Analysis of urban households’ preparedness and municipal interventions to build flood resilience in Durban, South Africa: Implications for SDG 11

Abstract

In Durban, South Africa, heavy rainfall leading to flooding has become more frequent over the past decade, resulting in devastating consequences for households. However, studies in South Africa have predominantly focused on understanding the impacts of flooding on rural livelihoods. With intense rainfall events that could result in localized flash flooding to be expected to increase in Durban in the near future, failure to understand how households prepare for flooding and the interventions implemented by local authorities could jeopardize the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 – resilient and sustainable cities. To address this gap, primary data were collected from purposively selected residents of the Amanzimtoti community in Durban using questionnaires that comprised both closed and open-ended questions. Additionally, secondary data were analyzed to determine the measures implemented by the eThekwini Municipality to mitigate the adverse effects of flooding. The findings indicate that flooding has triggered psychological trauma among residents. Regarding interventions to mitigate flooding impacts, some homeowners and business owners purchased insurance. Despite the municipality providing early warnings, a severe flood event in 2019 had a significant negative impact on households partly due to the municipality's failure to utilize preferred communication channels – such as X (formally known as Twitter) – that resonate with residents. The study also found that adoption of early warnings may be partly hinged on the extent to which they remember the last flood episode that resulted in disaster. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for achieving SDG 11 in Durban.