Disaster Risk Perception in Cameroon and its Implications for the Rehabilitation of the Lake Nyos Disaster Survivors, Henry BANG

6th
International Disaster and Risk Conference IDRC 2016
‘Integrative Risk Management – Towards Resilient Cities‘ • 28 Aug – 1 Sept 2016 • Davos • Switzerland
www.grforum.org
Disaster Risk Perception
in Cameroon:
Implications for Rehabilitation of
Lake Nyos Disaster (LND)
Survivors
Dr Henry Bang and Professor Lee Miles
Disaster Management Centre, Bournemouth University, UK
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Presentation Outline
 Occurrence of natural hazards in Cameroon
 The Lake Nyos Disaster
 Research Enquiry and Strategy
 Main Findings
 Implications for Rehabilitation
 Conclusion

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Cameroon’s Vulnerability
to Natural Hazards
Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL)
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Mount Cameroon

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Natural Hazards on the Cameroon
Volcanic Line
•Volcanic eruptions
•Earthquakes
•Floods
•Landslides
•Toxic gas emissions
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Lake Nyos Disaster-1986
Map of Cameroon’s 10 administrative Regions
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Beautiful but deadly Lake Nyos

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Lake Nyos Disaster (LND)-1986
 Cause of the LND
• Release of poisonous
gases from Lake Nyos.
 Impact of LND
• 1,746 people died.
• 8,300 livestock died.
• Affected about
20,000 people.
• Displaced about
4,500 people.
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Location of villages/area
affected by the LND
Thousands of cattle died during the LND Thousands of cattle died during the LND

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Resettlement of Disaster Survivors
 Resettlement
Camps
• Ukpwa Waindo
• Kumfutu
• Ipalim
• Yemnge
• Esu
• Kimbi river
• Bwabwa
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Banja●
●KoskinMunken●
●Kong▓ Esu
●Zoa
●Fang
Mbuk● ● Ngong
●
Fonfukka
●Laa-BumSubum●
●Konene
●Su
●Nchang
●Ajung
●Oku
●Laikom
Fundong ●
● Meli
● Ntemkissu
●
Mme-Bafumen
●Mbulom
Lake Nyi
LAKE NYOS
Nyos●
Kuk●
●Bu
●Koaw
▓ Yemnge
Kam
●
Cha
●
To
●
Kumfutu▓
▓ Kimbi River
▓ Bwabwa
Ukpwa▓
Lake
Wum
Ipalim▓
Wum █
N
Location of resettlement camps for LND survivors

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Research Enquiry
 Aim/Objectives
• To understand how affected population have & will
respond to disaster mitigation & preparedness
measures.
• To understand the level of threat they perceive Lake Nyos
still poses, how they have responded and intend to respond
to any disaster mitigation measures in future.
 Key Question:
• How do the survivors perceive ongoing risks, are
responding to, and intend to respond to DRR and/or DM
measures in future?
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 Case study populations
•Lake Nyos disaster survivors living in resettlement camps.
Research Strategy
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•Lake Nyos disaster who have relocated back to the disaster zone

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 Mixed method design (Qualitative and Quantitative)
• Empirical data generated via fieldwork in Cameroon.
• 25 interviews and 100 questionnaires administered.
• Secondary information obtained from various sources.
• Personal observation and interaction with survivors.
Research Strategy cont.

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Purpose was evaluation of:
• Willingness to follow government orders
instructions.
• Experience and/or knowledge of natural hazards.
• Expected behaviours in response to future risks.
• Opinion on contemporary risks.
• Relocation behaviours.
Research Strategy cont.
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Main Findings
 Disaster survivors’ expressed perception of risk:
• Over 75% of respondents believed LND was a ‘one
off’ incident.
• Respondents believed the LND could not have been
prevented.
• Disaster survivors (92%) are sceptical about official
government communications about that LND.
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 Risk information and communication:
• Survivors receive risk information from various sources,
official and private sources via the media and also verbally.
• Sparse, inadequate and intermittent flow of information.
• Dominant one-way persuasive communication from the
government to disaster survivors.
• 92% of the survivors do not trust government’s information
that the LND was a natural event.
Main Findings cont.
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Main Findings cont.
 Disaster survivors’ revealed perception of risk:
• A few hundred people have relocated back to the disaster
zone either permanently or temporarily.
• Migration into the area was predominantly for cultural
and livelihood purposes.
• General belief that the benefits of making a living in the
disaster zone outweighed the risks.
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Main Findings cont.
 Willingness to follow government orders:
• Conditional, Temporary, Disobedience & Unconditional
Conditional Temporary Disobey Unconditionally
LND survivors in resettlement camp 28% 36% 16% 20%
LND survivors relocated to disaster zone 5% 35% 50% 10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
%ofcasestudygroup
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Implications for Rehabilitation
 Plan for rehabilitation of Lake Nyos area:
• In 2007, the government initiated a “National Programme for the
security and socio-economic reintegration of the Lake Nyos
Area Cameroon”.
• In 2008, the government launched the Lake Nyos
Programme, as precursor to the national project.
o Key objectives were to:
 Ensure the security and safety of the region.
 Improve the socio-economic conditions of disaster survivors.
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Implications for Rehabilitation cont.
 Evaluation of the LNP, main findings
• Significant improvement in physical risk mitigation of LN.
• Population have been sensitized on a variety of issues.
 Evaluation report recommendations to the government.
• Carryout a demographic census in the area.
• Institute projects for land acquisition rights in the area.
• Renovate camps and provide electricity and portable water.
• Build schools and promote agriculture in the region.
• Maintain and construct roads in the region.
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 Is the national project or final rehabilitation soon to start?
• In January 2016, the government announced that the LND
survivors will soon be finally resettled back to their home land.
o According to the “The Cameroon Daily Journal of 7th January,
2016” 100 millions CFA frs (≈ $172,000) from Region’s 32 billion
will be used to resettle LND victims. No further details provided.
 Contemporary situation in the Lake Nyos Region
• The recommended socio-economic development projects in the
region have not been implemented.
• 100 million CFA not enough to implement recommended project.
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 Potential challenges to the success of the rehabilitation
project:
• Ensuring the region has adequate socio-economic facilities.
• Management of land ownership rights in the region.
• Rebuilding trust in government.
• Establishing continued two-way communication between the
government and disaster affected population.
• To ensure the disaster affected population are involved in
every stage of the rehabilitation program.
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 Successful rehabilitation requires government
to implement key activities in the region including, but
not limited to, the following:
• Ensure the region has basic socio-economic facilities.
• Adequate framework for land ownership rights.
• Appropriate, continuous education and confidence-building
projects that involve elites and community leaders.
• Adequate training of disaster managers, administrators & all
involved in the implementation of the programme.
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Conclusion

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EN
D
hbang@bournemouth.ac.uk lmiles@bournemouth.ac.uk
Thanks for your attention..

Disaster Risk Perception in Cameroon and its Implications for the Rehabilitation of the Lake Nyos Disaster Survivors, Henry BANG

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