Territorial vulnerability to flooding and risk governance in the Lower Ouémé Valley in Bénin

Abstract

The study explored the multidimensional vulnerability of villages in the Lower Ouémé Valley to flooding, aiming to inform local decision-making regarding climate risk management. To achieve this objective, we adopted a quantitative and participatory approach, including data collection via KoboCollect. The results showed that 74% of villages are classified as being at high or very high risk, with very low adaptive capacities in the majority of cases. This suggests that the lack of early warning and local coordination infrastructure increases structural vulnerability. Furthermore, additional observations revealed a lack of awareness of the national Flood Risk Management System (FRMMS), reliance on self-monitoring, and improvised crisis responses. These findings have significant implications for territorial risk governance, calling for the strengthening of local capacities and the integration of community knowledge into formal systems. In conclusion, this study presents a detailed territorial analysis of flood risk, highlighting the importance of proactive local governance. Future research can explore the effects of SAP-C implementation on medium-term resilience indicators.