Which of the following environmental hazards is prevalent in the coastal areas?

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which environmental hazard is most typical (prevalent) in coastal areas, which are the lands next to the sea or ocean.

Step 2: Explain the concept Coastal areas are low-lying and sit right next to large bodies of water. This makes them vulnerable to:

• Storm surges and high tides
• Sea-level rise
• Heavy rainfall combined with poor drainage
• Overflowing of lagoons and rivers that meet the sea

In Nigeria, places like Lagos (Victoria Island, Lekki), Port Harcourt and the Niger Delta often experience flooding, especially during the rainy season.

Step 3: Evaluate each option

• A. Drought: This is a prolonged shortage of rainfall. It is typical of the arid and semi-arid Sahel and northern Nigeria, not the wet coast.
• B. Deforestation: This is the clearing of forests. It is a human-caused problem found in forest and farming regions generally, so it is not specific to the coast.
• C. Pollution: It does occur on the coast (for example, oil spills in the Niger Delta), but it is a human-induced problem found everywhere, especially in cities and industrial areas. It is not a hazard peculiar to coasts.
• D. Flooding: This is a natural hazard strongly linked to coastal location because of low elevation, tides, storm surges and heavy rainfall.

Step 4: Answer The best answer is D. Flooding.

Tip: Match the hazard to the location. Think "Coast → Flood", "Desert fringe → Drought", "Volcanic or fault zones → Earthquake". When an option such as pollution could apply anywhere, choose the one that is tied specifically to the place in the question.