TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessment of social factors that promote the vulnerability of communities to coastal hazards in the Volta estuary in Ghana
AU - Mattah, Memuna Mawusi
AU - Mattah, Precious Agbeko D.
AU - Mensah, Adelina
AU - Babanawo, Daystar
AU - Brempong, Emmanuel
AU - Mensah, Justice
AU - Appeaning Addo, K.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - Although vulnerability assessments have been widely conducted along the coast of Ghana, they have not focused on the factors contributing to social vulnerability of households and communities to disaster risks. Using an indicator-based approach, this study examines the social factors that affect the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of households and communities in the Volta estuary, Ghana. Results indicate that all the communities within the study area were exposed to climate change related hazards. However, two communities, Azizanya in Ada East District and Fuveme in Anloga District, were highly exposed with unweighted indexes of 0.50 and 0.76, respectively. Sensitivity among communities was generally high ranging from 0.00 to 0.87 due to several social factors including low household income, high number of children and aged at home, and lack of social amenities such as roads, health facilities, markets, and schools. The communities recorded high adaptive capacity and were able to withstand the ravages of the ocean and the river system. Households and communities developed various adaptation measures such as relocation to nearby communities or higher grounds, open spaces and packing of their belongings on higher objects such as tables, whiles government actions included occasional dredging and constructions of sea defense structures. An integrated, multi-stakeholder approach involving government, non-governmental community-based organisations, communities, households, and other stakeholders is proposed to design and implement a comprehensive disaster management plan to combat climate change related coastal disasters.
AB - Although vulnerability assessments have been widely conducted along the coast of Ghana, they have not focused on the factors contributing to social vulnerability of households and communities to disaster risks. Using an indicator-based approach, this study examines the social factors that affect the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of households and communities in the Volta estuary, Ghana. Results indicate that all the communities within the study area were exposed to climate change related hazards. However, two communities, Azizanya in Ada East District and Fuveme in Anloga District, were highly exposed with unweighted indexes of 0.50 and 0.76, respectively. Sensitivity among communities was generally high ranging from 0.00 to 0.87 due to several social factors including low household income, high number of children and aged at home, and lack of social amenities such as roads, health facilities, markets, and schools. The communities recorded high adaptive capacity and were able to withstand the ravages of the ocean and the river system. Households and communities developed various adaptation measures such as relocation to nearby communities or higher grounds, open spaces and packing of their belongings on higher objects such as tables, whiles government actions included occasional dredging and constructions of sea defense structures. An integrated, multi-stakeholder approach involving government, non-governmental community-based organisations, communities, households, and other stakeholders is proposed to design and implement a comprehensive disaster management plan to combat climate change related coastal disasters.
KW - Climate change
KW - Disaster
KW - Estuarine
KW - Risk
KW - Social vulnerability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85166317376&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103896
DO - 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103896
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85166317376
SN - 2212-4209
VL - 95
JO - International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
JF - International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
M1 - 103896
ER -