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Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867614063165440000 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Mahoto, Mercy Kahundu |
| author2 | Pharoah, Robyn |
| author_browse | Mahoto, Mercy Kahundu Pharoah, Robyn |
| author_facet | Pharoah, Robyn Mahoto, Mercy Kahundu |
| author_sort | Mahoto, Mercy Kahundu |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136266 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:04.365Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136266 Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study Mahoto, Mercy Kahundu Pharoah, Robyn Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies. Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Mahoto, M. K. 2026. Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/cb36b42f-191a-4167-879d-87f9eaa45159 Floods are the most observed weather-related hazard in rapidly urbanising areas worldwide, influenced by climate change, the consequences are most devastating and ruinous in the informal areas where the most vulnerable live. Flood Early Warning Systems (FEWS) are recognised as a non-structural measure implemented to reduce the impact of floods. This study explored the City of Windhoek’s (CoW’s) FEWS, in Namibia, and aimed to understand how the system operates, its perceived effectiveness and the extent to which it is practically useful, based on the experiences and perceptions of CoW officials and the residents of the Otjomuise MG informal settlement. The study adopted a qualitative research methodology. A total of 31 individual interviews were conducted, of which 21 were with Otjomuise residents affected by flooding, while ten were CoW officials involved in the maintenance of the CoW’s FEWS. Data was initially transcribed using Microsoft Word’s dictation function, with the final transcripts reviewed, edited and verified by the researcher using Microsoft Word and in Atlas.ti 25. Atlas.ti25 was used to code the research data, initially identifying significant information and then organising this information into themes for analysis. The results indicate that the four components of a FEWS, namely risk knowledge; monitoring and forecasting; communication and warning dissemination; and preparedness and response are present but that there are shortcomings. Risk knowledge exists but is generalised to the city-scale. The system depends heavily on national forecasts and thresholds, which do not cover the local realities in high flood risk areas such as the MG settlement. Warnings are disseminated through various channels but are not generally reaching communities such as the MG informal settlement. Further contextual limitations on receiving, interpreting and acting on warnings exist, including the generalisation of warnings, absence of evacuation information and emergency shelters, worsened by insecure land tenure, which leaves residents reluctant to evacuate. In addition, MG residents continue to be mostly excluded from the design and implementation of the CoW’s FEWS, making it less responsive to their needs. These limitations make the warnings less useful and, in most cases, unhelpful in reducing the impact of floods on MG residents. Both MG residents and officials lacked trust in the system. The research finds that institutional, technical and social challenges exist within the CoW’s FEWS and are generally in line with the challenges found in broader extant literature from various parts of the world, suggesting shared systemic challenges. The study concludes by suggesting recommendations for improvement of the CoW’s FEWS. These include investment in hydrometeorological technical capacity, development of CoW-specific rainfall thresholds and of standard guidelines for data collection and management. The City should also increase the participation of MG residents in the FEWS, to ensure that it better meets the needs of not only the people living in this settlement, but also similar informal settlements in the city. Masters 2026-04-30T08:56:13Z 2026-04-30T08:56:13Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136266 en Stellenbosch University 104 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Mahoto, Mercy Kahundu Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study |
| title | Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study |
| title_full | Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study |
| title_short | Understanding the Flood Early Warning System for Flash Floods and its Effectiveness: The City of Windhoek Municipality Case Study |
| title_sort | understanding the flood early warning system for flash floods and its effectiveness the city of windhoek municipality case study |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136266 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mahotomercykahundu understandingthefloodearlywarningsystemforflashfloodsanditseffectivenessthecityofwindhoekmunicipalitycasestudy |