ABSTRACT

Flood disasters hamper sustainable development, food security and growth in the society. The losses from natural disasters like flood are increasing and have a disproportionate impact on the less developed countries as they are known to destroy the standard of living and overall development prospects of the people(Abbade, 2017). This paper intends to bring to the fore, the economic effects of the 2022 flood disasters on food security and market activities in Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State, and the extent food insecurity has affected the economic development of the state. The methodology of this paper is based on descriptive and qualitative analysis of available data, using primary and secondary sources. The findings of the paper indicate that flooding causes the soil to be infertile as the topsoil is lost due to erosion; it reduces the habitat for tropical organisms and restricts the use of the land for other purposes; and causes the destruction of food and fodder crops which in turn leads to acute food shortage. The study recommends among other things, that there should be a legislation against the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and the erection of buildings in swampy areas, the depth and width of the river bed should be increased in its capacity to carry larger loads of flood plain, and proper care should be taken in the design and construction of network of canals.