Flood Risk Assessment of Lokoja LGA, Kogi State, Nigeria Using GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Analysis

This study involved the delineation of flood-prone areas within Lokoja town using geospatial techniques coupled with multicriteria decision making (MCDA).MCDA evaluates conflicting criteria, which converts datasets into quantitative measures referred to as C (AHP).Five geospatial datasets such as elevation, slope, drainage, digital soil, and rainfall were integrated to identify areas at risk to flooding.Through reclassification of flood influencing factors and weighting using the AHP, a flood risk map in the study area was generated.The results indicated that the central and northeastern parts of the study area have a very high and high flood risk respectively and collectively accounted for 37% of the study area.Conversely, the southwestern part of the study area exhibited the lowest flood risk.Approximately 18% of the study area was identified as having a very low flood risk.The settlements identified as high flood risk areas include Eggan, Eki, Gedegi, Ageni, Budon, Otuba, Banda, Adonkolo, Agodo, Muye, and Lokoja.On the other hand, areas with a very low flood risk were also identified.The findings provide a valuable tool for policy formulation and infrastructure planning to mitigate flood hazards.