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Georgiadou, Maria Christina, Parikh, Priti, Loggia, Claudia, Zaqout, Mariam and Govender, Viloshin (2026) Disaster risk management in informal settlements: household evidence from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 145 (106416). pp. 1-17. ISSN 22124209
Rapid urbanisation has intensified disaster risk in informal settlements. In South Africa, over two million households live in informal settlements, many in floodplains or high-risk areas. Often the only accessible land for low-income residents, these sites expose households to flood and fire hazards. Flood risk is intensified by climate variability, rainfall, low-lying terrain and poor drainage, while fire risk is shaped by dense layouts and combustible materials. These hazards interact with poor housing, limited services and low incomes, yet remain insufficiently captured by risk assessments.
This study examines how flooding and fire are experienced and managed in Khan Road informal settlement, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. It draws on 160 interviews by trained community researchers using a survey with closed and open-ended questions. The survey captured hazard exposure, housing and service conditions, impacts and responses.
The research contributes household-scale evidence showing how multi-hazard risk is experienced within dwellings and shaped by infrastructure failure, settlement morphology and informal response networks. Findings reveal multi-hazard exposure: over half reported flooding, nearly three-quarters fire, and two-fifths both hazards. Respondents linked flooding to terrain and drainage constraints, and fire risk to dense layouts and combustible materials. Unreliable water supply and shared sanitation intensified vulnerability and constrained recovery. Residents relied on neighbours and family for warning, response and support.
The findings indicate that disaster risk in informal settlements is co-produced through morphology, infrastructure deficits and social support systems. They show that community-generated data can strengthen disaster risk reduction and upgrading interventions in South Africa and other Global South cities.
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 4.0.
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