Flood vulnerability in township informal settlements

Abstract

Migration has shaped townships into hubs of urban informality that are characterised by the propagation of informal settlements. With their expansion, informal settlements have become increasingly vulnerable to the devastating impacts of hazards. This article explored factors that influence flood vulnerability in township informal settlements in the NMBM. Framed by the Integrated Vulnerability Approach by McEntire, the study collected secondary data sources from reputable online repositories and digital media platforms using keywords. Data were analysed through thematic analysis. The findings reveal that flood vulnerability in the case study is conceived by a combination of the nature and location of informal settlements. The population characteristics of informal settlement dwellers and the marginalisation of infrastructural public service drive them to occupy hazard prone vacant land in ‘stressed areas’. Despite the risk factor of their hazard-prone locations, informal settlement dwellers hold a ‘sense of place’ because of socioeconomic locational advantage and cultural resonance with their settlements that keeps them in their settlements. The study contends that flood vulnerability in informal settlements in townships occurs in combination of biophysical and social vulnerability. The study recognises that the population characteristics of the informal settlements are influenced by migration and its resultant socioeconomic conditions for low-skilled migrants.
Contribution: The study demonstrates that the conception of informal settlements in townships and the legacies thereof are key origins of the infrastructural, public service delivery socioeconomic deficits in these settlements that drive the interactions of biophysical and social vulnerabilities.