Flood risk and damage analysis in urban areas of Zimbabwe: a case of 2020/21 rain season floods in the city of Gweru

Abstract

Urban flooding has become a topical issue in the 21st century as flood frequency and severity in urban areas have increased due to the changing climate. The study assessed the flood risk of areas in the city of Gweru and the damage from the 2020/21 rainfall season flooding. A mixed methods research design anchored by both qualitative and quantitative data probing techniques was employed in this study. Geographic information system, questionnaire, interviews and observations were adopted for data collection. Microsoft excel 2013 and ArcMap 10.5 software were used for data analysis. The majority of residential areas are located in flood-prone areas. Disregard of city by-laws, corruption and poor planning were major drivers of establishment of residential stands in flood-risk areas. Property damage and crop destruction among others were major socio-economic impacts of the 2020/21 rainfall season flooding incident. The study concludes that areas historically reserved as urban carbon-sinks prior to the current climate change geographical period have now been developed into residential areas because of the lull in flooding events in recent years. The study recommends that urban development authorities should cognize frequent auditing of development activities and due-respect of urban by-laws in order to avoid development in flood-risk areas.