In recent years, the urge to address climate change as a global emergency has risen due to its increased intensity and frequency. From deadly heat waves in South Asia, to devastating floods in Southern Africa, natural disasters are the most visible impacts of the effects of an ever-changing climate. Mozambique is a country situated in the Southern region of Africa that experiences cyclic natural disasters such as droughts and floods. Its vulnerability is mainly due to its geographical location, but factors such as unplanned rapid urbanisation, high poverty levels, and lack of adequate infrastructure also contribute to its vulnerability. Literature has demonstrated that communities play a central role in responding to and addressing natural disasters, therefore, this study set out to explore and assess the disaster response strategies being applied in urban communities vulnerable to flooding in Maputo. The objectives include:a) To identify community-based strategies being implemented by urban communities vulnerable to floods in Maputo. b) To appraise the role of stakeholders in aiding communities to adapt to the impacts of floods.c) To construct/develop a best practice approach to enhance community resilience to the impacts of floods in urban communities. Theoretically, the study is based on the concept of vulnerability, with the Model of Vulnerability (Smit and Wandel, 2006), The Sustainable Livelihood Framework (Chambers (1980); and Scoones (1998)) and the Pressure and Release Model (Blaikie et al, 1994) guiding the research. The key elements of these models are combined to produce a novel conceptual framework, namely the ‘Community Adaptation Practices’ Framework (CAP), which is a major contribution to this study. Philosophically, the study adopts pragmatism with an interpretive approach, primarily because it uses both qualitative (in depth interviews and follow up interviews) and quantitative (online questionnaires) methods to collect data. These research methods are used to better understand Maputo’s flood response mechanisms, with study participants being a small community sample, and agencies and institutions that assist in times of crisis. A thematic analysis was chosen to analyse the findings, and from that process, four themes emerged: community involvement, culture, intersectoral dynamics, and infrastructure. The study has shown that there needs to be greater pro-active, rather than reactive actions in vulnerable communities from both communities and relevant stakeholders; training of community committees needs more emphasis on adaptive activities; response and adaptative strategies must be inclusive of people with disabilities, and cultural factors must be appreciated as they influence how people perceive climate risks and in turn, their willingness to adopt adaptation strategies.
| Date of Award | 22 Mar 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Adam Dennett (Main Supervisor), Eric Tchouamou Njoya (Co-Supervisor) & James Scott Vandeventer (Co-Supervisor) |
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