Application of Geo-Spatial Technology in Identifying Areas Vulnerable to Flooding in Ibadan Metropolis

Abstract

This study makes use of the integrated approach of Remote Sensing and GIS techniques in flood management with the goal of identifying areas vulnerable to flood hazard in Ibadan Metropolis. Ibadan is the largest indigenous city in the continent of Africa and had experienced a lot of various severities of flood occurrences in the last fifty years. Topographic Map and Landsat TM image of 1993 and 2000 respectively were processed, scanned, digitized, interpolated, classified and overlaid using ILWIS 3.3 academic and ARC GIS 9.2 software modules to generate classified land cover map, Digital Terrain Map (DTM), Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) and flood vulnerability map of the study area respectively. The results obtained shows that, areas lying along the banks of River Ona and River Ogunpa are most vulnerable to flood hazards with the vulnerability decreasing towards the northern part of the city, much of the area is built up with improper planning and this gives rise to high vulnerability to flash flood hazards. The Odo Ona, Idi Isin, Eleyele, Olopometa and Molete areas are the most vulnerable to flood threat. The incessant violation of land use plan, unchecked population growth, old nature of the structures and poor materials used in the construction of the houses make the areas vulnerable to flood hazard. In reducing the vulnerability of these areas from flood there is need for improved land use planning, removal of structures from River Ona and Ogunpa flood plains around the city, intensify environmental education to the residents and enhance the active participation of government agencies in the continual generation of flood vulnerability maps of urban centres.

Keywords: Flood, Vulnerability, DEM, GIS, Remote Sensing, TIN.