The built environment has barely survived as more than 300,000 houses in exposed and vulnerable locations are inundated.
At least 20 states in Nigeria have been ravaged by the severe flooding occasioned by the release of the excess water off Cameroon’s Lagdo dam. City centres and communities in Borno, Jigawa, Niger, Bayelsa, and Kogi states, to mention a few, have been hugely affected; over 600 deaths, 1.5 million displaced individuals, and 108,393 hectares of destroyed farmlands. With inadequate infrastructure, late warnings, weak interventions, and even negligence, there is enough blame to go around in what can be considered one of the worst floods in Nigeria’s history.
The built environment has barely survived as more than 300,000 houses in exposed and vulnerable locations are inundated. The flooding and still unfolding aftermath should cause real estate stakeholders to account for flood risks using more proactive approaches. With properties underwater, a distressed market is imminent in affected locations as owners and occupants deal with a downturn in the housing market, buildings collapse, unexpected expenses (insurance, reconstruction & maintenance), and extreme living conditions – all these at a time of unprecedented inflation and economic volatility.