Informal urban settlements, adverse weather events and adaptation : responses to incidents of flash flooding by residents in Eerste Fabriek, Mamelodi

Abstract

The adverse impacts of climate change, mainly droughts and floods that affect agriculture activities, are pushing rural households to migrate to urban areas. Through this rural push, people move to the city to search for work, better economic opportunities, and a higher standard of living to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change-linked weather events. In developing countries, the pace at which people move into urban areas is often faster than the development of formal urban settlements and related amenities. As a result, many who migrate to cities and towns end up living in informal settlements. Some of these informal settlements are built in vulnerable locations where the impacts of extreme climate change-linked weather events such as floods, drought, heatwaves, and severe fires, amongst others, are dire when they manifest. Against this background this study, examines the case of the case of Eerste Fabriek, an informal settlement in Mamelodi, Pretoria, in South Africa, seeking to analyse the community's vulnerability and adaptability to the adverse effects of climate change. This settlement has recently been adversely affected by a series of climate change incidents of flooding. The qualitative study gathered data through key informant interviews, household semi structured interviews, observation and the use of document review. The research found that many of the respondents perceived repeated cases of flooding in the area as a man-made phenomenon, discounting the contribution of climate change to the recent incidents of flooding. This indicates a lack of understanding of the drivers of climate change and its impacts. Noting the likelihood of increased climate change-related extreme weather events, the research recommends an increased intensity of educating people in this settlement and beyond on the drivers, impacts, evidence, and management of the climate change phenomenon.