Socio-economic vulnerability to Flash Floods within Tiko Municipality, Fako Division, South West Region, Cameroon

About this CARP project

The occurrence of flash floods has been on the rise in Fako Division of the South West Region of Cameroon since the late 1990s, as shown by flash flood occurrences in the following cities: Limbe (1999 to present); Buea (intervals of 5 years with the most recent being those of 2020, 2022 and 2023); Tiko (2018; 2022) and Mutengene (2022). The town of Tiko is an area that, prior to the 2018 flash flood, has not been associated with flood hazards. The 2018 and 2022 flash flood events recorded significant socio-economic impacts such as damage to major road infrastructure, households, and properties; destruction of agricultural lands; disruption of businesses, and even loss of human lives. Until now, little or no research has been carried out in the area to identify the causes of this new phenomenon and the factors of vulnerability which led to this study in an attempt to address disaster and risk reduction. Climate variability in warmer climates is reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to have an increased likelihood of flood occurrence. With the increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions, flash floods which are short, high-intensity rainfall characterized by short response time between 4-6 hours, have become one of the most severe natural hazards in localities at the flanks of Mount Cameroon. 

Study site

Tiko Municipality, Fako Division, South West Region, Cameroon.

Main Research Questions

• What were the causes and effects of the 2022 flash floods in Tiko municipality?
• What are the socioeconomic factors that make the population of Tiko municipality vulnerable to flash floods?
• How effective are the existing structural and non-structural measures put in place to remedy the effects of flash floods?

This research relates to disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation as it is aimed at getting a better comprehension of the triggering factors of flash floods, identifying the vulnerable communities within the Tiko municipality through community mapping and the effectiveness of the existing structural and non-structural measures, which are climate change adaptation measures put in place to reduce vulnerability to flash flood which is a subset of climate change hazards. This research seeks to inform both policymakers and the vulnerable population in Tiko municipality about the factors that have increased the frequency of flash floods in the municipality; and the nexus between their socio-economic status and flood impacts in a bid to improve on regional planning and policy implementation.