Analysis of Landuse Land Cover Change Over Lower Benue Basin, Nigeria: Implications for Flood Vulnerability.

• Author(s): Monday Akpegi Onah ; Philip Ogbonnia PHIL-EZE ; Maxwell Idoko OCHERI; Johnson Orfega MAGE ; Patrick UKANGE; Odeh Adimanyi ; Peter Saater Anjember
• Paper ID: 1707904
• Page: 1443-1458
• Published Date: 18-05-2025
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 8 Issue 10 April-2025

Abstract

This study analysed land use and land cover (LULC) changes over the Lower Benue Basin, Nigeria, from 1990 to 2020, and examined their implications for flood vulnerability. The LULC analysis utilized classified satellite images assessed for accuracy through metrics such as user and producer accuracy, overall accuracy, and kappa coefficients. The findings revealed substantial variations in LULC patterns, driven primarily by anthropogenic factors. Natural vegetation, covering 51.65% of the basin in 1990, declined significantly to 21.40% by 2020 at an annual loss rate of 908.76 km², with a regression coefficient (R²) of 0.9282. Conversely, cultivated land and built-up areas expanded significantly by 18.99% and 10.77%, respectively, over the same period. These transformations have critical implications for the basin's hydrology and flood vulnerability. The reduction in natural vegetation exposes soil to erosion, increasing sediment deposition in rivers, reducing channel depth, and amplifying flood risks. Bare surfaces, concentrated in the basin's upper sections, contribute to sediment transport, while the built-up areas along riverbanks exacerbate human exposure to floods. The findings also suggest minimal but significant correlations between LULC changes and water body distribution, where erosion-related sedimentation leads to broader but shallower water channels. The study underscores the urgent need for sustainable land management practices to mitigate flood risks, protect natural vegetation, and ensure balanced LULC dynamics in the basin.

Keywords

Landuse, Land cover, Flood, Vulnerability, Basin

Citations

IRE Journals:
Monday Akpegi Onah , Philip Ogbonnia PHIL-EZE , Maxwell Idoko OCHERI; Johnson Orfega MAGE , Patrick UKANGE; Odeh Adimanyi , Peter Saater Anjember "Analysis of Landuse Land Cover Change Over Lower Benue Basin, Nigeria: Implications for Flood Vulnerability." Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 8 Issue 10 2025 Page 1443-1458

IEEE:
Monday Akpegi Onah , Philip Ogbonnia PHIL-EZE , Maxwell Idoko OCHERI; Johnson Orfega MAGE , Patrick UKANGE; Odeh Adimanyi , Peter Saater Anjember "Analysis of Landuse Land Cover Change Over Lower Benue Basin, Nigeria: Implications for Flood Vulnerability." Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 8(10)