Dealing with floods

Cross Roads Hotel - Blantyre

18 June 2019
Vincent Cheyo Msadala, PhD
vmsadala@must.ac.mw or vmsadala@gmail.com
0882750550
 Dealing with floods

Legal and policy frameworks

Infrastructure management

Flood risk management

Cross-cutting issues
 Types of floods

Riverine floods
Flash floods, Overbank flooding
 Urban drainage flooding
 Service Strategy, Strategic Objectives,
Integrated Development Planning

 Reduce impact of flooding on

community livelihoods and regional
economy
 Safeguard human health, protect
natural aquatic environments and
improve and maintain recreational
water quality
 Legal & Policy Frameworks – Legislation
and Policies
 The Constitution – Natural flow – Reasonable Use
 Water Resources Act– depiction of floodlines, information on flood hazards to
be provided, the river bed and banks of watercourses and adjacent land strips
as public land, and prohibits development on that land
 Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act (1991)
 New Disaster Management Act – Shift from response to prevention / mitigation
 Environmental Management Act - Sustainable development
 Stormwater By-laws– Regulation of activities which may have a detrimental
effect on the development, operation or maintenance of the stormwater
system
Respect of
zones
Land Use Applications

 Subject to: – Location outside high

hazard zone
 Conditions:
– Certifications (no adverse impact on
flood behavior, stability of structures)
– Protection / mitigation works (Building
flood proofing, compensatory
earthworks, evacuation plans, etc)
– Endorsement of building plans
 Policies

 National Disaster Risk Management Policy (2015)

• Priority Area 1: Mainstreaming disaster risk management into sustainable
development
• Priority Area 2: Identification, assessment and monitoring of disaster risks.
• Priority Area 3: Developing and strengthening people-centred early warning
systems.
• Priority Area 4: Developing, promoting and adopting a culture of safety and
resilience.
• Priority Area 5: Reduction of the underlying risks.
• Priority Area 6: Strengthening preparedness for, and the ability to respond to
and recover from, potential disaster
 National Climate Change Policy (2012)
Climate Change – Greater variability in the intensity and
magnitude of storm events

 Priority Area 1 – Adaptation

 Priority Area 2 – Mitigation
 Priority Area 3 - Capacity Building, Education and Awareness:
 Priority Area 4 - Financing Mechanisms:
 Priority Area 5 - Institutional Coordination:
 Priority Area 6 - Population: climate vulnerability and population increase
 Other Policies

 National Environmental Policy (2004)

 National Gender Policy (2012-2017)
 National Water Policy (2005)

 Dealing with disasters in Malawi will require regulations under both the Water
Resources, and the Disaster Risk Management Acts
 Floodplain Management Guidelines

 Frameworkfor the management of land use,

development and activities near watercourses
 Minimise potential flood damage
 Enhance and protect natural environment
 Promote WSUD (planning and design solution)
 Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDs)
Approach
Human causes
Flood risk management
Flood risk management is aimed at prevention, protection
and preparedness according to MoAIWD (2017)
Deforestation:
 Cost and benefits of flooding
Human occupancy of floodplains is a gamble
Nutrients
bringing much needed enrichment and moisture to the fertile soil of its floodplains,
floodplains in the lower shire, Salima and Karonga just to highlight a few examples.

Recharge
Floods replenishes ground water systems by recharging the underground aquifers

Replenishes
Reservoirs are filled which enhances the national water security; and

Washes away
Accumulated waste from water channels and improve the channel water flow
Flood Management & Community Safety
Deterministic, Empirical, Probabilistic
analysis of floods
1979 / 1980 -
1959 / 1960 11
1960 / 1961 13 1980 / 1981 -

1961 / 1962 18 1981 / 1982 -

1962 / 1963 20 1982 / 1983 -
1963 / 1964 26 1983 / 1984 -
1964 / 1965 14 1984 / 1985 25
1965 / 1966 7 1985 / 1986 36
1966 / 1967 8
1986 / 1987 28
1967 / 1968 6
1987 / 1988 26
1968 / 1969 16
1988 / 1989 131
1969 / 1970 11
1989 / 1990 37
1970 / 1971 8
1990 / 1991 25
1971 / 1972 6
1972 / 1973 17 1991 / 1992 7

1973 / 1974 12 1992 / 1993 45

1974 / 1975 22 1993 / 1994 41
1975 / 1976 42 1994 / 1995 7
1976 / 1977 26 1995 / 1996 50
1977 / 1978 58
1996 / 1997 7
1978 / 1979 -
1997 / 1998 22
Floodlines
On Aerial
Photo
 River Maintenance

Sediment removal
Vegetation control
Litter removal
Erosion control – ESCP separate
report from ESIA
THANKS