Enhancing Urban Flood Resilience in the SADC Region
The GIZ Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA) project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and Connective Cities (CC) are working together to help cities in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), manage flood risks and promote safer urban development. Africa's cities are growing rapidly and by 2050, Africa and Asia will account for 90% of global urbanisation. Despite Africa's low greenhouse gas emissions, it is highly vulnerable to climate change and other hazards. Many cities are growing in an unplanned way, increasing risks such as flooding, which could reverse development gains.
To address these challenges, RIA and CC have launched the Risk Informed Urban Development (RIUD) initiative. This initiative promotes learning and exchange among city officials and experts through a hybrid platform of online and face-to-face events focused on integrated flood risk management.
The kick-off event took place in Windhoek, Namibia, in April 2023. Participants discussed flood risk management, green infrastructure, and good governance, creating feedback loops to develop practical solutions. The second live event, in eThekwini, South Africa, in November 2023, focused on refining project ideas and improving collaboration between cities. The third live event took place in Gaborone, Botswana, in June 2024 and was hosted by the SADC Secretariat in coordination with the Botswana National Disaster Management Office, Tlokweng District Council, Gaborone District Council and the GIZ RIA and CC projects. The aim of the event was to finalise project proposals and explore funding opportunities, with a focus on nature-based solutions, urban drainage systems and community capacity building.
Key takeaways from these events include the need for disaster risk management to involve multiple disciplines and stakeholders, effective communication across watersheds, and local governments working with businesses. Combining technical solutions with nature-based approaches and good governance is essential, and municipal associations play a crucial role in advocating for cities at regional and global levels.
City project highlights include
Dar es Salaam: Efforts to improve flood resilience through nature-based solutions.
eThekwini: Development of flood management guidelines.
Tlokweng and Gaborone: Development of an urban drainage master plan.
Garowe: Implementation of nature-based stormwater solutions.
Other cities such as Lusaka, Maputo, Polokwane, Mariental and Windhoek are also developing projects focusing on sustainable urban drainage and flood risk management.
Participants visited flood-prone areas in Tlokweng and Gaborone to understand the challenges and discuss solutions, highlighting the importance of proper drainage systems and risk-sensitive urban planning. Participants will now develop guidelines for risk-informed urban development, focusing on sustainable drainage systems, nature-based solutions and community capacity building. With feedback from the events, cities will prepare their project proposals for funding and implementation.