Exploring geologic-cost factors in flood prone housing construction in coastal communities of the Niger delta

Amadi, AI

Abstract

The right to adequate housing is one of the key sustainable development goals of the
United Nations, and a fundamental human right. Community-based adaptation is also a
central theme in building resilience to flooding. The Niger Delta Region of Nigeria is the
9th largest wetland in the world, through which the River Niger discharges into the
Atlantic Ocean. As such, the geotechnical and hydrological characteristics of most parts
of the Niger Delta area dictate the necessity for effective practical measures to satisfy the
engineering demands of the highly compressible silty clay soils for housing construction
in coastal communities. Field work data gathered from local builders in Bonny Island
reveal the implied technicalities of managing and coping with terrain related factors,
which translate into additional cost for projects in riverine areas, and whose prohibitive
cost has been termed ‘unfeasible’. Considering the numerous cases of building failure
and collapse in the Niger Delta region, it is thus worrisome that private speculative
developers may resort to taking shortcuts, which may undermine the safety of building
inhabitants. Due to the scarcity of suitable lands, the recognition that coastal
communities in the Niger Delta can only cope with issues of flooding by devoting funds to
adequate structural adaptation mechanisms in buildings has thus become pivotal. Against
the backdrop of the astronomical cost of housing in the Niger Delta, this study analyses
the geo-environmental factors contributing to the high cost of construction, as a basis of
creating heightened awareness of the need to institute relevant policy driven technical
checks and capital incentives to small scale developers, who provide the bulk of housing
in coastal communities.

Citation

Amadi, A. (2016, June). Exploring geologic-cost factors in flood prone housing construction in coastal communities of the Niger delta. Presented at CHOBE/ARCOM Doctoral Workshop : Going North for Sustainability, London South Bank University, United Kingdom

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: CHOBE/ARCOM Doctoral Workshop : Going North for Sustainability
• Conference Location: London South Bank University, United Kingdom
• Start Date: Jun 30, 2016
• Publication Date: Jun 30, 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 1, 2017
• Publisher URL: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/workshops/2016-06-CHOBE-Proceedings.pdf
• Additional Information: Event Type : Workshop