Assessing the resilience mechanisms of urban slum dwellers to flooding in Bwaise parish, Kawempe division.

Abstract

The United Nations Sustainable Development goal 11 called for sustainability of cities by all countries. However, the occurrence of several forms of environmental hazards like floods has threatened the achievement of this goal. Developing countries like Uganda are facing recurrent flood risks especially in the slums of Kampala Capital City. The study was intended to assess the resilience mechanisms of urban slum dwellers due to flooding in Bwaise Parish, Kawempe Division. The objectives were; 1. To identify the impacts of flooding on urban slum dwellers, 2. To identify the coping strategies employed by urban slum dwellers in Bwaise Parish during and after flooding events, and 3. To determine the effectiveness of urban slum dweller’s coping strategies in mitigating the impacts of floods on the community. A cross sectional study was conducted in Bwaise 3 with a total of 75 participants. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 25 and MS excel. Results revealed that about 98% of the impacts of floods was damage to property, about 85% was Health risks and diseases, and other impacts that were equivalent in proportion included disruption of basic services, loss of livelihoods and emotional stress with about 50%, 55%, and 45% respectively. The result showed that flood was very severe in this area with 70% of severity. The study also revealed that floods occur more in the months of March and June and less in the months of August and September. The result also showed that the most employed coping strategy was cleaning of water channels and least employed was using of temporary wooden bridges. The study also revealed that General cleanliness of water channels was the most effective strategy (57%) used by the population in the study area and least effective copying strategy was disease prevention (1%). In conclusion, urban slum dwellers in this area have modelled their livelihoods engaging in multiple social adaptive and resilient activities. It is therefore recommended that local authorities, government and NGOs should collaborate to develop community-based resilience programmes that will improve on prevention, control and mitigation of floods and its impact.