VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF AREAS ALONG MULUNGUZI RIVER TO POTENTIAL DAM FAILURE FLOODS, ZOMBA CITY

The study aimed at assessing the vulnerability of areas along the Mulunguzi river to potential floods influenced by dam failure. Provention Consortium (2007) defined vulnerability as the potential to suffer harm or loss, related to the capacity to anticipate a hazard, cope with it, resist it and recover from its impact. Both vulnerability and its antithesis, resilience, are determined by physical, environmental, social, economic, political, cultural, and institutional factors. The study is centred on the warning which was issued by the Department of Disaster Risk Management Affairs on the potential failure of the Chagwa Dam on Zomba Plateau. The failure of the dam could result in inundating areas along the Mulunguzi river. Therefore, recognizing that vulnerability differs among individuals and communities, the study focused on assessing the levels of vulnerability in prone areas and not excluding their causes. Furthermore, identifying elements at risk and their susceptibility to adverse impacts of the hazard based on exposure.
It was identified that among the areas along Mulunguzi river, Matawale is more vulnerable due to various underlying causes of vulnerability for instance peoples’ livelihood, nature of houses constructed, land use, and so forth. Whereas Mangasanja is less vulnerable to DFF floods. Various elements at risk were determined and later classified e.g. roads, people, buildings, environment, and many more.
The study was conducted by field visits, desk study, and flood vulnerability mapping. A field visit was after identifying elements at risk and ground-truthing. Desk study involves various statistical operations to determine the level of socio-economic and physical vulnerability. Whilst mapping was done to determine and exhibition the level of vulnerability in all prone areas and to show levels of susceptibility to adverse impacts based on proximity to the river.