Climate Change and Flood Risk Mapping in Djibouti: A Web-GIS Approach

Abstract

Flooding is one the most detrimental, recurrent and prevalent natural disasters in the world which has affected economies, environment and human life greatly with severe interruption of income sources(Armah et al., 2010). Research as established that floods account for forty percent of weather-related disasters, with weathers and climate-related disasters amounting to over billions of dollars every year(Eckstein et al., 2021). In past few decades floods have caused death of many people and displaced billions of people globally(Jonkman, 2005). Flooded rivers only have affected millions of people while putting literally innumerable other people at risk every year(Postel & Richter, 2012). Inability to control population and growth of infrastructure also leads to increased vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change because changes in temperature and patterns of rainfall affect these impacts and make flood more frequent and more intense(Baker, 2012). This paper has established that the African continent; and indeed, areas such as Djibouti are the most sensitive to the impacts of climate change through their limited Socioeconomic characteristics, growing Urbanization and dependence on natural resources(Baker, 2012). Despite the increasing number of extreme events, Djibouti does not have well-developed flood risk management systems and the intensity and rarity of rainfall events have led to increased flash floods. Such a situation was observed in November 2019 when the floods brought the amount of rainfall 300 mm, which is the annual average, for two consecutive days only and affected hundreds of thousands of people and offered great losses in terms of lives and property(Idyle Mousse Iye, 2019). Likewise, Cyclonic Storm Sagar that was experienced in May 2018 brought one year rain in one day; the cyclone displaced scores of people and destroyed some vital structures(Maity & Gonekar, 2023). These events underpin the need to carry out better assessment of flood risks and develop specific flood risk management frameworks for the geographic and climatic setting of Djibouti.