Management

Improving Flood Risk Management in Informal Settlements of Cape Town

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During the month of July 2007, unrelenting rains dumped over 120 millimetres of rain over a period of five days on the City of Cape Town, leading to flooding that impacted 8 000 households (38 000 residents) located primarily in the informal settlements outside of the City, such as the Bongani TR Section of Khayelitsha (Figure 1) and Phola Park Philippi. Such flooding is increasingly common and compromises public health and safety, destroys personal property, and adversely impacts livelihoods. The causes of flood vulnerability are complex, and the economic situation of the residents is perhaps even more debilitating than the geographic situation of the Cape Flats, the low-lying area where the informal settlements are primarily located. The extreme poverty of the residents can be attributed to the remnants of apartheid, which relocated black and coloured South Africans to designated, undeveloped land outside of the City. While the formal system of apartheid no longer exists in South Africa, its legacy is very much alive, as demonstrated by the continuing population growth within flood prone areas the City recognises as being unsuitable for living. This project focused on helping the City manage flood risk in the informal settlements by developing tools for better understanding and responding to these complex natural, technological and social factors.

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Publisher

: ., December 13, 2007

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1-86

Language

English

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NONE

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Subject(s)

Improving Flood Risk Management in Informal Settle

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