Impacts of flood disaster and management practices in Ethiopia and poor countries

Received: 04-May-2022, Manuscript No. PULJEG-22-4984; Editor assigned: 09-May-2022, Pre QC No. PULJEG-22-4984; Accepted Date: May 25, 2022; Reviewed: 20-May-2022 QC No. PULJEG-22-4984; Revised: 24-May-2022, Manuscript No. PULJEG-22-4984; Published: 31-May-2022

Citation: Regyards D. Environment and surrounding Impact. J Environmental Geol. 2022; 6(3):33-34.

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Abstract

Flooding is by far the most common natural disaster. Floods are the most common and severe natural calamity in the world, resulting in unprecedented deaths, diseases, and property and crop loss. Because of a lack of adequate disaster management systems and economic resources, flooding has a bigger impact in poor countries. Some initiatives in underdeveloped nations to reduce flood-related health hazards The study focuses on examining flood hazards and health-related issues in Ethiopia's Gambella region, with the goal of generating useful data to aid in the improvement of the region's present flood coping techniques. Flooding is a natural occurrence that will continue to be a significant risk as long as people live and work in flood-prone locations.

Keywords

Natural disasters, Floods. Psychological, Flooding

Introduction

Disaster is defined by the United Nations International Body for Disaster Risk Reduction as "a serious disruption of a communicommunity's or society's functioning resulting in widespread human, material, economic, or environmental losses that exceed the affected community's or society's ability to manage using its resources". Disasters should not be viewed as an unavoidable result of a danger's effect, but rather as the result of the people's state at the time of impact, which allows a hazard to become a disaster. As a result, a disaster is the result of a natural occurrence.

As a result of natural phenomena impacting vulnerable people, disaster occurs. As a result, the study utilises the term "disaster" rather than "natural disaster." Natural disasters have caused substantial damage in recent decades, with floods accounting for 47% of all weather-related disasters between 1995 and 2015, affecting 2.3 billion people and killing 157,000 people. The least developed or developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are the top 15 afflicted countries, accounting for 80% of the people affected by flooding every year. After such calamities, the persons most affected are low-income families that are already suffering and can be pushed into hardship because they have fewer assets, less diversified income sources, and insufficient financial protection. As a result, every effort should be made to ensure that communities are protected from natural disasters. However, global safety has not always been guaranteed, and the most prevalent and pervasive risk that people encounter and that disrupts their way of life is natural disasters that occur all over the world.natural disasters. However, global safety has not always been guaranteed, and the most prevalent and pervasive risk that people encounter and that disrupts their way of life is natural disasters that occur all over the world. Many research shows that the frequency and impact of severe disasters in the world have increased in recent years. While human use of nature and the environment, such as the devastation of forests, agricultural regions, freshwater supplies, and the like, generates a lot of floods, fire storms, and other forms of disasters, it is not the only cause. Natural disasters have diverse impacts in terms of severity and area covered, but they generate different difficulties in both developing and developed countries. Natural disasters always result in the death of thousands of people, as well as the damage of billions of dollars worth of property. Natural disasters have become more frequent and severe as a result of rising anthropogenic activities. As a result, flooding is a worldwide occurrence that causes significant harm. Floods are extreme weather occurrences that are typically caused by rising global temperatures, resulting in heavy precipitation, current ocean rise, and glacier melt, which are frequently triggered by intense prolonged rainfall, snowmelt, or a combination of these. Flooding has a variety of negative health consequences. Death is one of the health consequences of flooding. Flood-related deaths can occur in a variety of ways and over a variety of periods, but the most common are drowning and injuries sustained during the beginning of flooding. Before, during, and after floods, injuries can occur. Before the flooding, injuries occur when individuals attempt to flee the approaching water. People are also wounded when floods begin, primarily when they are struck by an object in fast-moving water. When flood waters recede and people return to their homes and businesses to clean up the damage, they may get injurie.Floods not only raise the risk of death and injury but also promote the transmission of diarrheal disease. Because flood waters often contain germs and contaminants that might contaminate food and water sources, diarrhoea is connected to them. Flooding causes a variety of illnesses, including diarrhoea. In the aftermath of floods, vector-borne diseases like malaria become more prevalent. This is due to an increase in the habitats, such as stagnant pools, used by the vector population. To decrease the impact of floods on human health and property, various coping measures have been developed. Despite this, floods continue to pose a variety of health dangers to people in many places around the world, particularly in low-income countries. This suggests that present strategies in low-income nations have failed to successfully address flooding-related issues. 'Flood coping strategies should be an ongoing process in which all concerned bodies plan for and try to reduce the impact of disaster before a flood disaster occurs, take the necessary reactive response during a flood event, and take action after a flood disaster occurs to return affected communities to a more normal state. Taking action at each stage is critical to reducing the health effects of floods. The disaster management model served as the study's analytical framework. The flood disaster management sequence is separated into two sections in the model. Risk reduction is the first phase, which involves policy formation, risk assessment, mitigation, and readiness. Mitigation refers to long-term efforts carried out prior to a disaster's impact with the goal of reducing the risk, occurrence, and/or effect of the disaster. Preparedness refers to all measures undertaken before a crisis in order to improve the effectiveness of the emergency response. The reaction and recovery measures are included in the second phase, known as the recovery phase. Any effort conducted immediately prior to and during an occurrence to protect lives and property might be included in the response. Recovery is a post-disaster effort aimed at reestablishing normalcy in afflicted populations. As a result, the evaluation focuses on policy formation, risk assessment, mitigation, readiness, reactions, and recovery in general.

Flood effects

Flooding has been a concern in the region for many years, according to officials and flood victims. However, they all agreed that the frequency and magnitude of floods have grown dramatically during the last decade. Furthermore, the onset of flooding used to be more predictable, allowing farmers to prepare for sowing crops at the best possible moment; as a result, harvesting has become more unpredictable. As a result, crop loss and severe human health repercussions result from the flooding's unpredictable character mixed with increased frequency and magnitude. Land-use change (deforestation and over-cultivation), as well as climate change, were cited as explanations for the increased frequency and amplitude of flood episodes. Four rivers have been identified as major flood contributors in the region (Baro, Akobo, Gilo, and Alwero rivers). Climate change was recognised by both the water department and the meteorological department as a significant factor in the region's increased flooding. The start of the rainy season has been unpredictable, and rainfall amounts have been exceptionally high. This show an increase in precipitation patterns in the study area and nearby areas. In addition, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that precipitation and run-off in eastern African countries, including Ethiopia, would increase. Policy formulation Flooding is not included under the present disaster management policy, according to the Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency. The rationale given was that flooding was not a major issue in the past when compared to drought and other natural calamities. While the drought harmed hundreds of thousands of people, floods had a minor impact and thus escaped the notice of policymakers and the government. However, the frequency and volume of floods have recently grown, affecting broad areas of the country and inflicting property damage, loss of life, and compromising public health. Floods are exacerbated by the lack of flood policies, which leads to confusion in the case of a flood. According to comments from regional surveillance specialists, assessments of the risks of epidemics of flood-related diseases and vulnerability were essentially lacking in the research area. Assessing risk and vulnerability can help to identify persons and property that are vulnerable to flooding. Once the individuals and property at risk have been identified, steps can be made to lessen their susceptibility by lowering health risks. The lack of risk assessments is in large part due to the lack of flood policies mentioned previously. The absence of such assessments is also exacerbated by a lack of relevant technology, data, and financial resources.