GIS-Enabled Disaster Risk Reduction Planning for Flood Management in Sokoto State

Sokoto State experiences recurrent seasonal flooding along the Sokoto and Rima river systems, causing loss of life, crop destruction, and displacement of communities in the North West zone. This study applies GIS to disaster risk reduction planning for flood management in Sokoto State, developing a spatially explicit risk framework that integrates hazard, exposure, and vulnerability data. Flood hazard maps are derived from SRTM DEM terrain analysis and calibrated against historical flood extent records from the National Emergency Management Agency. Population exposure is quantified using NPC projection data allocated to administrative ward boundaries, and community vulnerability indices are developed from socioeconomic survey data capturing asset ownership, income level, disability status, and social support network strength. The composite flood risk map is classified into five risk tiers, and spatial analysis identifies communities requiring evacuation route pre-planning and pre-positioned emergency supplies. The study also conducts spatial analysis of existing emergency response infrastructure, identifying critical gaps in the location of NEMA warehouses and evacuation shelters relative to high-risk communities. A prototype GIS-based flood early warning trigger system using rainfall threshold monitoring from the TAMSAT rainfall archive is developed and evaluated. The study provides the Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency with an operational GIS platform for integrated disaster risk reduction. Keywords: flood risk, GIS, disaster risk reduction, Sokoto State, emergency management.