Effects of Flooding on Traffic Flow in Some Areas in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2590662/v1

There’s an urgent need to declare a state of emergency on Flooding in Ado-Ekiti, the menace has become an annual unwanted event in the area of focus in the course of this study. Transport is such a unique sector that ensures the functionality of other sectors, without mobility there can’t be growth and development. Primary and secondary data were been adopted and it’s clearly stated that flooding especially in the study area has effect on traffic flow. The sternness is when it is during the peak period, when more people are plying the road. The study recommended that every means of tackling Flooding should be adopted and that there should be an alternative route, media constant and continuous announcement of flood hot spot during prolonged rainfall and that agencies should be available to block such route to avoid traffic interruption that could resultantly generate series of unfortunate problems.

Flooding

Transport

Environment

Traffic flow

Climate change

There are different types and occurrences of natural disasters in the world, but flooding is one of the most devastating hazards that have caused serious yearly damage to both natural and man-made features (Falguni & Deepika, 2019). Flooding is a geophysical practice and occurrences that trails the occurrence of floods in any geographical space (Arohunsoro & Omotoba, 2017). Flood is a hydrological phenomenon that is essentially random by nature with great and obvious difficulty (Marsalek, 2000). A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges lands. Flood means a temporary covering by water on dry land. This is when excess water couldn't flow in any given channel but engage the space and spread over land that is normally dry. Flooding may also result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake which overflows or break levees, with the result that some of the water escapes its usual boundaries (Ayoade, 1983).

Flood is not just related to heavy downpour of rain and extreme climatic events, but changes in built-up areas especially in the urban areas is another major contributing factor (Douglas et al., 2008). Climate change has altered and increased the frequency and intensity of floods, and other natural weather-related occurrences or events that we are experiencing and observing almost every day around the world. There are several types of floods with differing speeds such as flash floods caused by heavy rain, river floods which are seasonal and coastal floods associated with cyclones and Tsunamis (Magami, Yahaya & Mohammed 2014). The type or form of flood that's obtainable depend on previous occurrences, climatic factors and the season as it relates to the geography of any given area. There's a common believe about flood that you must be located near a body of water to be at risk, this statement is not outrightly true(Wang, Lai, Chen, Yang, Zhao & Bai, 2015), because flash floods can happen in any location, urban or rural, even in areas with no nearby bodies of water (Rebecca, Morss, Demuth, Jeffrey & Lazo 2015). The frequency and intensity of floods been witnessed globally can be caused by several factors, the sternness of the impact of a flood and the geographical area that it covers, is the function of the speed of currents aided with topography and major cause of the flood. Hence, causes of flood and the topography plays a significant role in the intensity and frequency of flood (Falguni et al., 2019), however this has not been thoroughly explored by scholars.

The direct and indirect threat and influence of flood covers a wider geographical area than many other disasters; i.e. structural damages or collapse and blockage of roads, bridges, and other infrastructures (ECLAC, 2003). There are different road traffic problems that range from inadequate transport facilities, accidents, inadequate service system, poor road infrastructure and absence of integrated traffic management measures to check and control congestion (Ogunmodede & Aribigbola., 2003). Movement of people, goods and services is important and crucial for the development of any geographical area. Hence, mobility is so essential and needed at all fronts, anything that could alter the free flow should be tackled and attended to immediately. Flooding is one of the major challenges that the road system is facing (Gustavo, Paul, & Hasan 2018). The essence of transportation would be affected at all sectors the moment a free traffic flow is not achieved.

Interruption in traffic flow as a result of flood has series of effect on the economy as it relates to people’s business, such as; The effect on supply of goods to business owners (Maria, Alistair, Sean, & Richard, 2017): the drivers that are supplying goods get stuck and wouldn’t be able to supply as expected and timely, hence, stocking and restocking becomes an issue, also customers are stuck in the midst of the traffic and sometime unable to get to the market/store on time (Okmyung & Craig 2013), likewise catching-up with customers/opportunities becomes a problem (Chabota, Mundia, & Kanyuka, 2009) etc. It’s indeed an issue considering the fact that it sometime takes hours and in some cases more than a day for water to totally recede.

The aim of this study therefore, is to examine the effects of flood on traffic flow in parts of the major road within Ado-Ekiti. The specific objectives are to; examine the effects of flooding on traffic flow within Ado-Ekiti and the effects of flooding on socio-economic characteristics within Ado-Ekiti. It's obvious that many activities are taking place on daily basis in the capital and major roads shouldn't act as a barrier to the actualization of her creation either at individual level or as a whole, government inclusive. This study is important in many ways. It would as well contribute to the body of literature on flood occurrences and effects on traffic in Ado-Ekiti. This study is important in many ways. It would as well contribute to the body of literature on flood occurrences and effects on traffic in Ado-Ekiti.

Transport system is a complete sector that other sectors directly or indirectly depend upon. The uniqueness and influence this sector has on others has triggered many articles and academic papers that are well articulated to explore the whole world of transport. However, transport sector has many facets; some have been explored and evaluated while some are yet to be thoroughly explored. Road transport is the common means of transportation as it connects more places and provides door to door, street to street and town to town services.

Aworemi and Adewole, (2016) examined the impact of climate change on road transport operators productiveness in Kwara State, Nigeria. The importance of excess precipitation and heavy rain on revenue of road transport operators shouldn't be overlooked, considering how the occurrence of heavy rains in the early hour of the day may influence the peak and off-peak period for commuting of passengers which would resultantly reflect on the revenue of the road transport operators. Transport is broad but yet every sector relates with each other. Continuous rainfall in any given area without a well-designed drainage system, or around a blocked bridges or drainage has the tendency of causing flood, hence flood would alter traffic flow and would affect the revenue of the revenue of the road operators eventually. The direct and indirect influence if transport on economy, social life and other functions of cities is massive, hence, transport system is the major means that enables execution and realization.

Ogunbodede and Sunmola (2014) wrote on Flooding and Traffic Management in Akure(Nigeria) metropolitan environment; Flood is a disaster that has become one of the major environmental problems in Nigeria. They examined the rate of spread-out and encroachment into floodplain and new areas with little and no drainage system and proper planning, and how man has continually encourage flooding ignorantly or nonchalantly. Travelling or plying the road during excessive rainfall and especially when everywhere is flooded is not only deadly it’s impossible as such could be termed a suicidal mission. The effect of flood on traffic flow is indeed huge as sometimes it takes beyond the issue of hours for water to recede in some critical occurrence, and this would impede the people from achieving their goals and the negative effect could be irreparable and costly. Heavy or light traffic as a result of flood could as well cause loss of opportunities, waste of money because fuel is been exhausted, it could cause accident as most people can't drive when there's heavy traffic etc. Road transport is such a critical sector that should be attended to promptly and religiously as it services other sectors.

Kalantari, Ferreira, & Goldenberg (2019) assessed flood probability for transportation infrastructure based on catchment characteristics, sediment connectivity and remotely sensed soil moisture and developed;

• Flood-prone road/rail-stream intersections based on catchment attributes.

• Multivariate statistical modeling, combining binomial logistic regression and Monte Carlo analysis.

• And presented approach that can aid planning and transportation authorities in estimating and mitigating flood hazards.

Traffic flow simply deals with the people/travellers and infrastructure/transport system, designed network with little or no congestion problems. Obviously and conservatively put, lots of progress and in-depth issues had been raised and tackled about transport system and management, but more knowledge is needed in the indirect impact of flood on other issues. For a transport system to be effective and efficient time or period in respect to distance covered would be measurable and it should be achievable relatively. The below pictures gave a light description of what happened at Adehun/Bawa at different occasions.

The study was embarked on in Ado Ekiti. Ado-Ekiti, the study area is situated at about 48 kilometers north of Akure, Ondo state capital, about 344 kilometers north of Lagos (Nigeria) and about 750 kilometers south west of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Ekiti State has sixteen Local Government and Ado–Ekiti is the state capital and also serve as a Local Government Headquarter. Ado-Ekiti, lies within Latitude 7⁰31’ and 7⁰45 north of the Equator and Longitudes 5⁰10’ and 5⁰28’east of the Greenwich meridian. Ado–Ekiti has two major seasons namely: The dry and wet (rainy) seasons, the wet season has higher number of months, (seven to eight months) while dry season covers four to five months relatively. The city enjoys a climate which is characterized by relatively high temperature throughout the year. The average annual maximum is 31⁰c while the average annual minimum is about 24⁰c (Adebayo,1993).

Ado- Ekiti been the State Capital is the most known town with increasing influx of people from other area to the capital. The study population is 536,000 (UN 2023) which is the estimated 2023 population of Ado. Yaro Yamane formula for the determination of sample size was employed to select four hundred (400) respondents. The respondents were chosen across some basic areas within Ado-Ekiti, places with often occurences; Ajilosun, Odo Ado, Adehun/Bawa, Omisanjana, Irona/Atikankan, Ekute/Water works area, Housing Estate/Oke ila and Balemo and Tinuola, off Afao road.

$$n=\frac{N}{1+N{e}^{2}}$$

Where

n is sample size

N is sample population

e is allowed error

$$n=\frac{536000}{1+536000 X 0.05 X 0.05}$$

n = 399.7

n ≈ 400

Primary data was employed for the work. Primary data are those collected directly from the field, it was done through personal interview and observation within the area of concentration. Furthermore, questionnaire was utilized as the instrument of data collection. The questionnaire was administered in the four hundred respondents selected for the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistical tool were used to test the objectives of the study.

The respondent’s opinion on the rate of flooding occurrence in the study area was presented in table 1. It was observed that 24.8 percent of the sampled respondents accounts for low rate of flooding occurrence, 24.5 percent moderate rate of flooding occurrence, 33 percent account for high rate of flooding occurrence and 17.8 account for very high rate of flooding occurrence in the study area. It was generalized that rate of flooding occurrence in the study area is consistent during raining season.

Table 1: Rate of Flooding occurrence
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
	Low	99	24.8	24.8	24.8
	Moderate	98	24.5	24.5	49.2
	High	132	33.0	33.0	82.2
	Very high	71	17.8	17.8	100.0
	Total	400	100.0	100.0

Source; Researcher’s field work (2023)

The respondent’s opinion on the rate of traffic jam occurrence in the study area was presented in table 2. It was observed that 24.8 percent of the sampled respondents accounts for very low rate of traffic occurrence, 66 percent of high rate of traffic jam occurrence, 9.2 percent account for very high rate of traffic jam occurrence in the study area. It was generalized that rate of traffic jam occurrence in the study area is high during raining season.

Table 2: Rate of Traffic Jam occurrence
		Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
	Very low	99	24.8	24.8	24.8
	High	264	66.0	66.0	90.8
	Very high	37	9.2	9.2	100.0
	Total	400	100.0	100.0