Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment at Community Level Integrating Local and Scientific Knowledge in the Hodh Chargui, Mauritania

Maurizio Tiepolo, Maurizio Bacci, Sarah Braccio and Stefano Bechis
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Maurizio Tiepolo: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST)-Politecnico and University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Maurizio Bacci: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST)-Politecnico and University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Sarah Braccio: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST)-Politecnico and University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy
Stefano Bechis: Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning (DIST)-Politecnico and University of Turin, 10125 Turin, Italy

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 18, 1-23

Abstract: Hydro-climatic risk assessments at the regional scale are of little use in the risk treatment decision-making process when they are only based on local or scientific knowledge and when they deal with a single risk at a time. Local and scientific knowledge can be combined in a multi-hazard risk assessment to contribute to sustainable rural development. The aim of this article was to develop a multi-hazard risk assessment at the regional scale which classifies communities according to the risk level, proposes risk treatment actions, and can be replicated in the agropastoral, semi-arid Tropics. The level of multi-hazard risk of 13 communities of Hodh Chargui (Mauritania) exposed to meteorological, hydrological, and agricultural drought, as well as heavy precipitations, was ascertained with an index composed of 48 indicators representing hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity. Community meetings and visits to exposed items enabled specific indicators to be identified. Scientific knowledge was used to determine the hazard with Climate Hazards Group Infra-Red Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) datasets, Landsat images, and the method used to rank the communities. The northern communities are at greater risk of agricultural drought and those at the foot of the uplands are more at risk of heavy rains and consequent flash floods. The assessment proposes 12 types of actions to treat the risk in the six communities with severe and high multi-hazard risk.

Keywords: agricultural drought; climate change; heavy rains; hydrological drought; meteorological drought; risk assessment; Sahel; sustainable rural development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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