Impact of the 2012 Flood on Water Quality and Rural Livelihood in the Orashi Province of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Flood event is not considered to be a natural hazard unless there is a threat to human life and/or property as the case of the 2012 flood incident in most parts of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Thus, this paper aims at assessing the impact of the flood on groundwater quality of the affected areas, as well as the livelihood of the affected rural people. With a focus on six communities in the ORASHI province of the Niger Delta, which is one of the worst hit by the flood, the authors generated and analysed data that was used to draw conclusion for this study. A total of 2 water boreholes and 3 open artisan wells in each of the six (6) communities were sampled. These samples were subjected to both physico-chemical and microbial analysis against WHO standards. The result shows that the various water samples came short of the WHO Standards for safe water. Thus it could be deduced that the 2012 flood triggered damages not only to the life of individuals, properties/ infrastructure, but also most of the drinking water sources, especially, streams and the dug-out wells which were submerged in the event of the flood. The paper discovered that the flood incident seriously devastated the rural economy; farming, the major source of livelihood. The flood has made livelihood support difficult for the people of the area. Thus, community initiated mitigation measures should be promoted so as to strengthen community resilience.