MODELLING FLOOD PRONE AREAS IN AKWA IBOM STATE, SOUTHERN NIGERIA USING GIS TECHNIQUES

This study was concerned with Modelling Flood Prone Areas in Akwa Ibom State. Some of the key components of flooding in the study area were identified. Euclidean distance, elevation, aspect, slope, vegetation and soil layers were produced. A final flood prone layer was produced and a GIS data base of all the layers was created. Data on Euclidean distance from the ocean and river, elevation, aspect, slope, vegetation and soil were used in generating the flood prone layer. The data were prioritized and combined using Single Output Map Algebra function of ARCMAP 9.2 to generate the different output layers that were divided into three classes of low, moderate and high flooding. Flood output layer of the study area showed that approx. 1,026.4 km2 (about six Local Government Areas) was low in flooding, while 4,243 km2 (about twenty one Local Government Areas) was moderate in flooding, leaving 1,574 km2 (about five Local Government Areas) as high in flooding. It was thus suggested that priority should be given to reducing flooding hotspot areas through identification of mechanisms that government might use to reduce flooding. This involves better understanding of societal preparedness and of the limitations and barriers to adaptation.