Settling on water pathways: a case study of Setswetla vulnerability to flash floods

Abstract

Urban flooding coupled with unplanned urbanisation and urban population growth characterised by informality has enhanced the vulnerability of the urban poor to climate change and weather extremes. On the 9th of November 2016, torrential rains led to flash floods which affected the City of Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane. Informal settlements such as Setswetla, situated north of Johannesburg, between Alexandra Township and Marlboro Gardens, were heavily impacted by the storm. Using semi-structured interviews and Forensic Disaster Investigation methods, the current study aims to explore what are the factors that shape and influence the extent and impacts of vulnerability to urban flash floods. The November 2016 flash floods were sudden and intense, businesses, roads and settlements were negatively impacted. According to News 24 (2016), there were people who never managed to get home after the 9th November 2016 torrential downpour in the city. The City of Johannesburg Disaster Management report (2016e) estimates that about 373 households with 862 individuals were severely affected by the November 2016 flash floods in Setswetla. Vulnerability to flooding is a complex condition driven by socio-economic and physical environmental factors. To address vulnerability there needs to be transformative adaptation and proactive local governance. Such adaptation may help to shift the current drivers of vulnerability to create a more inclusive developmental paradigm, and proactive governance that will ensure the provision of basic services to the most vulnerable communities