ON HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT.

Abstract
The study examined the causes and health implications of flood disaster of 2012 in Oko-Anala, Oshimili South LGA of Delta state. Literature related to the topic was reviewed. Survey design was used for the study. Five objectives, five research questions as well as three hypotheses were stated to direct the study. The population was made up of an estimated 3000 inhabitants of Oko-Anala using stratified random sampling, a sample of 300 inhabitants were selected. A structured questionnaire validated reliabilited test was used to generate data for the study. Simple percentages chi-square statistics were used for the analysis of the data. The findings of the study revealed that the lack of drainage system and poor waste disposal were the major causes of flooding. The health problems associated with flood disaster included outbreak of communicable diseases, mosquito infestation, overcrowding, exposure to cold and pneumonia etc. It was recommended that roads should have gutters, good disposal of refuse and intervention fund for disasters.

INTRODUCTION
African countries have been identified as amongst the most vulnerable places in the world due to climate change and climate variability, anthropogenic activities are a contributory cause to the extreme rise in global atmospheric temperature and the resulting climate change phenomena (IPCC{intergovernmental panel on climate change}, 2007). Flooding disaster is when a place that is normally dry becomes filled or covered with water (Oxford advanced learner dictionary). The main characteristics of these changes in climate are the increases in the average global temperature (global warming), changes in cloud cover and precipitation particularly over land; melting of ice caps and glaciers and reduced snow cover (UNFCC{united nation framework convention on climate change}, 2007).
In cities, these effects make communities vulnerable to climate change. In other words, climate change becomes a global threat to human survival. It is therefore imperative that, national and local governments take the necessary steps to ensure that the degree of vulnerability emanating from climate change and its associated risks are significantly reduced. Flooding has serious effects on the social, economic, environmental, physical and psychological wellbeing of people and even on the political and institutional levels of a country.

It is therefore, urgent that the vulnerability of developing countries to climate change is reduced and their capacity to adapt is increased at national, regional and community levels (UNFCCC, 2007). General climate changes (measured by temperature, precipitation, and number of rain days per year) show a positive and significant relationship with flooding and related extreme events.
Flooding is considered as a primary example of climate change related events in all parts of the world (IPCC, 2007). It is often argued that the more severe temperature levels vary, the higher the level of precipitation, and the more rain days per year the higher the risk of flooding.

Flooding is considered as one of the most hazardous, frequent and widespread natural disasters and yet, floods seem to be part of the lives of some communities in the world (Lawford et al, 1995; Dar and Nadargi, 2001; Schanze et al, 2006). Flooding mostly exacts adverse socio-economic impact on the wellbeing of flood prone communities. It does cause displacement of people, collapse of buildings, loss of lives, damage to valuable documents, unplanned migration, among others. Hence, significant information for people living in these flood prone areas is how often and how severe the flooding may be. According to RICS 2009, “Surface water (pluvial) flooding, one form of flooding, is closely associated with intense, often localized, storms that overwhelm the capacity of local drains, causing flash floods. Pluvial flooding is a characteristic of urban areas where large areas of impervious ground exist and inadequate drainage systems abound. Impacts from climate change are understood to include water scarcity, drought, food shortages, malnutrition, increased disease vectors, increased storm surges and frequent flooding. For instance, droughts and floods, such as the African Sahel droughts and major floods in Mozambique, have caused ‘environmental refugees’ (Action Aid, 2006). The implications of these problems go far beyond the individual and sometimes threaten the fragile national economies (Rain et al, 2011). It is imperative to note that, these new challenges will not only make achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) more difficult, but could also threaten some of the progress already made in eradicating extreme poverty and disease. Climate change is observed to be exacerbating and disturbing the delicate well-being of people. Water is critical to life but too much water or water that comes at an unexpected time or in unexpected places can be a big problem. As temperature and rainfall intensity increases, the frequency and occurrence of flooding may also increase (Afeku, 2005). Flooding is described as a relatively high flow of water, which overflows the natural channel, provided for runoff. Floods are classifiable according to cause (high rainfall, tidal extremes, structural failure) and nature (e.g., regularity, speed of onset, velocity and depth of water, spatial and temporal scale) (Ahern, 2005).