Given the areas that CINCO works and coupled with hydrological disasters thereof, we envision the mutuality of our projects benefiting the targeted communities and the need to mitigate on the yearly rain coursed flood disasters affecting the vulnerable Kenyan communities.
Flooding is the most common of natural hazards, and requires an understanding of the natural systems of our environment, including floodplains and the frequency of flooding events. In Kenya, areas prone to floods include:
- Parts of Kisumu County
- Parts of Mombasa County
- Parts of Busia County
- Parts of Nairobi County
- Tana River Basin
- Ewaso Nyiro Basin
- Athi River Basin
In these flood prone areas, learning has yearly been affected, more so during the heavy March-May Rains that pounds the area resulting to flooding in several parts especially in Kisumu East and Nyando Sub-counties. In some schools, pupils from lower classes are always forced to remain at home for fear that they might fall victims of the poor state of the schools, while some are always unable to access the institutions due to bad roads and washed down bridges.
The feeling of being protected and secure is important to every human being. A safe place to sleep, clean water, enough to eat, and medical care form the basic human needs. This helps children to attend school regularly, grow into mature and healthy young adults.
CINCO offers assistance to the affected so that families can survive a disaster and get back on their feet. This gives the children and families a solid foundation through:
- Coordinated multi-sectoral short and long-term support in the wake of disasters.
- Home repairs
- Provision of Safe, Clean and affordable water provision
- Health Education
- Community sanitary improvements
- Livelihoods training for parents and caregivers
Localised flood or one involving a small rise in water level can lead to large-scale damage, to the interruption or destruction of communication systems, Agri-businesses and Environment. Risk of flood from rising water levels is predictable, though difficult to know when it will occur.
In the prevention of floods, we support the following:
- Replanting trees and forests and vegetation, and by the control of upland water streams and rivers
- Advocating for:
- Permanent monitoring of risk of flooding and establishing networks to measure water levels of streams/rivers
- Setting up information and flood warning centres for communities
- Regulations banning building, residing in, and access to identified risk areas
- Constructing infrastructures that control floods and protect the population
- Formation of well trained and equipped response teams
- Planning for the evacuation of populations at risk coupled with training on counter measures during flooding
- Planning for post flood recovery and rehabilitation measures
CINCO works to determine the risk areas based on slopes and topography and the absorptive and draining capacity of the rivers traversing such flood prone localities coupled with appropriate mitigation measures and building community resilience and supportive frameworks.
