Sustainable Management Efforts to Address Hydrometeorological Disasters from 2018 to 2023 along the Adjamé–Zoo Corridor

Abstract

Hydrometeorological hazards recur along the Adjamé–Zoo corridor in the Autonomous District of Abidjan, where flooding, erosion and mass movements repeatedly affect people, activities and the urban environment. This study analyses the actions undertaken by local communities and public authorities to manage these events between 2018 and 2023. The methodological approach combines a literature review, field observations and a questionnaire survey of 200 purposively selected respondents drawn from locations along the corridor. Quantitative and qualitative information was used to examine community-level and institutional responses. The findings show that public authorities have implemented structural and non-structural measures, including the rehabilitation and widening of drainage channels, construction of spillway dams, drain cleaning, provision of rubbish bins, demolition of exposed buildings and clearance operations in high-risk areas. Local communities have also adopted practical responses, including awareness-raising, construction of small drainage channels, placement of sandbags and sand-filled tyres, greening of slopes, protection of exposed ground and abandonment of severely damaged dwellings. These measures demonstrate active responses to recurrent hydrometeorological hazards, but their overall effectiveness remains mixed because similar flooding, erosion and landslide consequences continue to recur. Sustainable management of the corridor therefore depends on maintaining drainage infrastructure, reducing exposure in high-risk locations and strengthening coordinated risk-prevention actions by communities and public authorities.