Evaluating the socioeconomic and health impacts of the 2020 flood in Goronyo Local Government, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

The 2020 flood had a devastating impact on most villages in Goronyo Local Government, particularly those situated in the Fadama areas.  This study employed a mixed-methods approach to obtain cross-sectional information on the impacts of the 2020 flood incident in  Goronyo Local Government. Data were collected from respondents through structured questionnaires, which were subsequently sorted  and coded into SPSS version 22 for descriptive analysis. The results indicated that the majority of respondents were male, with 32.4%  falling within the age range of 31-40 years. Approximately 41.0% of the respondents identified as farmers. The findings also revealed that  rice was the primary crop lost during the flood, and houses were the most affected building infrastructure, accounting for 43.8% of the  losses. Moreover, 41% of respondents attributed the flooding to the overflow of the river due to intense rainfall and the narrowness of  the river. Additionally, 32.8% of respondents believed that the flood resulted from heavy rainfall that exceeded the river's carrying  capacity, leading to pressure and subsequent flooding of the affected villages. The flood was also accompanied by outbreaks of  waterborne diseases, including cholera, typhoid, and diarrhea in some villages. These findings highlight the critical need for improved  flood management and preparedness strategies to mitigate the adverse socioeconomic and health impacts of future flood events in  Goronyo Local Government.