A review of the flood risk situation in African growing economies

Bhattacharya-Mis, Namrata; Lamond, Jessica

Abstract

The menace of urban flooding in African developing economies be it Accra, Lusaka, St. Louis or Lome is causing an enormous disruption in their path of development. The urban poor population are often hardest hit as the increasing hazard of small and medium floods coupled with massive urbanisation degrades living conditions. Existing research is reviewed and suggests that the perennial nature of these disasters and lack of forward preparation cripples the existing management framework of these developing economies and retards progress towards development goals. Case study examples of urban flood scenarios in different African developing economies demonstrate that causes of flood hazard are diverse across urban areas. However there are common causes of increasing risk which underpin the devastating impacts experienced by the poor and vulnerable. The conclusion from the study based on the key characteristics of African cities pinpoints the challenges and possible constraints in building effective institutional capacities in flood alleviation. Full understanding of the recurring challenges against disasters, that growing economies of Africa are facing today, demands institutional capacity building for effective flood management and risk reduction and broad dissemination across and within nations. This will increase awareness and encourage local authorities to place flood risk reduction and capacity building higher up in their planning agenda.

Citation

Bhattacharya-Mis, N., & Lamond, J. (2011, September). A review of the flood risk situation in African growing economies. Paper presented at Urban flood risk management approaches to enhance resilience of communities, Graz, Austria

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Urban flood risk management approaches to enhance resilience of communities
• Conference Location: Graz, Austria
• Start Date: Sep 21, 2011
• End Date: Sep 23, 2011
• Publication Date: Sep 21, 2011
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 8, 2019
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: flood risk, Africa, growing economies
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/959048
• Publisher URL: http://www.sufri.tugraz.at/en/ufrim-program.html
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : Urban flood risk management approaches to enhance resilience of communities