Date of Award

6-2013

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Geography

First Advisor

Dr. Benjamin Ofori-Amoah

Second Advisor

Dr. Lisa DeChano-Cook

Third Advisor

Dr. Charles Emerson

Keywords

urban flood, terrain analysis, DEM, flood prediction, GIS

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Since 1989, Pikine Dagoudane, in the suburbs of Dakar City has faced several flooding events, resulting in economic loss, environmental degradation and severe disturbance of the social life of the residents. The mitigation programs implemented have not appeared to provide any relief since 2000. Review of the existing literature on the crisis has revealed that the general scale of the studies, and the insufficient attention to some of the major factors could be accounted for such little efficiency. This thesis applies a different approach, based on a small area and focusing mainly on topographic characteristics, to provide a better understanding of the flood process and more efficient mitigation actions. Using GIS techniques to conduct this flood analysis, the study predicts high to moderate risk levels, based on topographic variations, in three of the seven sub-districts. The connection between the levels of risk and the absence of sanitation and drain network is well established. Also, the findings point out the relationship between high water table and insufficient sewers in those three sub-districts. Finally, alternative mitigation actions are recommended based on the risk levels and the general topographic features identified in the terrain analysis. In terms of flooding and climate fluctuation, the analysis concludes that there is not enough evidence to link the flood with increasing trends; further analysis of number of rainy days may be necessary for more conclusive assessment.

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