Posted: 2022 | Pages: 105 | Format: MS Word | Chapters: 1-5 | Others: Questionnaires & References

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ABSTRACT

The significance and adverse effect imposed by natural environmental hazard such as flooding, erosion and rainstorm in Enugu urban have caused damages to landed and household properties which on the other hand render most of the inhabitants homeless. Despite the effort of man towards the control of natural environmental hazard, problems of natural environmental hazards still persist. The aim of this study is to examine the role of Estate Surveyors and Valuers in natural environmental hazard management in Enugu urban. However four (4) research questions were developed. Data for this study were collected using primary and secondary sources. The survey research design was adopted in this study and a sample size of three hundred and thirteen (313) questionnaires were drawn using the Taro Yamane’s formula  while stratified random sampling technique was used to select (313) questionnaires distributed to Estate Surveyors and Valuers, the staff of Ministry of Environment, Landlords and Tenants of affected properties in Enugu urban. Data retrieved from 300 respondents were subsequently presented in frequency table and bar chart while percentages were used to analyzed the data. After the analysis of the data, the following findings were made; natural hazard has great impact on property development thereby leading to decline in land value, damages of houses and creation of bad roads in the area. The researcher also made the following recommendations, construction of drainage to controls and channel the water to their appropriate places and public should employ the services of Estate Surveyors and Valuers in managing their properties to avoid damages that maybe incur from natural hazard.   

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

During the last decades, there has been an apparent increase in damage done by natural hazards such as floods, earthquake, desertification, drought, landslides, erosion, deforestation, rainstorms, wildfire and so on worldwide. According to United Nation Development report (2006) nearly half of the whole population in developing countries suffers at a given time from health problems caused by drought. The natural hazards observed in recent years entails serious social consequences, floods, earthquake, volcanic eruptions, tsunami, cyclones and tornadoes have forced several million people each year to relocate. As a result of ranging hurricane “Katrina” over the Gulf of Mexico in August 2005, over 300,000 people were displaced while the disaster caused loosed estimated at over 86 million dollars. In Chile more than 1.5 million people have displaced in the after math of destructive 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Massive flooding also occurs almost every year in most populated Asian countries like Pakistan, China, India and Bangladesh.

In Nigeria, the major natural environmental hazards experienced includes; land degradation,  flooding, erosion, desertification, drought, wildfire, landslides, rainstorm (Smith 1991). These natural hazards have caused a lot of damages in landed and household properties in most developing countries in Nigeria such as Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Port-Harcourt, Enugu and so on. Akinyemi (1990) noted that in Lagos flooding forced millions of people from their homes, destroyed business and increased the risk of diseases. One predication indicates that Nigeria stands to loose up to USA 19 billion as a result of catastrophe while at least 80% of the inhabitants of the Niger Delta are likely to face displacement (Ihedioha 2003).

In Enugu urban, flooding, erosion and rainstorms are unfortunately the common natural hazards. It had undoubtedly aroused not only the concerns of relevant government parasatals but also affected individuals to look into the issue as well as proffer solutions to tackle these ugly situations. This is as a result of the fact that these natural hazards have influenced the rate at which urban towns and cities degenerate. In most part of Enugu urban like Abakpa, Emene, Obiagu, erosion and flooding are the most common natural hazard experienced. This is as a result of poor drainage system and lack of good roads, which when there is heavy rainfall water enters dwelling homes, destroyed houses and equipment.

Natural environmental hazards, therefore is the most pressing issued that need urgent attention. Depending on the damage, some environments may not recover.

Property value, on the other hand is highly dependent on other environmental factors which could either affect it positively or negatively since our immediate environment plays a key role in the value residential properties, Briggs (2007) stated that these natural hazards leads to economic looses making people homeless and damages of real properties become high most especially in the area where these natural hazards have affected. Even though some of our actions on the environment are highly inevitable, there is need to carefully study, appreciate and to interpret the external conditions and realities around us. According to land (1987) the need to carefully address the issue of natural environment hazards is the utmost importance, since man’s existence and the existence of all living things highly depend on the environment for survival. Careful management need to be carried out on the use of land since it affects the value of the surrounding plots of land.

However, it is against this background that the researcher embarked on this research work in order to ascertain the role of Estate Surveyors and Valuers in natural environmental hazard management in Enugu urban.