Olalekan Adekola

Flood Risk in Asia's Urban Mega-deltas Drivers, Impacts and Response

Asia’s urbanized mega-deltas are experiencing increased incidences of flooding. Flood risk is increasing due to urban growth, which makes people more vulnerable and threatens economic assets, and due to factors that increase flood hazard, including reduced delta aggradation, subsidence though natural resource extraction, and climate change, including extreme weather events, such as typhoons, and sea level rise. The recent history of flooding in Asia’s deltaic cities and the drivers of that risk have been examined in this article. We give particular attention to the Pearl River Delta, and its cities of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, important economic centres of Asia. The flood risk is substantial, but flood risk management appear to suffer through a lack of sufficient strategic planning, and the difficulty of defending deltaic cities through traditional engineering approaches alone. Drawing on lessons from flood risk management internationally, we suggest that there are ways forward in developing flood mitigation strategies for deltaic cities in the region, which deserve further exploration.

Assessment of Policies and Legislation that Affect Management of Wetlands in Nigeria

The beneficial ecosystem services provided by wetlands in Nigeria are continuously subjected to considerable stress that has consequences for human wellbeing. An understanding of the policies and legislation governing wetland can help enhance their management. Therefore, this paper reviews existing policies and legislation that affect management of wetlands in Nigeria. It draws upon the contents of the laws and policy documents acquired from government and non-governmental organizations. The paper assesses the level of attention given to wetlands and identifies some informal measures, together with 35 federal legislative acts, six international conventions, and voluntary measures relevant to wetlands management. Results indicate that the existing legislation gives little attention to wetland management. This led the authors to conclude that the reason for wetland degradation is not the lack of laws or policy documents, but weak enforcement of existing ones. In this light, the paper calls for an integration of wetland management strategies and a strict enforcement of existing laws whilst stressing that effort should target a comprehensive national wetland policy of a holistic approach.

Health risks from environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Local communities within oil producing countries in Africa often face formidable environmental challenges that generate conflicts and concerns around exploitation, environmental impact, and health risks. A key feature of these concerns has been the paucity of effective risk communication mechanisms and the impact this has on the public understanding of risk. Risk communication has been identified as a significant factor in explaining why the health consequences of environmental degradation remain unabated in oil producing communities. This paper evaluates health risk communication in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The study is based on 69 interviews conducted in the Niger Delta region. The paper argues that the health of the local population is being impaired by risk incidences relating to oil and gas exploration activities, the effects of which are amplified by inadequate communication of health risks to the public. The study argues for and suggests ways in which health risk communication processes can be improved in the Niger Delta. A multi-dimensional framework for public health risk communication is developed as a means of advancing understanding, practice, and policy.

Assessment of borehole water quality in Yola-Jimeta Metropolis, Nigeria

This study investigates the chemical concentration of borehole water in Yola-Jimeta Metropolis so as to assess their suitability for domestic use. Water samples were collected from twenty-two boreholes, one sample from each of the twenty-two administrative wards (Wards are the lowest political units in Nigeria) in the metropolis. Samples were analyzed in the laboratory using standard guideline procedures suggested by American Public Health Association (APHA). Eleven contamination indicators were tested and results obtained were compared with chemical guideline values for drinking water provided by World Health Organisation (2011) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (2007). The study reveals that chloride (Cl-), iron (Fe++), nitrate (NO3 -), pH, sodium (Na+) and total hardness (CaCO3) are the main sources of borehole water contamination in the study area. This has health implications that include hypertensions and heart and kidney diseases which are on the increase in the region. Poor sanitary condition and intensive use of inorganic fertilizer are implicated as sources of contaminants. We therefore suggest the setting up of water sanitary agencies that will monitor and regulate health based targets of water quality at ward levels.

Contribution of provisioning services of the Ga-Mampa wetland, South Africa, to local livelihoods

This article describes an assessment of the contribution of provisioning services provided by the Ga-Mampa wetland (1 km2) to the livelihoods of local stakeholders, including monetary values for some services. The study used a combination of data collection approaches including a questionnaire survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, field observation and measurements and collection of market prices. The results show that the contribution of the wetland to the livelihoods of the local community is an estimated annual

Research Articles: Coastal Flood-Risk Management Practice in Tai O, a Town in Hong Kong

228 per household, which represents about 15% of the average 2006 household income of

Developing a Sustainable Flood Risk Appraisal (SFRA) Framework for the Pearl River Delta

1584/year. Crop production contributed the highest gross value, while sedge collection yielded the highest cash income. Overall, an annual gross value of

Assessing the role of climate-smart agriculture in combating climate change, desertification and improving rural livelihood in Northern Nigeria

900/ha is provided through provisioning services in the Ga-Mampa wetland. In addition, it was found that wetland services are essential for household subsistence and providing resources for gift giving to neighbours and relatives. Due to the lack of alternative income sources, the declining income from sedge and reed harvesting caused by continued degradation of the wetland poses considerable economic hardship. Integrated assessment of all ecosystem services and identification of involved stakeholders is needed to develop sustainable management strategies that deal with the environmental and socio-economic changes in the area.

A media framing analysis of urban flooding in Nigeria: current narratives and implications for policy

Coastal megadeltas in Asia have emerged rapidly; their megacities are particularly stressed by urbanization and rapid population growth. In the Pearl River Delta, towns in coastal megacities, such as Hong Kong, experience severe land shortage, which has led to the installation of essential infrastructure in flood-prone areas. Floods from the storm surge of two recent storms, Typhoons Hagupit and Koppu in 2008 and 2009, respectively, damaged over 100 properties in the Tai O, Hong Kong. Although projected sea-level rise and frequent storms pose a serious threat for the foreseeable future, flood management is inadequately understood by the various stakeholders in Tai O. Based on interviews of 22 stakeholders related to flood-risk management in Tai O, this article highlights the similarities and differences in the prevailing perceptions of coastal flood management practices. In addition, the report highlights the need for urgent attention so as to establish an integrated coastal flood-risk management strategy that will involve all stakeholders in mitigating the emerging flood vulnerability of the coastal communities.

Exploring Chinese students’ experience of curriculum internationalisation: a comparative study of Scotland and Australia

Intensive storms enhanced flooding is fast emerging as one of the biggest threats to urbanization in Asia. The need to manage this risk is critical for achieving a sustainable growth pattern. The authors study the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and propose a generic sustainable flood risk appraisal (SFRA) framework that can be used to benchmark flood risk management (FRM) practice against sustainability objectives. The framework addresses social, environmental and economic concerns, and further illustrates that climate change and governance are two main drivers to achieving sustainability in FRM. This article further explains how the template could be of value in recuperating the FRM practices in the PRD.