Transcript UN-HABITAT Activities in Mozambique

United Nations Human Settlements Programme
SOME LESSONS LEARNED
FROM THE 2007 FLOODS AND CYCLONE
IN MOZAMBIQUE
Part 1
UN-HABITAT in Mozambique
Programme overview
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The goal of the recently developed UN-HABITAT country programme
(2008-2010) is to contribute to slum upgrading and vulnerability reduction
in Mozambique.
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For this purpose 3 thematic components were identified, namely:
1. Urban Governance and Vulnerability Reduction, including capacity building,
participatory planning, implementation of demonstrative interventions and
disaster risk reduction activities with focus on environmental management
2. Land and Housing, especially by supporting policy formulation and by carrying
out strategic studies for improved regulatory frameworks
3. Slum Upgrading, Water and Sanitation with special focus on peri-urban areas
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The total planning budget: US$15M, out of which US$7M confirmed
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In the One UN framework, UN-HABITAT is in 3 Joint Programmes (JP’s):
– JP for Support to Decentralization and Integrated Local Development
– JP for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness
– JP for Environmental Mainstreaming and Adaptation to Climate Change
Mozambique: a country vulnerable to natural disasters
Vulnerability to Floods
Vulnerability to Cyclones
Vulnerability to Drought
(Maps extracted from the National Action Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change)
Gathered experience
on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
The aim of UN-HABITAT concerning DRR in Mozambique is to assist
Government in reducing the vulnerability in the long-time period
Activities implemented since 2002
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Conduction of participatory land use and contingency planning sessions
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Production of didactic tools and guidelines
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Delivery of training at both central and local levels
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Undertaking of strategic studies for vulnerability reduction
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Preparation of analytical maps
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Implementation of key demonstrative interventions
Participatory land use and contingency planning
Didactic Tools and Guidelines
Didactic Tools and Guidelines (2)
Didactic Tools
and Guidelines (3)
Didactic Tools and Guidelines (4)
Training at the local level
Strategic studies for vulnerability reduction
Example:
GEF Limpopo River Basin Project
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4 National baseline studies
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Sub-regional baseline studies
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3 sub-regional workshops
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Legal and policy recommendations
for improving integrated flood
management
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Regional flood forecasting and
early warning
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Strategic Basin Action Plan
Analytical maps
Key demonstrative interventions
Part 2
2007 Floods and Cyclone
in Mozambique
The 2007 Floods and Cyclone: some background
Zambezi Floods
Intensive rainfall in the middle and lower river
basin from January to mid-February 2007
Floods affected 4 provinces in Central
Mozambique: Tete, Manica, Sofala & Zambézia
Red alert issued on 4 February 2007
160,000 people displaced, of which 130,000 in
temporary accommodation/resettlement areas
Crops and infrastructure destroyed
Cyclone Fávio
Coastal areas of Inhambane and Sofala
Provinces heavily affected on 22 February 2007
Torrential rains and wind speeds up to 220 km/h
134,000 people affected
Destruction of houses and crops
City of Vilanculos especially damaged
Activation of the Shelter Cluster
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On 16 February 2007 the UNCT activated the clusters and IFRC was
initially appointed as the cluster lead of the Emergency Shelter Cluster
In mid-March 2007, UN-HABITAT took over the lead of the Cluster from
IFRC with a view to strengthen
The cluster then merged with the Camp Coordination and Management
Cluster which was then co-lead by UN-HABITAT and IOM;
From end of March up to July 2007, UN-HABITAT:
 convened regular cluster meetings
 supported coordination between Government, IOM and the Faculty of
Architecture for undertaking plot demarcation operations in the field
 was present to almost all UNCT/HCT meetings as well as to several
Government meetings convened by the National Disaster Management
Institute (INGC)
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As Cluster Lead, UN-HABITAT tried to delineate a joint intervention
strategy among cluster members
UN-HABITAT Response (supported by IOM,UNDP)
1. Several coordination meetings organised around shelter issues
2. Support provided to Government for delineating more sustainable
reconstruction and resettlement strategies
3. Set of flood risk and resettlement maps under preparation
4. Involvement and supervision of the Faculty of Architecture for
supporting plot demarcation operations in the field and starting the
establishment of land registry mechanisms
5. Assessments carried out concerning shelter, land tenure, basic and
social services aspects
6. Participatory planning sessions held in 4 resettled communities in the
Zambezi River valley
7. Vulnerability reduction measures identified in the affected areas and
training & awareness material consequently produced
8. Activities for supporting the reconstruction process in the cyclone
affected areas under implementation
Flood risk and resettlement maps
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Maps and satellite images downloaded from the internet
(http://www.reliefweb.int)
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Preliminary mapping results used in the field to orient discussions with
the affected populations
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A set of maps is under compilation indicating areas at risk, floods
dynamics, location of the resettlement areas, damaged infrastructure, etc
Flood risk and resettlement maps (2)
Monitoring the plot demarcation process
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A more participatory planning approach involving the affected communities was
needed before starting the plot demarcation
CEDH and IOM teams ensured that minimum spatial requirements were
respected; however, it was too late to improve the overall spatial settings
Resettlement has intrinsic social consequences; e.g. resettled families used to
live in a rural environment have to adapt to an “urbanised” context
In general, the resettlement process has been over-simplified without sufficient
considerations for its long-term implications
The strategy recently issued by the Government is trying to correct that, looking
for the establishment of sustainable livelihood mechanisms, etc
Shelter assessment
Reconstruction in resettlement areas is slow
and often limited to tents and temporary
houses
Government initially promised building
materials such as cement, corrugated iron
sheets, nails, etc
Lack of basic (especially water) and social
services determined the return of communities
to vulnerable locations
For those who started rebuilding their houses,
the preparation of baked bricks was the main
adopted option, which is producing a clear
environmental impact
Government has recently reformulated its
strategy, encouraging self-construction, taking
advantage of local building materials and
providing technical assistance “in-situ”
Land tenure assessment
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Several problems were observed:
– A registry system was not set up during the
emergency period when people were
suddenly displaced
– No clear criteria for distributing plots were
defined after demarcation
– No proper land registration mechanisms were
in place once the plots have been allocated
– In some areas there is not enough land for
resettling all the affected families
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In some resettlement areas social conflicts
linked to land issues were registered
between “new” neighbours
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to overcome these difficulties it would have
been important to ensure a longer presence
of the Faculty of Architecture in the field,
which proposed a land registration form
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Local leaders should be urgently
capacitated in land registration operations
Participatory planning sessions
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Designing a proper “master plan” is one of the most important elements
for ensuring the smooth development of any human settlement
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A comprehensive participatory planning process should have been
conducted just after the emergency period
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Due to the lack of financial/technical means and the existing pressure for
resettling people quickly, only rudimentary plans were prepared
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In one visited resettlement area a whole master plan was produced ”in
situ” with the support of the UN-HABITAT team
Participatory planning sessions (2)
The sessions focussed on:
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Assessing the
communities
understanding of the
resettlement process
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Determining their
current needs and
expectations
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Providing guidance and
suggestions for
improving the spatial
settings and associated
social integration in the
resettlement areas
within an “urbanised”
context
Participatory
planning sessions (3)
Vulnerability reduction measures
and training & awareness material
Vulnerability reduction measures
 Participatory spatial planning and
addressing land tenure issues as essential
elements of the resettlement process
 Design of architectural solutions adapted
to flood prone areas; elevated school
model under construction in Gaza
Province should be replicated in the
Zambezi River delta
Training and awareness material
 Use of existing UN-HABITAT material such
as the manual “Living with Floods”,
posters, River Game, didactic cartoon, etc
 Booklet of stories to enhance integration of
the displaced families in the resettlement
areas: how to provide a cultural identity?
 Manual for reducing constructions
vulnerability in cyclone prone areas
Specific activities carried out in cyclone affected areas
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UN-HABITAT focussed on Vilanculos City
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Results of the damage assessment:
 The most impacted structural elements were the
roofing and other parts naturally exposed to the
action of the winds such as windows, doors, etc
 Roofs showing a greater slope or secured with
ropes, stones, etc, were generally less affected
 The use of corrugated iron sheets is to be avoided,
unless reinforced and with no exposure to the wind
 Traditional houses built using reed and straw were
quite resistant due to their circular shape and the
inherent “filtering” effect of the used materials
 Buildings with poor foundations were completely
destroyed; such effect was exacerbated by the
sandy soil characterising this coastal area
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providing technical assistance to the City Council
for designing architectural plans of low-cost
houses with a reduced vulnerability to cyclones
Part 3
Lessons learned and
thoughts for discussion
The implications of adequate shelter
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During the 2007 floods & cyclone in Mozambique, UN-HABITAT focussed
on shelter, participatory planning, land tenure and vulnerability reduction
Access to adequate shelter along with basic needs such as water and
food - critical and tangible importance for vulnerable communities displaced (in the case of the floods) or homeless (in the case of the
cyclone) people
If considered as part of a social and organisational system which starts
from the household, this includes having access to:
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basic services, such as water and sanitation
social services, in particular school and health services
infrastructure, such as roads and electricity
Livelihood - market, economic opportunities and land tenure as mean of
subsistence
Hence, ensuring adequate shelter is more complex than just distributing
non-food items; it is the result of a long-term strategic thinking process
also called planning process
The question is: “when should this planning process start once a natural
disaster has occurred ?”
Early Recovery is the critical for shelter
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UN-HABITAT advised that the planning process for addressing longterm shelter needs should start immediately.
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This corresponds to the early recovery period during which people are
still sensitive and aware of their vulnerability; if addressed with wisdom,
this situation could catalyse innovative and more sustainable
development dynamics paying special attention to disaster
preparedness and vulnerability reduction
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The priority of the Government of Mozambique was concurred with this
philosophy
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However, these arguments were generally given little importance by the
other UN partners involved, especially because of the inherent
complexity around shelter issues
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Shelter early recovery should not be about building transitional houses,
instead minimum conditions should be created for facilitating self-help
construction mechanisms within adequate spatial and social settings, in
which basic and social services & infrastructure are planned
The importance of participatory planning
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In particular, the participatory planning approach where community,
local authorities and key stakeholders are represented, and which
involves open discussions and mutual commitments, can help a lot in
dissipating the mentioned complexity around shelter and work as social
integration mechanism
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This is indeed a necessary process for ensuring the sustainable
development of any human settlements; it is even more important when
it concerns a community which has been exposed to a natural hazard
and has to restart a living in a much modified context
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Due to the limited funds available, only preliminary but indispensable
results were obtained; further support is urgently needed for addressing
these issues, especially within the current recovery
Challenges and additional considerations
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The overall response concerning shelter has been weak up to now
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While the idea of clusters is good in essence, it should not represent a
parallel structure to the Government’s own organisation
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There was (and still is) a weak interest by UN Agencies, donor
communities, other than UN-HABITAT and UNDP in early recovery
issues, despite expressed as a clear Government’s priority
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Food distributions delayed the resettlements and recovery process –
emergency aid impeding early recovery?
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The consequences of the lack of planning and resources are visible
today in the resettlement areas: the reconstruction process is delayed;
people are frustrated and return to vulnerable areas, etc
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Reports indicate that the 2007 events registered less damage and there
was more coordination compared to those occurred in 2000 and 2001…
even if this is partially true, it should be noted that the latter events were
much bigger in size
Comparison of the 2001 and 2007 flood limits