Abstract

The incidence of floods in some cities in Cameroon greatly highlights the need for good strategies to reduce the extent of the impact of floods. This work assesses the socio-economic and cultural effects of seasonal floods in Babessi, Ndop Cameroon.

This looks at the factors that influence seasonal floods, the strategies used by the government to reduce the impact of the flood, and the efforts undertaken by the municipality to reduce and cope with the flood.

Methodology for this study includes; site visits, the use of checklist tool from the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) toolbox to trace the history of seasonal flood in Ndop, and the administration of questionnaires.

Simple descriptive statistical analysis will be used to analyze the data obtained. Results show that the Cameroon government has put in place strategies to reduce the impact of the event for example the government told the flood victims to raise the foundation of their houses up to a meter. Seasonal floods are mostly caused by heavy rains which overcharge the underground aquifers and if the aquifers cannot discharge seasonal flood results.

When flooding occurs many people die and property is lost. Houses and roads are also destroyed, the various activities of the local people like agriculture, fishing, grazing, hunting, gathering, and education are disturbed because the whole area is covered by water. Another effect of flooding is that it makes people become poor.

This is because crops are destroyed and they would lack food to eat and what to commercialize on. This lowers the economic power of the people since most of them are subsistence farmers and rely on the sale of agricultural products for survival. This study proves that the government gave some donations to the victims. Money was given to them as well as items such as rice books and cooking oil.

This study recommends that trees should be planted so that precipitation can be intercepted hence low surface run-off. Also, the government should put in place laws preventing humans from residing in flood plains especially during the rainy season; this would help avoid the risk of being affected by a flood event, this will also reduce the number of lives lost. This study also recommends that the government and Non-Governmental should build houses for the victims this way there will be less emigration.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction 

Floods have been a part of life at all ends of the earth, they occur in forests, mountains, and even deserts. They can happen at any time of the year not just in winter. Flooding is a catastrophic event that leads to tremendous losses and damages. Flooding occurs in known flood plains when prolonged rainfall over several days, intense rainfall over a short period of time, or a debris jam causes a river or stream to overflow and flood the surrounding area.

Severe thunderstorms can bring heavy rain in the spring and summer, or tropical cyclones can bring intense rainfall to the coastal and inland states in the summer and fall. Flood hazard is measured by the probability of occurrence of their damaging values, conceived generally as flood risk, or by their impact on society, conceived generally as the loss of lives and material damage to society (Rossi et. al., 1994).

There are several factors that encourage flooding such as; a river channel surrounded by steep slopes causes fast surface run-off, a lack of vegetation or woodland means no rainfall interception in the drainage basin hence high surface run-off, a drainage basin consisting mostly of impermeable rock will not allow water to percolate through the rock surface and so will run faster over the surface.

However, there are different types of flooding such as; flash floods which occur within six hours of a rain event, or after a dam or levee failure, and flash floods can catch people unprepared. The Kelly Barnes dam failure near Toccoa is an example of this type of flood. Tidal flooding is another type of flood which occurs when storms with high wind speed cause tall and powerful waves and low fronts cause sea levels to rise above normal levels.

The east coast storm stage of 1953 which claimed 307 people’s lives in the UK and 1,835 in Holland is an example of this type of flood. It is often possible to forecast, with reasonable accuracy, this type of flood due to the predictability of the tide and traceability of the low pressure.

Seasonal flooding is another type of flood which occurs when low-lying areas sitting over aquifers periodically flood as groundwater rises and when these underground aquifers cannot discharge seasonal floods occur. Babessi found in the Northwest Region Cameroon is an example of an area that experiences this type of flood.

A flood can affect animals and plants, as well as environments such as coral reefs. The overflow of water that occurs during a flood can have consequences, both positive and negative on the environment as well as the flora and fauna of a given ecosystem. The water-based ecosystem is upset as a result of flooding.

This run-off will contain sediment and products such as pesticides and fertilizers and will carry these into the ecosystem, as noted by a report from the Fitzroy Basin Association. The sediment may block the sunlight which marine plants and animals need to survive; as a result, these plants will not photosynthesize and may die.

However, flooding is beneficial to plants on dry land because water stored underground will be replenished by the floodwater, while the soil above ground will be able to receive water as a result. The nutrients carried by the floodwater can revive deprived plants and aid in the germination of seeds. In areas where a flood has occurred, the environment becomes highly suitable for the reproduction of species of birds and other animals, as noted on the Skwirk education website. Fish can breed and give birth in areas where floodwater stays for an extended duration.

Floods have an enormous impact on the economy, culture, and social life of individuals. Talking of social effects floods destroy buildings like school buildings and churches. Flood has an economic effect in the sense that people become poor during flooding. This is because crops are destroyed hence a lack of food for people to feed and commercialize on.

Flooding also leads to emigration hence depopulation of the area. When people emigrate they turn to learn new cultures and forget their own culture. It is, therefore, necessary to put in place strategies to reduce floods.

These strategies involve the use of flood management techniques. However, management techniques include river engineering; dams are built the course of a river in order to control the amount of discharge. Water is held back by the dam and released in a controlled way. This controls flooding. Afforestation is another technique; trees are planted near the river leading to the interception of rainwater and lower river discharge.

This is a relatively low-cost option that enhances the environmental quality of the drainage basin. Planning controls to restrict urban development on flood plains is another method to reduce the impact of floods. This project is therefore aimed at assessing the socio-economic and cultural effects of flooding on the indigenes of Babessi in the North West Region of Cameroon.

1.1 Organisation Of Work

This work is divided into five chapters. Chapter one focuses on the general introduction. Chapter two seeks to review the work of some writers in relation to the effects of flooding. Chapter three examines the geo-historical setting of Babessi with aspects such as climate, relief, drainage soil, and a brief history of Babessi. Chapter four presents and analyses the findings of this study. Chapter five concludes the findings of the research and gives out some important recommendations that would help reduce the effects of seasonal floods in Babessi, Bamenda.

1.2 Statement Of Problem

Babessi has suffered several impacts from flooding. Some of the impacts include; the depopulation of the area due to emigration.  Poor roads and vehicles cannot pass through the Bamenda-Kumbo highway because the road was flooded with water.

Decrease in the economic power of the people, this is because when flooding occurs crops are destroyed and people lack food to eat and what to commercialize on leading to poverty. Poverty encourages theft since the various activities of the local people like agriculture, fishing, grazing, gathering, and the ability to go to school are disturbed because the whole area is covered by water.

As water covers the whole area, there is the spread of diseases such as cholera because toilets and waste materials are left open hence the sewage float on land together with the pathogens found in it. These pathogens like Vibro cholera spread diseases like Cholera and, typhoid as people drink and cook with the infected flooded water leading to death.

As a result of seasonal floods bridges are destroyed leading to vulnerabilities of communities living in Babessi. Floods lead to loss of culture; when people move out of the flooded area they forget their cultures and learn new ones. Also valuable house materials like cloths, kitchen utensils are lost. People tend to lose their culture as they learn new ones when they emigrate.

1.3 Rationale

This work will go a long way in the provision of relevant information that concerns the socio-economic and cultural effects of flooding. Also, this study will be useful to future researchers; both national and international who might want to know the history of flooding in Babessi. This will act as a database to them as it contributes to the existing knowledge of the actions taken to manage flooding in Babessi.

1.4 Hypothesis

Floods cause deaths, emigration causing a depopulation of the community

Floods have enormous economic effects such as poverty due to the fact that crops are destroyed and people will eventually lack food to eat and what to commercialize on. This leads to the low economic power of the people.

1. 5Research Questions

The research questions include;

1. What is or are the principal causes of floods?
2. What is the effect of floods on the environment (social effects)?
3. What are the economic effects of floods?
4. What are the cultural effects of flooding?
5. What are the possible solutions to these problems?