Hydrogeological Hazard Susceptibility and Community Risk Perception in Rwanda: A Case Study of Floods and Landslides

This book employs qualitative and quantitative methods to assess and scrutinize the impacts of climatic, topographic, land use, hydrologic and geologic factors on the hydrogeological disasters particularly flood and landslide in Rwanda. The hydrogeological hazard susceptibility and its spatial distribution is also mapped by integrating geospatial techniques and mathematical modeling approach through remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS). On the other hand, questionnaires and interview are used to evaluate the community’s perception on the risk of hazards. The results unveiled different zones most susceptible to the incidence of both hazards as well as their main contributing factors. Furthermore, the results revealed that the government is perceived as responsible for all mitigation measures instead of being a shared responsibility, a perception that may also contribute to the increase in susceptibility. Therefore, it is necessary to deliver the extent of disaster-related courses and trainings in both schools (from primary to tertiary level) and local community members, which helps improving the public’s awareness, understanding and ability by providing a new perspective toward disaster prevention and reduction. The book provides a reference for interested readers to understand the natural and human geography of Rwanda, the distribution of hydrogeological disasters, and the policy-making of disaster prevention and reduction.