1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Dakar
Region
Africa
Native title of the NBS intervention
Vivre avec l'eau
Short description of the intervention
In Senegal, urban flooding in the rainy season causes major damage to public and private infrastructure, and poses considerable social, economic and health-related risks to the human population, in particular the poorest. Poor drainage systems mean that rainwater floods the whole neighbourhood, paralysing transport, and economic activities and posing health and safety risks due to stagnation and contamination (e.g. increase in water-borne diseases). To respond to such emergencies, in 2015 several stakeholders (Senegalese government, local authorities in Dakar and the local community) initiated a project that aimed to build resilience to flooding in informal settlements of Dakar. The project consisted of building resilience to floods by focusing on 3 fields: 1) infrastructure (floodwater evacuation, solid waste management, urban gardening and greening); 2) policy (district flood contingency plans and national policy advice); and 3) capacity building (training and awareness building for beneficiaries and key stakeholders, with a special focus on empowering women). The project was concluded in 2017 however its benefits are still felt today by the inhabitants of Greater Dakar. (1,2,3)
Address

10200 Dakar
Senegal

Location
The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Residential
Website of the intervention
https://live-with-water.org
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
unknown
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2015
End date of the intervention
2017
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
The goals of the intervention are as below:
1. To enhance the resilience of people facing extreme climate events in selected countries in the Sahel, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia - Senegal.
2. To help build resilience to flooding of urban communities by employing a community-based approach to disaster risk management through workshops and community-based actions.
3. To deploy technological interventions to mitigate the physical effects of flooding whilst also responding to the social and political aspects of the problem. Such technological interventions refer to interrelated flood-prevention practices such as urban gardening and urban greening, therefore converting the damaging floodwaters into a public good.
4. To develop local flood contingency plans, incorporating the results from topographic and geographic information system (GIS) analyses of the terrain, and the expertise of the local beneficiaries and district stakeholders.
5. To boost biodiversity and to increase green spaces threatened by rapid urbanisation as this led to the loss of substantial habitat in the region. (1,2,3,4)
Quantitative targets
Concering approx. 860,000 people at risk of flooding
Including 10 communes (informal settlements) in the Dakar area (1,2)
Monitoring indicators defined
Number of people affected by the intervention
Number of communes included in the project (1,2)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Water management (SDG 6)
Flood protection
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
Sustainable consumption
Sustainable production
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Reduce the impacts of climate risks events on urban places and communities
Build resilience
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Species-focused
Ecosystem-focused
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Public engagement
Implementation activities
The project started in 2015 and ended in 2017. The project was initiated and is continuously driven by activities, experiences and know-how that the communities in Senegal show in the face of the challenges posed by the annual floodwaters. The driving force for an integrated response to urban flooding initially came from representatives from flood-afflicted areas. The community-based approach also entails a strong capacity-building component for the affected people. Key components of capacity-building activities are community workshops, which raise awareness of key aspects of flood prevention such as waste management and recycling. A recycling and waste management programme was implemented to reduce the amount of waste in the districts, ensuring there is a sustainable source of revenue for members of the community, and ensuring that the infrastructure operates effectively. The project also developed 5 market gardens with the help of local women in the Yeumbeul Nord, in the vicinity of Dakar. Sixty-two rainwater evacuation infrastructures were built in the 10 communes of intervention of the project, and more than 400 tons of waste have been taken out of these vulnerable areas. Live With Water supported the beneficiaries in doing income-generating activities, waste collection, urban gardening, production and selling of compost etc. In each commune, a flood emergency plan was elaborated and the population was trained to be able to prevent the flooding and know how to react quickly in case of flooding. The population also benefited from door-to-door sessions to learn more about how to improve their resilience to flooding. (1,3)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Community gardens and allotments
Community gardens
Please specify the number of plots or allotment gardens
5 market gardens (2)
Vegetation Type
Garden beds
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Food for human consumption (crops, vegetables)
Regulating services
Flood regulation
Cultural services
Social and community interactions
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Citizens or community groups
Marginalized groups
Marginalized groups
Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
‘Vivre avec l’eau/ (‘Live with water’) is a partnership under the umbrella of Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED). BRACED (2015a, b) is a funding scheme from the UK Department for International Development; it was set up to support non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that help to enhance the resilience of people facing extreme climate events in selected countries in the Sahel, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Besides the project management team at Vivre avec l'eay the project was supported by the local authorities and the local communities who engaged in many forms: waste collection, urban gardening and general participation in capacity building. (1,3)
Key actors - initiating organization
Non-government organisation/civil society
Multilateral organisation
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Multilateral organisation
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Dissemination of information and education
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Co-management/Joint management
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the national regulations/strategy/plan
It was mentioned in one of the sources that the project was included in the National Program for the Restructuring and Development of Flood Zones, launched with the aim of national mapping of irregular inhabited areas and flood-prone areas. This mapping enabled the identification and selection of 25 municipalities identified as priority areas to be restructured (PDU Dakar, Chapter 03). This mapping also allowed the identification of priority projects such as that carried out by "Living with water". (5)
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
It was mentioned in one of the sources that the project has received one of 21 Project Development Grants from the UK Aid "Building resilience and adaptation to climate extremes and disasters" (BRACED) programme and is currently developing the full project to be scaled up in 360 neighbourhoods of 6 cities in Senegal. The UK Aid BRACED programme provides funding for partnerships that build the resilience of people and policies in selected countries in the Sahel, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. (1)
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Yes
Co-governance arrangement
A fund / grant
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Set up specifically for this NBS
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The project has received one of 21 Project Development Grants from the UK Aid "Building resilience and adaptation to climate extremes and disasters" (BRACED) programme and is currently developing the full project to be scaled up in 360 neighbourhoods of 6 cities in Senegal. Total costs were not mentioned. (1)
Source(s) of funding
Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of labour
Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Business models
Risk reduction model
Local stewardship model
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Social
Governance innovation
Cultural innovation
Please specify social innovation
From an innovation point of view, the intervention implemented an innovative urban space-management concept involving urban greening and gardening, converting the damaging floodwaters into a public good. The model focuses on low-cost and low-tech solutions adapted to the needs of the affected communities. This activity has helped implement infrastructure solutions like manual water pumps, a cost-effective technology that can be repaired and maintained with local knowledge. An urban gardening component was developed in close collaboration with the local market gardeners. Market vendors operating along the street became concerned about losing business due to construction activities. In response to these concerns, the project developed a solution that allowed floodwaters to recede without expanding the street and the destruction of the market. (1,4)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
It is not indocated that the innovation has been transferred from previous innitiatives.
Replicability/Transferability
The innovation is transferred to new initiative(s) without substantial adaptation
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
It is mentioned that the project team is currently developing the full project to be scaled up in 360 neighbourhoods of 6 cities in Senegal. (1)
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Water management and blue areas
Increased protection against flooding
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Description of environmental benefits
Specific monitoring and results-based reports were not issued however sources mention that from the point of view of environmental impact:
Results began to be seen in the first year of work. In Dakar, Senegal, very heavy rainfall resulted in urban flash flooding in Ben Barak (Yeumbeul Nord, Pikine), where the ‘Vivre avec l’eau’ project piloted urban flood capture infrastructure. Following the August 2015 event, a visit to the project site revealed that the infrastructure was able to drain the water quickly, while adjacent streets remained flooded several days later. As a result of the Year 2 activities implementation in Yeumbeul Nord, the areas have been provided with rainwater evacuation infrastructure, approximately 90 tons of solid waste have been taken out, and the areas have been embellished with urban furniture made of waste and communities started urban gardening activities. (2)
From the point of view of green space areas, as 5 market gardens were implemented, it can be deduced that there was an increase in green areas. Together with the community, the project developed a solution that will install traffic barriers made from recycled waste that will not only cause vehicles to slow down, but also create spaces for urban gardening. The entire community, including youths and children, were strongly involved in “Action Days” to help clean up the community and construct urban gardening plots around the local lake. (2)
Economic impacts
Generation of income from NBS
Description of economic benefits
The project also supported the implementation of income-generating activities related to waste management, compost making and selling etc. but precise impacts have not been shared. (2)
During implementation, the project ensured that as many activities as possible were carried out by residents, to generate local income and raise awareness and engage in capacity-building. The infrastructure was constructed using local entrepreneurs and a local workforce, including training on how to maintain the infrastructure in the future. (4)
Social and cultural impacts
Safety
Improved community safety to climate-related hazards
Social justice and cohesion
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Education
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Description of social and cultural benefits
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: Some of the local management units created by the project are officially recognized by the local authorities, and some beneficiaries already organized themselves and set up action plans to ensure the sustainability of the Live With Water realisation in their communes. Women have benefited from capacity building training and are strongly involved in local management committees. (1, 3)
Improved community safety to climate-related hazards: In each commune, a flood emergency plan was elaborated and the population trained to be able to prevent the flooding and know how to react quickly in case of flooding. The population also benefited from door-to-door sessions to learn more about how to improve their resilience to flooding. (3)
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Positive distribution of NBS benefits
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
As of May 27, 2022, no information regarding Covid19 was shared/found.
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Collection of monitoring data continuously throughout the project to aid evaluation
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Focus groups
GIS data analysis
Observation (including virtual surveillance methods)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
Yes
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Focus Group
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Yes
Please specify
Involving communities at both the design stage and intensively throughout implementation builds community ownership of project components, meaning that residents feel responsible for newly created urban spaces and undertake their upkeep. (4)
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Project video
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
INSPIRING CLIMATE ACTION IN AFRICAN CITIES (3.46 MB) 3.46 MB
List of references
1. Vivre avec L'eau (no date), website of the Project, available at https://live-with-water.org, accessed 27-05-2022
2. Butterfield, R.E., Coll Besa, M., Burmeister, H., Blair, K., Kavonic, J., Bharwani, S., Cullis, J.,
Spires, M. and Mwalukanga, B. (2017). Inspiring Climate Action in African Cities: Practical Options for
Resilient Pathways. FRACTAL Working Paper 4. Stockholm Environment Institute Oxford Centre,
Oxford, UK., available at https://www.fractal.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FRACTAL_WP4__INSPIRING-CLIMATE-ACTION-IN-AFRICAN-CITIES.compressed.pdf (accessed 27-05-2022)
3. Braced (no dates), Vivre avec l'eau | Live with water: Capturing urban floodwaters for water stock and micro-gardening, available at http://www.braced.org/about/about-the-projects/project/?id=6b608531-77e1-4995-8711-2d60de3b4e09, (accessed 27-05-2022)
4. UNFCCC (no date), Vivre Avec L'eau, available at https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/activity-database/vivre-avec-l-eau-live-with-water-senegal (accessed 27-05-2022)
5. BARBE Audrey, COLBERT Elise, DIALLO Aminata, RABOUILLE Fabien, Une analyse de la gestion
des eaux pluviales au Sénégal (2017), available at https://inondations-dakar.org/dataset/87d98865-fd0a-445a-b61d-cc39973453d5/resource/539a29d1-4774-4fc5-8446-e88a86d34a65/download/une-analayse-de-la-gep-au-senegal-septembre-2017-apt-gret-vf.pdf (accessed 27-05-2022)
Comments and notes
Public Images
Garden market
Garden market
https://www.cres-sn.org/histoire-de-resilience-quand-les-populations-de-diamalye-yeumbeul-nord-retrouvent-le-sourire/
Workshop for youth
Workshop for youth
https://www.fractal.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FRACTAL_WP4__INSPIRING-CLIMATE-ACTION-IN-AFRICAN-CITIES.compressed.pdf
Waste recycling
Waste recycling
https://www.fractal.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FRACTAL_WP4__INSPIRING-CLIMATE-ACTION-IN-AFRICAN-CITIES.compressed.pdf
Market gardening
Market gardening
https://www.fractal.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FRACTAL_WP4__INSPIRING-CLIMATE-ACTION-IN-AFRICAN-CITIES.compressed.pdf