Flood impact assessment for Sebeya Catchment, Rwanda
(2025) In TVVR 5000 VVRM05 20251Division of Water Resources Engineering
- Abstract
- Flooding is a persistent problem in Rwanda due to a combination of intense rainfall, steep terrain, and increasing land use. Sebeya catchment, located in the northwestern part of the country, has especially experienced severe and deadly flooding in the past recent years. This study examines the socio-economic impacts of flooding in Sebeya catchment by combining geospatial analysis with qualitative data from household interviews. A total of 149 interviews were conducted across the catchment, providing insights into flood impacts such as perceived water levels, and damage costs. Respondents reported significant economic losses including damage to houses, crops, and livestock. Flood prone areas were mapped using field-based observations. The... (More)
- Flooding is a persistent problem in Rwanda due to a combination of intense rainfall, steep terrain, and increasing land use. Sebeya catchment, located in the northwestern part of the country, has especially experienced severe and deadly flooding in the past recent years. This study examines the socio-economic impacts of flooding in Sebeya catchment by combining geospatial analysis with qualitative data from household interviews. A total of 149 interviews were conducted across the catchment, providing insights into flood impacts such as perceived water levels, and damage costs. Respondents reported significant economic losses including damage to houses, crops, and livestock. Flood prone areas were mapped using field-based observations. The results show that elevation alone is not a sufficient indicator of flood risk, as some severely impacted households were located at elevations higher than the riverbank but still experienced damage. This highlights the importance of combining spatial data with community perspectives to better understand how flood risk varies across landscapes. The study recommends more developed and consistent methods for flood impact assessment, and integration of local knowledge into flood risk planning. It is also further recommended to develop locally calibrated depth-damage functions specific to Rwandan context and investigate more advanced techniques to improve the accuracy of flood hazard mapping. (Less)
- Popular Abstract (Swedish)
- Översvämningar är ett återkommande problem i Rwanda och orsakas av en kombination av kraftiga regn, branta terränger och ökad markanvändning. I området Sebeya, i nordvästra delen av landet, har översvämningar de senaste åren lett till både allvarliga skador och förlust av människoliv. Denna studie undersöker hur översvämningar påverkar människors liv och ekonomi i Sebeya genom att kombinera geografisk analys med intervjuer från 149 hushåll i området. Resultaten visar att översvämningar orsakat stora ekonomiska förluster, såsom förstörda bostäder, grödor och boskap.
En viktig upptäckt är att hushåll som ligger högt över flodnivån ändå kan drabbas hårt, vilket tyder på att höjdskillnader inte ensamt kan förklara översvämningsrisk. Genom... (More) - Översvämningar är ett återkommande problem i Rwanda och orsakas av en kombination av kraftiga regn, branta terränger och ökad markanvändning. I området Sebeya, i nordvästra delen av landet, har översvämningar de senaste åren lett till både allvarliga skador och förlust av människoliv. Denna studie undersöker hur översvämningar påverkar människors liv och ekonomi i Sebeya genom att kombinera geografisk analys med intervjuer från 149 hushåll i området. Resultaten visar att översvämningar orsakat stora ekonomiska förluster, såsom förstörda bostäder, grödor och boskap.
En viktig upptäckt är att hushåll som ligger högt över flodnivån ändå kan drabbas hårt, vilket tyder på att höjdskillnader inte ensamt kan förklara översvämningsrisk. Genom att kombinera lokala berättelser med geografiska data får vi en bättre bild av hur riskerna varierar inom landskapet. Studien rekommenderar att lokala erfarenheter bör tas med i planeringen för att hantera översvämningar bättre. Dessutom föreslås utveckling av metoder som är anpassade till rwandiska förhållanden för att bedöma skador mer exakt och förbättra kartläggningen av riskområden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9209258
- author
- Knutsson, Linnea LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- VVRM05 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Rwanda, Sebeya, flood impact assessment, flood mapping, QGIS
- publication/series
- TVVR 5000
- report number
- TVVR25/5007
- ISSN
- 1101-9824
- language
- English
- additional info
- Examiner: Magnus Persson
- id
- 9209258
- date added to LUP
- 2025-08-08 08:30:25
- date last changed
- 2025-08-08 08:31:39
@misc{9209258,
abstract = {{Flooding is a persistent problem in Rwanda due to a combination of intense rainfall, steep terrain, and increasing land use. Sebeya catchment, located in the northwestern part of the country, has especially experienced severe and deadly flooding in the past recent years. This study examines the socio-economic impacts of flooding in Sebeya catchment by combining geospatial analysis with qualitative data from household interviews. A total of 149 interviews were conducted across the catchment, providing insights into flood impacts such as perceived water levels, and damage costs. Respondents reported significant economic losses including damage to houses, crops, and livestock. Flood prone areas were mapped using field-based observations. The results show that elevation alone is not a sufficient indicator of flood risk, as some severely impacted households were located at elevations higher than the riverbank but still experienced damage. This highlights the importance of combining spatial data with community perspectives to better understand how flood risk varies across landscapes. The study recommends more developed and consistent methods for flood impact assessment, and integration of local knowledge into flood risk planning. It is also further recommended to develop locally calibrated depth-damage functions specific to Rwandan context and investigate more advanced techniques to improve the accuracy of flood hazard mapping.}},
author = {{Knutsson, Linnea}},
issn = {{1101-9824}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{TVVR 5000}},
title = {{Flood impact assessment for Sebeya Catchment, Rwanda}},
year = {{2025}},
}