ABSTRACT
The study aimed at assessing the effects of flooding on the livelihood of the rural households in Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. Specifically the study described the socio-economic characteristics, secondary livelihood activities, causes of flooding, level of effects of flooding and the coping strategies to flooding. Two stage sampling procedure was employed to obtained 80 households for the study. Results were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at 5% level of significance. More than three-quarters (76.25%) of the head of rural households were male and the same percentage were married. The mean age, mean household size and mean average monthly income were 53 years, 7 persons and N19, 680 respectively. More than half (51.25%) were Christians and the (41.25%) had primary education has their highest education qualification. The average farming experience and farm size were found to be 16 years and 1.14 hectares respectively. Crop production (46.25%) was their primary livelihood activity followed by livestock production (37.50%). Majority (96.25%) were members of a cooperative or social group. Crop production (56.25%) and processing (48.75%) were the major secondary agricultural livelihood activities whereas trading (65.00%) and civil service (22.50%) were the secondary non- agricultural livelihood strategies. Heavy rainfall (x̄= 4.80), overflow of water body over its bank (x̄= 4.41) and climate change (x̄=4.06) were the major causes of flooding. In addition, waterlogging of cropping area (x̄= 7.86), injuries (x̄= 7.78), reduction of income (x̄=7.35), destruction of schools, churches and government buildings (x̄= 8.730) and disruption of access to social amenities (x̄= 7.61) were revealed as the leading negative effect of flooding in the study area on agricultural, health, economic, physical and social assets respectively. It was also observed that reliance on stored foods (x̄=2.46), reliance on friends, neighbours and relatives (x̄= 2.68), prayers (x̄= 2.63), early planting (x̄= 2.60) were the main coping strategies employed to flooding by the rural households in the study area. The results of the Chi-square revealed that marital status (x 2= 17.80439; p=˂0.007) have a significant relationship with the effect of flooding on the livelihood of rural households in Isoko South LGA of Delta State. This study recommends that government and other key stakeholders should play active roles and also, alternative livelihood strategies which are independent of weather elements, should be intensified.
