| المستخلص: |
In this study, the recent flash flood events in Khartoum (Sudan) are used to employ a case study approach to build a well-rounded level of understanding over the risks, impacts, and management challenges of flash flooding in Khartoum. The study is comprised of three main research components. Firstly, a technical impact assessment of the recent events (2013 and 2014), based on document analysis and observations made during field visits to the affected areas. Various local determining conditions have been identified as causal factors for an increased level of flash flood risk for the city. These included the unsuitable urban planning within the natural pathways of ephemeral watercourses, the inadequate state of urban drainage, the weak housing and infrastructure quality, and the locating of residential areas within low lying areas where diffuse urban runoff can easily collect. Secondly, an analysis of the main challenges faced within the flood management field in Khartoum, founded on expert views and opinions recorded from a range of different flood management actors, collected through qualitative research methods including participant observation, expert interviews and focus groups. Using a grounded theory approach, the transcripts were coded to develop a set of key management challenges. The main themes included the weak institutional capacity, the problem of bad governance, the limited resources, and the poor urban planning in Khartoum. These lessons added another facet to the findings from the impact assessment, therefore creating a well-rounded set of lessons learned from the study, as they provided a management perspective to the already established observational one. Lastly, using the lessons learned from the previous two components, a suitable flash flood management plan is proposed for Khartoum, designed to function within an Integrated Flood Management (IFM) framework. This adaptive management plan is the final product of the study and represents an amalgamation of all the lessons learned from the research findings. Furthermore, it is intended that this plan would be a replicable design, which could therefore be adopted and implemented in the wider context of the MENA region.
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