Indigenous Flood Early Warning Systems for Hydropower-Dam-Induced Flood Risk: A Case Study of the Dassenech Community in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66050/y4bdrt95Keywords:
indigenous knowledge, flood disaster, dassenech people, early warning system, hydro-power, agro-pastoral communitiesAbstract
Efforts to mitigate the impacts of hydropower-induced flood disasters in the lower Omo Valley often focus on conventional flood early warning systems, which primarily rely on scientific data and models for information dissemination. These solutions can save lives when flood disasters strike vulnerable pastoral and agro-pastoral communities of the Dassenech. However, this needs to be complemented by action to address the underlying components of vulnerability and their interrelated human, socioeconomic, livelihood, and cultural factors of the pastoral and agro-pastoral communities of the lower Omo Valley. These influence the risks of hydropower-induced flood disasters. An important component addressing these factors is the local communities' traditional indigenous early-warning system for floods. To explore and analyze the study, the researcher employed interpretativist epistemological paradigm along with a qualitative research method to understand from the study participants’ or actors’ own perspective, and to examine the world they experienced via key informant interviews, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and a case study with nearly 68 participants. This Indigenous flood early warning system is especially important where conventional flood early warning information is inaccessible. Therefore, this article describes and analyses the Indigenous flood early warning system of the Dassenech in the face of hydropower-induced flood disasters, and the extent to which local communities use it. However, the findings indicate that local community acceptance and responsiveness to flood early warning are essential to effective end-to-end early warning systems, as the pastoral and agro-pastoral villagers of the Dassenech indigenous knowledge system are a key element of flood early warning systems. They also represent the foundation for their generation-old, community-based flood warning and preparedness strategies. Therefore, to respond to and cope with flooding disasters and other associated events such as drought, food insecurity, and disease outbreaks, incorporating and integrating local communities' indigenous knowledge systems and practices with national disaster risk reduction policies and strategies will bring long-lasting solutions to the lower Omo Valley pastoral and agro-pastoral communities' well-being.
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