Assessment Of Floods In Mvomero District A Case Of Dakawa Ward

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the flood has brought severe problems in Mvomero District. This

phenomenon has led to uncertain conditions to the people‟s lives and property, as

well as destructions of infrastructures. This study made an assessment of the effects

of floods and flood management practices in Dakawa Ward which found in

Morogoro Region. The study used household survey and interviews to collect data

from 100 households and 8 key informants. Also, the study employed observation

method to assess the quality of the drainage systems developed to control floods

during the rain seasons.

The magnitude of flood was determined by the calculation of the recurrent intervals.

Flood with 1% probability have the highest water stage (7.5m), they happen once in

100 years and they are more destructive. The recurrent interval of other flood shows

the frequency of H50% and H90% and water stage (6.8m and 5.0m) respectively. The

study results show that the villages in Dakawa Ward are affected by floods of

different frequencies. Proper information about floods is not delivered, something

which leads to severe problems since the residents are not prepared to rescue their

lives and property. Frequently, residents‟ houses were demolished, electrical poles

fell and caused power cut and roads were over-flooded and remained impassable for

a long time. Water sources, dump sites, latrines and barnyards were flooded and,

thus, damaged. Further, there was an outbreak of water-borne diseases, such as

Diarrhea, Typhoid and Cholera and the majority of the affected people were the

children. Livestock keeping and crop production were also severely impacted;

consequently, animals were injured and died.

vi

From the findings of the study, the researcher concludes that there is a lack of flood

policy which is central in establishing an institute to give mandate to specific organs

to deal with floods. The study recommends for the introduction and implementation

of flood prediction practices, flood policy, and flood fight education. Lastly,

continuous training of local residents on the best suited traditional and modern ways

of flood management in Mvomero District needs to be implemented.

Key words: flood, flood effect, hydrological analysis of floods, flood management,

Dakawa ward.