28/10/2015 Blantyre City Council

Blantyre City Council

Mainstreaming Adaptation and Disaster Reduction in Urban Development - Disaster Resilient Spatial Planning in Blantyre City, Chikwawa and Karonga

Districts, Malawi

14 October, 2015,

Durban , South Africa

Blantyre City Council

Even with all the technology and the inventions that make modern life so

much easier than once it was, it takes just one big natural disaster

to wipe all that away and remind us that, here on earth, we are still at

the mercy of nature

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Exploring the population, urbanisation and

Climate Change cocktail

Cities and Climate Change – Case of Blantyre,

Karonga and Chikwawa

UN-HABITAT and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

UN-HABITAT Disaster Risk Management (DRM)

activities in Malawi.

Living with floods

Challenges

Hardware and Software Solutions

Lessons learned

3

The 7 billionth citizen came on earth in 2011

and by 2050 there will be 2 billion more

people.

Globally we are in the urban age.

Since 2007, over half of world population live

in urban areas.

Africa will enter urban age around 2030 when

half of Africans will live in urban areas.

Malawi’s urban age will come after 2050

Rapid population growth

• High fertility rates

Resource pressure

•Less land holdings per

capita

•Less resources per capita

•Resource degradation

•Land less able to support

growing population

Migration

•Rapid urbanisation

•Slum formation

6

Urbanisation

Trends:

Occupational (industrialisation)

Income (way of life)

Activities associated with cities and their functioning

Inward flow of food water, energy and other goods

GHG emissions

Energy

Transportation

Industry

Waste

Buildings

Agriculture and forestry

7

Linkage can be more complicated depending on

level of analysis: ◦ Developed countries with lower rates of population

growth have high per capita GHG emissions.

◦ Africa with high population growth has low per capita

GHG emissions and contributes only 5% of emissions.

CC driven more by production and consumption

patterns of affluent communities than by

population growth/size.

8

Population size in Africa matters more when it

comes to scale of consequences and adverse

impact of Climate Change.

Scale is ultimately determined by number of

people affected.

Though contributing little to Green House

Emissions (GHG) Africa is exposed to climate

hazards for a variety of reasons.

Rapid population growth happening together

with rapid urbanisation (often unplanned)

amplify disaster risk in Africa.

9

What matters

Slow population growth

Trend towards small households

in urban areas

Reduced economies of

scale

Increased disposable incomes for

consumption

Higher energy consumption per

capita

Not

absolute numbers in a city.

But

1. the choices that are made by urban residents and

2. the way cities are managed that affect the contribution of these areas to climate change

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Geographic situation of an urban area including

climatic situation, altitude and location vis a vis

resources

Population growth

Density

Urban form

Type of economic activities

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Coastal cities

storm surges

sea level rises

flooding

Inundation

loss of assets of strategic

national economic value

and coastal aquifers.

Inland cities

higher ambient

temperatures

stronger heat island

effects (with potential

damage to

infrastructure)

shrinking water tables

and associated urban

water shortages.

12

The urban poor are at the highest risk.

Locations vulnerable to floods and landslides.

Infrastructure is weak or lacking.

Housing is substandard.

Recovery from disasters is difficult for the poor

– no resources or adequate safety nets.

No legal protection including legal tenure for

housing sites.

13

Population growth, urbanisation and Climate

Change should be addressed together.

Climate Change in Africa heavily focused on

agriculture without establishing linkages with

urbanisation.

Urban poor often left out of safety nets and the

Climate Change agenda in the mistaken belief

that urban areas are ‘better off’.

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Blantyre City Assembly 15

Challenges

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Studies have shown that Malawi has experienced major

variations in weather patterns since the 70s ranging from

severe drought and extreme flood events

In 2009, 2010 and 2015 devastating floods have underscored

the countries vulnerability to climate change induced natural

disasters

With rapid urbanisation, disaster vulnerability in urban areas

has become an issue of increasing concern for urban planners

and policy makers as the ever increasing squatter settlements

develop in disaster prone areas

Lack of plan implementation and increasing informality have

contributed to the deplorable state of resilience to disaster

risks in urban areas. Some urban centres such as Karonga,

Chikwawa are affected relatively more frequent

W

Study areas

Karonga

Blantyre

Chikwawa

28/10/2015 Blantyre City Council

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Background

Chikwawa

Karonga

Blantyre

Chikwawa

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Blantyre City

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Topographic Map of Blantyre City

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Blantyre

Urban

Structure

Plan

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Blantyre

Population: 1,200,000 – day time, approx. 800,000

Founded in 1876 – Scottish missionaries

Surface Area: 228 Sq. Km

Largest commercial City in Malawi

BACKGROUND

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Informal Settlements and upgrading

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15 Blantyre City Council 26

12 people dead

2 missing

216 injured

3,369 homeless

All 23 wards in Blantyre City

have been heavily affected

thereby rendering communities

homeless and starving

Results

Blantyre City Council

BACKGROUND

2014 and 2015 - stormy rains, badly

impacting on social, environmental

and economic livelihood of residents.

First disaster – Chiwembe/Misesa

Ward (17 Dec, 2014)

43 houses damaged

Heavy persistent rains (11-14 Jan,

2015) - river flooding that swept

communities in vulnerable areas, but

also to weakening of numerous

houses which collapsed suddenly as a

result.

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29

Soche Hill in the 70s

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Blantyre City Council

.

INTERVENTIONS

Blantyre City Council

BCC - forefront in data collection,

reporting and advocacy

Media played role in disseminating

info

Department of Disaster

Management Affairs (DoDMA),

NGOs intervened to the victims by

donating necessities that included

maize, blankets, beans, salt and

basic kitchen utensils.

Blantyre City Council

District Education Manager’s

Office provided provisional shelter

in various classroom blocks

District Health Office provided

clinical and public health services

to the casualties and the homeless

households respectively

Malawi Police Service is providing

security services in the temporary

shelters, while faith groups give

hope messages to the victims.

Blantyre City Council

School camps affected education

but also give pressure to the

neighbours thereby impairing their

livelihood setup.

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Karonga

Population – approx. 270,000

Town in northern part of Malawi

Last plan prepared in 2006 due for review in 2016

Disaster prone district

Bordered by North Rukuru River, Lake Malawi

Very low lying

Heavily faulted - East African Rift Valley System

Chikwawa

356,000

BACKGROUND

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Karonga

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80% of global Green House Emission

(GHG) come from cities.

Contribute disproportionately to

national economies.

Centres of political and governance

innovations.

Cities should therefore play major roles in

climate change interventions

38

Multiple role of local authorities

◦ As regulators

◦ As taxation and licensing authorities

◦ As strategic land use planners and developers

◦ As consumers of goods and services

◦ As providers of goods and services

The local authority ‘dividend’ makes LAs

exceptionally well positioned to lead and influence

CC interventions. They can stimulate behaviour

change among citizens and businesses.

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Planning in African cities

◦ Promotion of highly dispersed cities with

long commuting distances.

◦ Low income housing located on city

peripheries and beyond.

◦ Poor public transport – bias towards private

cars

◦ Congestion and poorly maintained vehicles

Local authorities can lead and influence the

reduction of urban dependence on oil and

carbon footprints

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Spatial planning is a key mandate of local

authorities

◦ Neighbourhood and building designs that

promote shorter commutes and energy

efficiency.

◦ Increase urban development density

◦ Mixed land uses

◦ Integrating ‘green’ policies in municipal bylaws.

◦ Effective approaches to designing and

implementing ‘cities without slums’

Urban planning is fundamental to CC mitigation

and adaptation

41

Valuable tool for mainstreaming DRR into urban

development processes.

◦ Ensuring that construction meets minimum

standards of disaster resilience.

◦ Protecting critical infrastructure and services.

◦ Post disaster reconstruction of human

settlements.

Urban planning offers opportunities to improve

sustainability of settlements and effectively

prepare communities against risk.

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Despite decentralisation local authorities

remain weak.

Lacking in capacity for knowledge and data on

CC.

Lacking skills to design and implement

strategies that address CC issues.

Cities need support to build their capacities if they

are to play their role in CC mitigation and

adaptation.

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Cities and Climate Change Initiative

SUD-Net

Advocacy and monitoring

Regional Centre for DRR and CCA

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UN-HABITAT Strategy on ‘Sustainable Relief and

Reconstruction’ designed to fill the gap between the

short term humanitarian imperative and longer term

reconstruction and development priorities.

UN-HABITAT DRR core activities are:

◦ Supporting local initiatives and capacities to build

resilience.

◦ Focusing on shelter rehabilitation and livelihoods

restoration: ‘building back better’.

◦ Promoting innovative land-use management and

planning.

◦ Ensure continuation of critical infrastructure and

services in case of crisis.

46

Since 2010, Malawi Government and UN-

Habitat have collaborated in strengthening

resilience of human settlements.

Formulation of Guidelines for Safer House

Construction in the aftermath of the

earthquake in Karonga which have been

instrumental in the shelter recovery process.

Urban re-planning of Karonga town in the

aftermath of the earthquake and floods.

Promotion of the Living with Floods approach in

the Lower Shire River in Southern Malawi.

Capacity building for urban risk mapping and

mainstreaming of DRM and CC in urban

planning. 47

Relocation is possible as long as livelihoods and

basic social services are guaranteed in the

receiving area, as long as it is voluntary - this

may be possible if floods are life-threatening.

Otherwise solutions to living with floods must

be found.

The Living with Floods project in Chikhwawa is

designed to capacitate communities in areas

prone to low/medium level flooding to live with

floods.

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Objective: To reduce vulnerability to floods of

communities living in low lands prone to low and

moderate level flooding by reinforcing local capacities

through innovative small-scale mitigation

interventions for floods to support the alternative

strategy of Living with Floods rather than relocation.

Expected accomplishments:

◦ Demonstration shelter and shelter related flood

mitigation infrastructure constructed in Chikwawa

District

◦ Improved awareness, dissemination and advocacy

activities undertaken at local and national levels

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At national level – DoDMA and MLHUD providing

coordination, policy advice and monitoring.

District Council actively involved with a designated

officer.

Habitat for Humanity Malawi contracted to deliver the

infrastructure (but using local artisans) and provide

awareness and on the job training of local artisans.

Demonstration sites selected by local leaders and their

people in consultation with UN-HABITAT technical

consultant.

Community awareness meetings

Community contribution in form of sand, bricks, water.

Technical designs that take into account costs, available

building materials and living habits of the people.

Technical consultant providing designs, supervision,

training for local artisans

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Safe haven comprising of two rooms and

office/stores completed and in use.

Eight demonstration houses completed and

occupied.

Nine local artisans trained.

Twelve community DRM (adaptive

construction) awareness meetings held.

Illustrated construction manual under

development.

Learning visit to Mozambique.

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Poor house construction in

all key aspects –

foundation, walling and

roofing.

Results – rising dump,

leakages, poor ventilation

and collapse of houses.

Poor knowledge and

technical know-how.

Lack of safe haven in times

of floods.

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END

Indigenous solutions? – elevated animal shelter and human emergency shelter

Principles not yet applied to human shelter!

54

Community awareness on sound construction

On the job training of local artisans at every stage of construction

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Demonstration houses

showing, among others,

raised foundations and

dump-proofing to fight

running and rising

waters; heaped roof to

fight strong winds

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Safe haven to provide a rescue/distribution

facility during disasters.

In normal times, it can be used as a school,

mobile clinic, homecraft centre etc.

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Outcomes

Over 1000 HHs benefitted from the safe

haven in the 2013 floods season.

Demonstration houses performed well -

flood season providing the ‘proof of

concept’ to the community.

The Sustainable Shire River Basin

Management Programme (funded by

WB) - its DRM component adopted the

Living with Floods approach scaled up

in the lower Shire.

Community Orientations on floods

UN-Habitat technical assistance

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Challenges

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Low technical know-how of the affected

communities

Poor availability of useful (and

environment friendly) building materials to

combat ‘water’ within the affected areas.

Income levels of the people affected offer

significant challenges in determining

(design) solutions.

Transportation costs and actual item cost

of imported (from outside the affected area)

materials.

Community participation spirit to fight

floods collectively.

1

• Shelter has been the missing link in DRR and in recovery and yet it is the basis of all sustainable recovery and DRR efforts.

2

• Hardware (construction) must go hand in hand with software (awareness, training) activities for maximum and sustainable effect.

3

• There is nothing like low cost housing but housing can be constructed at reduced costs!

4

• Existing knowledge/practices should be the basis for any intervention.

Lessons Learned

5

• Partnership with NGO and community are critical success factors

6

• Learning visits to similar activities important for avoiding mistakes.

7

• Potential for replicating this to other districts experiencing similar conditions.

Outcomes

28/10/2015 Blantyre City Council

Thank You

Text Taxation and

licensing

authority strategic

landuse

planners

and

developers

Text

Text

Regulators