Abstract

Floods are known to be one of the most common and widespread of all-natural disasters. Flooding accounts for about 40% of fatalities from natural disasters, this eventually makes future developments more exposed to worldwide risk of flooding (Christopher, 2000).

The main objective of this study seeks to examine the various flood hazard adaptations in the Limbe Municipality. Primary data were collected on the field using questionnaires, interview guides and field observation while secondary data were collected from published sources (articles, books, internet and journals).

The study made use of descriptive research design whereby quantitative and qualitative data were obtained on the field. Findings therefore revealed that, 36% of the respondents indicated that evacuating to higher grounds and or building on earthen platforms (such as clay grounds, concrete materials and hard words) are one of the most common ways of flood hazard adaptations in the Limbe Municipality.

Also, flood adaptations are faced with challenges and constraints in the Limbe Municipality, 43% of the respondents indicated that poor drainage infrastructure is the main challenge to effective flood hazards adaptation.

Using Chi-square in the test of hypothesis, results show that, there is a significant relationship between existing flood hazard adaptations and flood intensity in the Limbe Municipality indicated with the Chi-square value (14.56) lesser than the critical value (21.03).

This indicates that, the level and intensity of flood hazards experience by respondents directly corresponds to their adaptive capacity. Participants also demonstrated a significant and spatial differences in the level of awareness.

In this regard, flooding is a hazard that has been plaguing the localities of the Limbe Municipality over the years and therefore needs appropriate flood control strategies to effectively adapt to it. It is recommended that wide drains should be constructed in flood prone areas/ flood affected areas in Limbe Municipality as well restricting human settlements in flood risk zone.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Floods are known to be one of the most common and widespread of all natural disasters (Bhanumarthy and Bahera, 2008). Flooding accounts for about 40% of fatalities from natural disasters, this eventually makes future developments more exposed to worldwide risk of flooding (Christopher, 2000).

The effects are associated globally such as to sea level rise, more intensive precipitation levels, and higher river discharges may also increase  the frequency and rate at which flooding occur (scale). Coastal flooding normally occurs when dry and low lying land is submerged by the sea water. However, an increase in population, climate change, flood events, have intensified the level of flood risk occurrence and disasters, which have called for a global interest in finding different methods with both spatial and temporal dynamics in adapting to flood hazards (Jacques, 20002).

Flood hazards amongst other natural hazards affect most people with it high cost (Michel, 2015). Much of Africa is vulnerable to flooding with episodes of floods accounting for 26% of total disaster occurrence (Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), 2004).

In Africa, more rainfall has caused flooding and landslide in some areas and cities such as parts of Kwazulu-Natal province in South Africa whereby this areas recorded about 400 dead and 40,000 displaced (Davies, 2022). Other situations of flooding have affected many different countries across Africa like Uganda, Kenya, Mali and many more where in South Sudan, over 600,000 people were also displaced by flooding according to the United Nations (UN) (International Federation Of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 2020), heavy rains which have caused rivers to overflow their dykes and banks, flooding in vast areas and settlements along the White Nile in the center of the country, with the states of  Jonglei and Lakes being the worst affected, with similar cases in Chad, West Coast , Togo and Nigeria which have also experienced flooding through August and September 2020 (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2020).

The Limbe coastal area consists mostly of basaltic rocks. This results in varying impacts of wave actions along the Atlantic coast. Even though the Limbe coastal lowlands are minutes, they are densely populated and remain vulnerable to the effect of sea level rise. Problems arising to flood hazards adaptation in Limbe are mostly seen in localities around the Limbe coastline such as Mbonjo, Clerks quarter, Bota, Sokolo, Motowo and Down beach with majority of these localities, water logged.

The city of Limbe experience constant heavy rainfall in the rainy season which begins from the month of June, July and August in Cameroon of about 700mm (Ndille and Belle, 2014). Thus, their location 100miles away from Debundcha which is considered to be the second wettest place after Cherrapunji in India make the Limbe coastal villages highly vulnerable to flooding. It has been noticed that, inadequate information on floods occurrence and risk levels on implication and adaptation measures, making flood hazards rampant and disastrous within the flood areas zone of Limbe (Ndille and Belle, 2014)

Inadequate stabilization, defenses and intrusion of salt water from the Atlantic Ocean to the coastal land and surrounding houses often caused damages and loss of lives, disruptions of activities as well as disease. Weak embankment and pillars built with stone and cements with poor concreting are often not solid enough to hold back wave actions or withstand sea level rise.

These causes some of these infrastructures including buildings, local bridges and walls found along the coastline to collapse and others flooded. More to this, they is an indication on poor management finance and project management  as seen in areas of risk disaster management, flood control, environmental protection and conservation (Nicholls, 2002a).

1.2 Problem statement

Flooding is a recurrent phenomenon in Limbe coastal city. Other environmental challenges such as city expansion, agricultural activities, population pressure, climate variability, sea level rise and environmental degradation is also at an increasing rate. In June 2001, Limbe city witnessed a disaster that took the lives of some 30 persons,displaced over 2000 others and destroyed properties and social amenities such as roads, and telephone lines worth US dollars (Aka, 2001).

Flood events in most part of the west coast of Limbe city have often become a nightmare to some of its inhabitants as it has probably become so prominent and challenging to cope with. The process of urbanization which is usually accompanied with new infrastructures, constructions of roads, deforestation and expansion of city size is often felt and seen in the city of Limbe.  This does not take in to consideration adequate drainage patterns to contain runoff. Despite the existing channels, the drains were constructed without taking in to consideration the quantity of water that may flow as runoff through the drains during rainy periods. Some houses are often built right a crossed drainage path, blocking and disrupting streams with high discharge during rainy periods.

Waste management as a major problem in some of these localities in Limbe city are often felt heavily as dirt is carried and deposited in to some of gutters ,blocking them and during excessive flow of water, they is a high probability of flooding in the surrounding neighborhood. These constitute setbacks to flood hazards adaptation within Limbe coastal city.

The poor consciousness of the inhabitants of Limbe locality on environmental information and lack of awareness on effects of flood hazards, has exposed many if it dwellers especially along the coast the coast and those in flood prone areas such as in areas of wetlands and good plains notably those of Motowo, cassava. Farms, Clerks quarter and Down beach, to greater risk and making them more vulnerable to other geomorphological hazards such as landslide and mass movement.

The lack of assistance and absence of government intervention in risk management and control has left the population to suffer as there is also a growing frequency of small and medium scale disaster related patterns of human environmental intervention. Indicating that, disaster risk and flood occurrence is persistent.

1.3 Research Question

This study seeks to answer the following questions;

1. What are the effects of flood hazards in Limbe?
2. What are the various flood hazards adaptations in Limbe?
3. What are the constraints to flood hazards adaptation in Limbe?
4. How can flood hazards adaptation in Limbe be improved?

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