Spontaneous urban growth and natural risks in Praia (Cape Verde)

Abstract

Natural risks have attracted much interest, not only within the academic community but also within the government policies of land management, all over the world. Some manifestations of natural hazards correspond to major disasters, which has greatly contributed to highlight the need to study the distribution of dangerous phenomena and the vulnerability of populations, in order to achieve more effective management of the territories.
Cape Verde, in the history of its existence, has been suffering the adverse effects of risk events, especially crises of drought, with different intensities over time. In fact, the Cape Verde archipelago was affected by a wide variety of natural hazards, many of them being due to its geographical position and its climatic conditions, with strong irregularity in rainfall. Not only the risk of drought are intrinsic to this position, but also other climatic risks such as desertification, accelerated soil erosion, flash floods, mass movements and storms, with a very damaging impact on the population.
Along with this high intrinsic hazard, there is a significant increase of vulnerability, particularly in the expanding urban areas, what drives an increased risk in the territory of Cape Verde.
The population of major cities, especially of the capital (Praia) experienced a very rapid growth in recent years. This growth has been fueled by both internal migration (rural exodus and migration from other islands) and external, from neighboring countries in West Africa. This rapid population growth in the capital has not been accompanied by political and /or housing programs which can provide an effective response to demand. Consequence is the proliferation of spontaneous neighborhoods in the suburbs of the capital, where the buildings appear overnight, without obeying any kind of planning and not endowed with infrastructure.
These quarters of illegal and spontaneous occupation, located mostly in areas of high risk (especially in riverbeds and steep slopes), are occupied mainly by a population of very low income. In this work, we intend to present some case studies, such as the quarters of Santa Rosa, Jamaica and Achada Grande Frente.