Abstract

Part of the Local and Urban Governance book series (LUG)

Abstract

The episodes of natural risks because of climate change, in the last 40 years, have manifested themselves with more frequency and amplitude, causing losses in human lives and economic assets, with island and poor countries being the most affected. Cape Verde, due to its physical and climatic characteristics, is particularly vulnerable to natural hazards. The objective of this chapter is to analyze the effectiveness of the provisions contained in the legal framework and that of the stakeholders involved in the management of natural risks in Cape Verde, with a particular focus on spatial planning. It also aims to analyze the degree of adequacy between the zoning of risk areas proposed in the Municipal Master Plan (PDM) and the damages recorded following the floods of 12 September 2020. The research question that served as the basis for this research is this: “To what extent are the provisions that make up the legal normative framework, and the action and articulation between different actors, sufficient to ensure the safety of people and their goods, in the face of natural hazards?”. The methodology adopted was essentially the consultation of legislation and existing plans concerning natural hazards. Then, an overlap was made between the zoning of hazards in the plans and the damage caused by the floods of 12 September 2020, to understand the correspondence between the mapped areas susceptible to natural risks, in this case the flood, and the damages that were registered. The chapter concludes that the susceptibility mapping of the Municipal Master Plan (PDM) is adequate, even though part of the affected population is not found in the areas defined as being susceptible. The mapping of flood hazard zones carried out by the company Municipia proved to be more realistic. However, both cartographies disregarded the criteria that define the population’s vulnerabilities. On the other hand, a fringe of the population that lives on the slopes and on the foot of the slopes that were deeply affected by these floods is completely excluded from this cartography on the susceptibility to flooding in Cidade da Praia.

Keywords
Natural hazards,
Legislation,
Actors,
Floods,
Risk zoning,
Cidade da Praia,

Keywords