Environmental Management of Post-Flood Recovery in Benue State Communities

This study examines the environmental management dimensions of post-flood recovery in communities in Benue State, North Central Nigeria, which experiences some of Nigeria's most severe annual flooding from the Benue and Niger rivers. Effective post-flood environmental management, encompassing debris and waste removal, soil contamination assessment, water supply restoration, vector control, and habitat rehabilitation, is critical to minimising secondary environmental health risks in the recovery period, yet dedicated environmental management planning for the post-flood phase is typically absent from Nigerian flood response. The study employs a mixed methods case assessment approach, examining the 2020 and 2022 major flooding events in Makurdi and three downstream Local Government Areas. Benue State Emergency Management Agency response documentation was reviewed and supplemented by interviews with twenty community representatives from flood-affected areas, six SEMA officials, and four public health officers. Environmental health conditions in the post-flood recovery period were assessed using a rapid environmental assessment methodology drawn from UNHCR standards. Results reveal that post-flood solid waste, contaminated floodwater residue, and human waste from displaced persons are managed reactively and incompletely in the assessed communities. Standing water pools remaining after flood recession were not addressed by vector control operations in the 2022 event, contributing to documented increases in malaria incidence. Environmental health monitoring in recovery camps was absent. SEMA has no dedicated environmental management function within its recovery response structure. Recommendations include integrating a dedicated environmental health officer role into Benue SEMA's flood response team and developing a pre-flood environmental recovery plan for Makurdi. Keywords: flood recovery, post-flood management, environmental health, Benue State, disaster management.