Holistic mapping of flood vulnerability in slums areas of Yaounde city, Cameroon through household and institutional surveys

Abstract

Urbanization in major cities has resulted in increasing urban slum expansion. This, together with increased climate-change-driven hazards, and deplorable slum characteristics has led to considerably higher flood impacts in slum settlements. As such, there is a need for specialized flood vulnerability assessment tools that integrate features specific to the urban slums. Studies have consecrated efforts to integrated and multidimensional flood vulnerability studies. However, assessments that include social, economic, structural, and institutional realities of the slum settlements are rare in developing countries. This study comprehensively assessed the flood vulnerability in urban slums. It offers a simplified perspective of vulnerability in urban slums, capturing data from slum inhabitants, local councils, experts, and local NGOs since they often have profound insights into essential service availability, access, and quality within the study area. Utilizing data encompassing 40 indicators (exposure, susceptibility, and resilience), we assess the physical/structural, social, and economic/psychological vulnerability indices for slum households and the institutional vulnerability of 41 entities. Despite significant challenges of poor infrastructure and lack of basic disaster management tools, slum residents have developed recognizable strategies to overcome flooding. Institutions carrying out intervention activities in the slums were largely incompetent and plagued with challenges ranging from lack of technical know-how to access to funds and coordination. Finally, a significant gap exists between state efforts and the impacts of these efforts on the residents of these slums. These findings complement household-level data and provide an expanded understanding of vulnerability patterns, thus informing policymakers about interventions.