Flooding in Sebeya catchment, Rwanda - A review of causes, impacts, and management

Flooding is one of the natural hazards that pose the most serious threat to human societies in Rwanda, particularly in the Sebeya catchment located in the northwestern part of the country. The main aims of this study are to identify the current flooding issues in the Sebeya catchment in Rwanda and to propose recommendations for improved flood risk management (FRM). The methodology employed encompasses extensive reviews and subsequent analysis of (1) the causes and effects of recent floods, (2) the current flood management framework, (3) previous relevant research, (4) data availability, and (5) opportunities for improvement of the management strategy. A wide range of information was collected from published papers, reports, government publications, and policies. Field observations were also conducted to assess the geographical and hydrological characteristics of the Sebeya catchment. The results show that there is limited knowledge on the impacts of floods in the catchment and that both the availability and quality of data are challenging in carrying out FRM. Therefore, more research on the major drivers and impacts of floods in the Sebeya catchment is required. It is also recommended to increase the number of rainfall and stream gauging stations to facilitate further studies on the hydrological characteristics of the floods and to provide data for modeling efforts. Apart from the Sebeya catchment and Rwanda in general, the methods and results in this study are particularly relevant for FRM in nearby countries facing similar flood conditions, such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.