An Analysis of Flood Risk and Urban Resilience in Beledweyne

Beledweyne, the largest city of Hishabelle Sate of Somalia, has constantly suffered from devastating floods. Over the past decade, floods have increased in magnitude and recurrence, reaching alarming levels by 2019, where 68% of the city was flooded.

Students from the Institute for Cooperation in Basic Habitability (ICHaB-ETSAM) and colleagues from UN-Habitat Somalia Programme have jointly developed this working paper. It aims to establish the spatial basis for flood risk analysis and urban resilience of Beledweyne.

ICHaB-ETSAM is an academic institution that belongs to the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM). Since its foundation in 1995, ICHAB has continuously carried out teaching, research and awareness-raising activities in the field of basic habitability with a special focus upon informal settlements.

This working paper has been developed under Midnimo II (Unity) project - Support for the Attainment of Durable Solutions in Areas Impacted by Displacement and Returns in Galmudug and Hirshabelle States, funded by United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. This study has been conceived as a first step to explore long-term solutions to make the city of Beledweyne, including its most vulnerable communities, more resilient to floods and other natural hazards.