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Planning and management of flood damage control: the South African experience
Author(s) -
Viljoen M. F.,
Booysen H. J.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
irrigation and drainage
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.421
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1531-0361
pISSN - 1531-0353
DOI - 10.1002/ird.259
Subject(s) - flood myth , flooding (psychology) , urbanization , environmental planning , geography , floodplain , flood control , population , vulnerability (computing) , emergency management , water resource management , environmental resource management , business , economic growth , sociology , cartography , environmental science , economics , psychology , demography , computer security , archaeology , computer science , psychotherapist
South Africa is a relatively dry country with an average rainfall of 500 mm yr −1 . Although the occurrence of drought is the most general hydrological characteristic, floods are also not too infrequent. On average floods causing significant damage occur once every two years somewhere in the country, with larger and more extensive floods once every 10–15 years. Recent big floods occurred in 1974, 1988 and 2000. Due to deficiencies in policies and strategies to manage floods (and other disasters) effectively, a process was set in motion towards the end of the 20th century to develop a new comprehensive policy for disaster management to serve as a framework for policy and strategy development of all disasters including floods. This paper will focus on the latest approach to flood damage assessment and control in South Africa as part of a new flood management strategy and put it into perspective within the new management policy framework on disasters as well as the diverse expectations, circumstances and needs of formal and informal communities. Large‐scale urbanisation and population increases have contributed (and are still doing so) to large numbers of people, especially the poor, settling and living in floodplains in and around urban areas. It increases the vulnerability of flooding for these communities. Soweto‐On‐Sea near Port Elizabeth and Alexandra in Johannesburg are cases in point. Where the expectations, needs and socio‐economic circumstances of these people differ considerably from people living in formal communities, the approach to flood damage control planning and management should also be different. The differences and the adequacy with which those differences are provided for in the new policy and strategy framework, as well as possible solutions to overcome deficiencies, will especially be addressed in the paper. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.