Local knowledge adds value to mapping flood risk in South Africa's informal settlements

By Maheshvari Naidu, Full Professor in Anthropology, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Garikai Martin Membele, PhD researcher at University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Zambia
Onisimo Mutanga, Full Professor and SARChI Chair on Land use Planning., University of KwaZulu-Natal

The current flooding in South Africa’s coastal city of Durban is dire and reports indicate that hundreds of families have been directly affected and lives lost. Several months’ worth of rainfall have fallen in a day or so, and the effects have been catastrophic.

The problem of floods in Durban is not new. Between 1980 and 2010, there were over 77 disastrous flood events in KwaZulu-Natal province and others. The flood events can be…

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