Dataset Information

Flood survivors' perspectives on vulnerability reduction to floods in Mbire district, Zimbabwe.

ABSTRACT: Disasters result from the interactions of hazards and vulnerability conditions. Considering the perspectives of survivors of a disaster event is critical for reducing the progression of vulnerability conditions. The Mbire community in Zimbabwe is facing increasing threats from recurring high- and low-magnitude floods that manifest themselves in the disruption of livelihoods and destruction of crops and infrastructure. This study, therefore, explored the perspectives of flood survivors on vulnerability to floods and examined their vulnerability-reduction measures. Using an interpretivist approach to knowledge generation, a sample of 51 research participants provided data through interviews, a focus group discussion and field observations. Results showed that shortage of land, flood-based farming practices, poverty and climate change, amongst others, are the key drivers of the smallholder farmers' vulnerability to floods. The most affected groups of people include women, children and the elderly. To reduce their vulnerability, the smallholder farmers mainly rely on traditional flood-proofed structures built on stilts, dual home system and indigenous flood forecasting. The study proposes six policy implications to reduce vulnerability to floods. These include diversifying rural livelihoods beyond the farming sector, investment in irrigation infrastructure, increasing access to financial resources, constructing human settlements away from floodplains, enforcing environmental laws regarding flood-based farming and community education on the long-term negative impacts of recession farming. The implementation of these policy recommendations can contribute to community resilience to flood disasters.

SUBMITTER: Mucherera B

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7136695 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Flood survivors' perspectives on vulnerability reduction to floods in Mbire district, Zimbabwe.

Mucherera Blessing B Mavhura Emmanuel E

Jamba (Potchefstroom, South Africa) 20200309 1

Disasters result from the interactions of hazards and vulnerability conditions. Considering the perspectives of survivors of a disaster event is critical for reducing the progression of vulnerability conditions. The Mbire community in Zimbabwe is facing increasing threats from recurring high- and low-magnitude floods that manifest themselves in the disruption of livelihoods and destruction of crops and infrastructure. This study, therefore, explored the perspectives of flood survivors on vulnera ...[more]

PMID: 32284813

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Project description:Several studies have shown that male involvement increases the uptake of sexual and reproductive health programmes for improved family health outcomes. The role of men in reducing the burden of cervical cancer has however not been researched in Zimbabwe. It is for this reason that this study explores male support for cervical cancer screening programmes from the perspective of women and health providers in the Gwanda district of Zimbabwe. A qualitative approach that engaged thirty-six women aged 25-50 years in focus group discussions, and twenty-five health providers with different roles in the cervical cancer screening programme in in-depth interviews was used to determine their perspectives on male support for cervical cancer screening. Data were analysed thematically using ATLAS.ti Computer Assisted Qualitative data analysis software. Key findings reflected that men lacked knowledge on cervical cancer and its risk factors and prevention. Subsequently, they engaged in sexual behaviours that increased their partners' risk of acquiring Human Papillomavirus infection, the virtually necessary cause of cervical cancer. Furthermore, men did not provide the necessary emotional and financial support for their women to access screening and treatment. Participants were optimistic that innovative awareness creation strategies and intense, sustained cervical cancer education efforts targeting men could increase male partner support. Involvement of community leaders was seen as crucial in the facilitation of male involvement for programme acceptance and improved uptake of cervical cancer screening. Male involvement is seen as an integral component of the cervical cancer prevention and control programme that has to be implemented in Gwanda district to minimise male partner-related barriers to cervical cancer screening. Further research focusing on men is required to identify specific knowledge gaps that would enable development of appropriate strategies that best involve men in cervical cancer prevention and control interventions.

Project description:BackgroundAnthrax continues to be a disease of public health importance in Zimbabwe, with sporadic outbreaks reported annually in many parts of the country. A human anthrax outbreak occurred in wards 22 and 23 of Makoni District from mid-June 2013 to end of January 2014, following cattle deaths in the wards. Laboratory tests confirmed anthrax as the cause for the cattle deaths. This study investigated the clinical characteristics, distribution of cases (places, person and time) and risk factors for contracting the anthrax disease. We also assessed the environment, district preparedness and response, and outbreak prevention and control measures.MethodsWe conducted an outbreak investigation using a mixed-methods design. A 1:1 case-control study was used to assess risk factors for contracting anthrax. The controls were frequency matched to cases by sex. Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Environmental assessment, district preparedness and response, and outbreak prevention and control measures were assessed using a checklist, observations, and key informant interviews. Multivariable unconditional logic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors associated with contracting anthrax.ResultsWe interviewed 37 of the 64 cases, along with 37 controls. All the cases had cutaneous anthrax, with the hand being the most common site of the eschar (43%). Most of the cases (89%) were managed according to the national guidelines. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that meat sourced from other villages [vs butchery, OR = 15.21, 95% CI (2.32-99.81)], skinning [OR = 4.32, 95% CI (1.25-14.94)], and belonging to religions that permit eating meat from cattle killed due to unknown causes or butchered after unobserved death [OR = 6.12, 95% CI (1.28-29.37)] were associated with contracting anthrax. The poor availability of resources in the district caused a delayed response to the outbreak.ConclusionThe described anthrax outbreak was caused due to contact with infected cattle meat. Although the outbreak was eventually controlled through cattle vaccination and health education and awareness campaigns, the response of the district office was initially delayed and insufficient. The district should strengthen its emergency preparedness and response capacity, revive zoonotic committees, conduct awareness campaigns and improve surveillance, especially during outbreak seasons.

Project description:Floods are among the costliest natural hazards and their consequences are expected to increase further in the future due to urbanization in flood-prone areas. It is essential that policymakers understand the factors governing the dynamics of urbanization to adopt proper disaster risk reduction techniques. Peoples' relocation preferences and their perception of flood risk (collectively called human behavior) are among the most important factors that influence urbanization in flood-prone areas. Current studies focusing on flood risk assessment do not consider the effect of human behavior on urbanization and how it may change the nature of the risk. Moreover, flood mitigation policies are implemented without considering the role of human behavior and how the community will cope with measures such as buyout, land acquisition, and relocation that are often adopted to minimize development in flood-prone regions. Therefore, such policies may either be resisted by the community or result in severe socioeconomic consequences. In this study, we present a new Agent-Based Model (ABM) to investigate the complex interaction between human behavior and urbanization and its role in creating future communities vulnerable to flood events. We identify critical factors in the decisions of households to locate or relocate and adopt policies compatible with human behavior. The results show that when people are informed about the flood risk and proper incentives are provided, the demand for housing within 500-year floodplain may be reduced as much as 15% by 2040 for the case study considered. On the contrary, if people are not informed of the risk, 29% of the housing choices will reside in floodplains. The analyses also demonstrate that neighborhood quality-influenced by accessibility to highways, education facilities, the city center, water bodies, and green spaces, respectively-is the most influential factor in peoples' decisions on where to locate. These results provide new insights that may be used to assist city planners and stakeholders in examining tradeoffs between costs and benefits of future land development in achieving sustainable and resilient cities.

Dataset Information

Flood survivors' perspectives on vulnerability reduction to floods in Mbire district, Zimbabwe.

Publications

Flood survivors' perspectives on vulnerability reduction to floods in Mbire district, Zimbabwe.

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