IDENTIFYING HAZARD RISK FACTORS AND ASSESSMENT OF THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF THE POPULACE OF KPAKUNGU AREA OF MINNA, NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Hazard identification is an essential aspect of disaster management, which has the cardinal objective of ensuring that potential problems are identified and control measures are taken. In attempting to analyze disaster risks, data on hazard are used to estimate the likely exposure of people, infrastructure and economic activities. The aim of the research was to identify disaster hazard factors in Kpakungu area in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study examined factors contributing to the occurrence of hazards and assessed the level of hazard awareness possessed by residents, and how it is related to the socio-economic status of residents. A structured questionnaire containing multiple-choice questions were used to collect the research data. A total of 393 questionnaires were randomly distributed in five sub-areas of Kpakungu; 352 questionnaires were filled and returned. Frequency-percentage technique and Pearson product-moment correlation analysis were adopted for data analysis. The research findings showed that 59.19% of the sample identified hazards in Kpakungu to include fire disaster, land pollution, flooding, building collapse and erosion. About 79.3% of the respondents had not engaged in any form of hazard identification within the study area. The study concluded that the link between the socio-economic status of residents (represented by age, occupation, educational attainment, and income) and the level of hazard awareness was discovered to be very weak (between 3.1% and 14.75%). This study recommended the adoption of preemptive actions suggested by the residents including; the mounting of a hazard awareness campaign, stricter enforcement of building regulations, and embargoing selling of petrol outside service stations