Examining the feasibility of informal settlement flood Early Warning Systems : focus on the urban flood-risk experience of Kosovo and Masiphumelele residents, Cape Town South Africa

Date

2011-02

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Publisher

Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town

Abstract

Much of the City of Cape Town’s urban landscape is characterized by informal settlements, a legacy left by the apartheid regime, with many poor and disadvantaged communities living in areas exposed to the recurrent risk of rising floods. This thesis examines the applicability of people-centred approaches to flood warning systems in informal settlements in Cape Town. Recurrent flood impacts, during the winter rainfall months, and their costs, are disproportionally borne by those at risk, and the local governments that are required to repeatedly respond to them. Behavioural factors influencing response to flood-risk and flood warnings are examined.

Description

Keywords

SOUTH AFRICA--CAPE TOWN, INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS, FLOODING, URBAN FLOODING, EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS, DISASTER PREVENTION, WETLANDS, HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION, NATURAL DISASTERS, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, PUBLIC INFORMATION, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, COMMUNICATION

Citation

DOI