Flood: Researchers advocate for ‘Health First’ climate strategy in Nigeria

International environmental and public health researchers have advocated for a ‘Health First’ Climate Strategy in Nigeria as the best way to address effects of flooding in flood-prone communities of the country.

Peace Eniola Odig, one of the researchers, in a report made available to BusinessDay, frowned that more investments are made in structural solutions while human dimension is neglected.

The renowned researcher observed that Nigeria’s climate response treats flooding as an infrastructure problem when it is fundamentally a public health emergency.

She pointed out that the rural communities deserve climate adaptation that protects not just their homes but their health both immediate and long-term, asserting that after the flood, health must come first.

Odig explained that her advocacy for Health First Strategy followed her work on evaluating health interventions in flood-prone areas, an outcome she described as a disturbing pattern.

“Weeks after floodwaters retreat, healthcare facilities report surges in water-borne-diseases – cholera, typhoid fever, and diarrhoea infections particularly among children under five. Pregnant women develop complications from contaminated water exposure. Mental health issues spike as families grapple with livelihood losses and displacement trauma. Yet our national climate adaptation plans rarely prioritize these health dimensions.

“The numbers tell a grim story. According to recent assessments, flooding affects over 300,000 Nigerians annually, with the 2022 floods alone displacing 1.4 million people and contaminating countless water sources.

My research in rural Nigerian Communities revealed that up to 73 percent of water sources become unsafe for drinking after major floods, yet less than 15 percent of affected households receive water purification interventions within the critical first month. This is where Nigeria’s climate strategy fundamentally misses the mark”, she stated.

She highlighted what a Health First approach looks like in practice, stressing the need to integrate health surveillance into the nation’s early warning systems.

“Just as meteorological agencies predict rainfall patterns, our health system should be equipped to anticipate and prepare for post-flood disease outbreaks. Pre-positioning medical supplies, water purification tablets, and mobile health clinics in flood-prone areas before the rains arrive, not scrambling after disaster strikes should become standard protocol.

“Second, we need community-level health resilience. During my fieldwork, I observed that communities with active health volunteer networks and water quality monitoring systems recovered faster and experienced fewer disease outbreaks. Training community members in basic water testing, hygiene promotion, and disease surveillance creates a first line of defense that doesn’t require waiting for government response.

“Third, our climate finance must prioritize health infrastructure. Currently, climate adaptation funds flow primarily towards physical infrastructure. We need dedicated funding streams for climate-resilient health facilities in vulnerable areas. facilities equipped with emergency power, elevated structures above flood levels, and stockpiles of essential medicines. My own experience working with The Wellbeing Foundation on WASH and environmental health programmes in underserved communities showed that communities with stronger hygiene and water safety infrastructure consistently experienced better health outcomes during environmental shocks.

“Fourth, we must recognize agriculture as a health issue. My research with plantain farmers in South-West Nigeria revealed how climate-induced crop failures cascade into household food insecurity, malnutrition, and health deterioration particularly for women and children. A Health First climate strategy would integrate agricultural adaptation with nutrition and health programming, ensuring that farmers can maintain food production despite climate shocks.

“Perhaps most critically, we need to center vulnerable populations in climate planning. Women, children, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities bear disproportionate health burdens from climate disasters. Yet they remain largely absent from decision-making processes. Participatory approaches that incorporate indigenous knowledge and community-led adaptation strategies, methodologies I’ve employed in my research prove far more effective than top-down interventions that ignore local realities”, she stated.

While positing that Climate projections indicate that flood frequency and intensity would only worsen across Nigeria, Odig warned that without a fundamental reorientation of the climate strategy, the country risks creating a perpetual cycle where environmental disasters compound into prolonged public health emergencies, overwhelming an already fragile healthcare system and deepening inequalities.

The economic costs of treating preventable post-flood diseases, lost productivity from illness, and long-term health complications far exceed the investments required for proactive health-integrated climate planning, Odig concluded.

Odig also recently completed a Masters of Research (MRes) in Environmental Management at the University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom, where she conducted research investigating climate-induced flooding impacts on water quality and rural health outcomes in Nigeria.