Hydrological risk analysis in three Douala districts

During the rainy season, many neighborhoods in the city of Douala are affected by flooding and rising capillarity. Poor neighborhoods such as Nkolmintag, Nylon and Tergal are among the worst affected. These life-threatening phenomena are inherent to the characteristics of the physical environment. In other words, flooding and rising capillarity tend to develop dangerously in this area due to heavy rainfall, the site’s flat topography, sandy-clay or sandy-loam soils and dense drainage. On the other hand, populations already weakened by their low socio-economic status - visible through the factors of settlement on the site and certain elements such as monthly income, housing, source of water supply - find themselves in great vulnerability. The issues at stake are essentially economic, social and health-related. In any case, only the introduction of a risk culture can help to sustainably reduce the vulnerability of the populations in the area studied.