Critical Factors of Vulnerability That Enable Medina Gounass (Dakar/Senegal) to Adapt against Seasonal Flood Events

Abstract

This paper focuses on people living in Medina Gounass where has been experiencing annually flood events during the rainy season. Besides the climatic conditions, the lack of formal amenity plan has led to the emergence of highly vulnerable urban communities, particularly through informal settlements and inadequate land management. Flood has disrupted their livelihood and caused huge loss of properties. Thus, inhabitants have a long experience of flood events. The study was carried out to assess critical aspects that led Medina Gounass inhabitants vulnerable to flood. Consequently, people in the study area have been practicing various methods at household to mitigate the probable losses. The study found that flood adaptation measures can be made more effective through community initiatives and their participation than at household level which sometimes causes harm in the neighborhood. Structural and non-structural flood management approach seems to be more efficient to alleviate Medina Gounass inhabitants from the flood problems.