Flooding in the Tapanahony Region
J.L. den Dekker (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
V.M. van Dijk (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
G.P. Reverda (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
N. Holt (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
J.A. Arriaga Garcia – Mentor (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
K.B.J. Dunne – Mentor (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
R.J. van der Ent – Mentor (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Rudi Darson – Mentor (STEORR)
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Abstract
This report documents the impact of floods in the Tapanahony region as a step to start developing the region in a sustainable manner. The Tapanahony region of the Okanisi people harbours descendants of enslaved people that freed themselves during the 1700s. Currently the development of the region is stagnating and the Okanisi experience problems when trying to build a living for themselves and their families. By conducting interviews in the 28 villages along the river an impression is obtained of the role that the river plays in this area. These results are then combined with a flood vulnerability model for which depth and velocity measurements of the river have been conducted. This study shows how the lives of the inhabitants are intertwined with the river. It also stresses the severity of the issues at play here. A lack of clean drinking water in the dry season in combination with heavy floods in the wet season make it difficult for people to progress and drives them to turn to goldmining as a source of income. This report also shows that there are solutions to the situation, as long as there is strong collaboration between developers, researchers and especially the villages themselves.