Impact of Non-structural Flood Control Measures on Household Welfare in Bunyala Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Floods are the most destructive water-related disasters considered to have dire consequences on the livelihoods of the affected population. Structural and non-structural measures have been implemented as mitigation strategies to help cope with these disasters. Given the magnitude of the disaster from floods in Busia county, multiple agencies have come into play with alternative mitigation strategies. The strategies which directly engage the participation of the community are non-structural, which include flood forecasting and early warning systems, land-use planning with zoning, savings and credit schemes, and rainwater harvesting. Despite the fact that non-structural measures are considered sustainable, households in Bunyala sub-county are still struggling with the negative impacts of floods. It is therefore of interest to establish the welfare gains or profits households derive from using these measures. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the variables of interest. Propensity score matching (PSM) is used to determine the impact of non-structural measures on household welfare through STATA software. The key finding is that households that participate in non-structural measures have their consumption expenditure reduced compared to non-participants. This, then concludes that the non-structural flood control measures have a positive impact on household welfare.