NbS for Flood Management in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

In Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, flash floods, soil erosion, and water scarcity pose critical climate threats to the population, particularly those living in flood-prone areas in urban and rural kebeles (villages). Community health and the local economy are at risk from heat, and declining groundwater levels are resulting in water scarcity.

The Scaling Urban Nature-based Solution for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) initiative will restore the Dechatu River catchment, benefitting over 200,000 people living in flood-prone areas. The project aims to reduce soil erosion, enhance groundwater recharge, develop river buffer zones, mitigate flooding and heat island effects, and expand opportunities for agroforestry.

Implemented in partnership with local organizations, SUNCASA NbS activities include afforestation, buffer zone establishment, agroforestry for runoff management and generating livelihoods, and urban tree planting to reduce flooding and heat impacts. In addition to climate-resilience benefits, these actions will improve land productivity, crop yields, and access to technology.

Local partners in Dire Dawa include the Dire Dawa Administration Environment, Forest and Climate Change Authority, the Hararghe Catholic Secretariat, and Haramaya University.

Photograph: Cesar H. Arrais

ABOUT SUNCASA

By 2050, more than 65% of Africa’s 2.5 billion population will live in cities. However, incipient climate governance systems, rapid urbanization, and deforestation have degraded landscapes and ecosystems, affecting urban communities’ capacity to adapt to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts temperatures in Africa will rise faster than the global land average, and many cities will face water scarcity, droughts, increased urban heat, and greater flood risk from intensifying storm events. As environmental threats multiply, underserved and marginalized communities are likely to experience increasingly adverse impacts.

Jointly managed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), with USD 22 million in funding from Global Affairs Canada through the Partnering for the Climate Program, SUNCASA will benefit 2.2 million people by increasing their resilience to climate risk, directly train and support over 22,000 individuals involved in implementation, and improve water security for millions more.

The project will work with local partners in Dire Dawa (Ethiopia), Kigali (Rwanda), and Johannesburg (South Africa) to improve vulnerable urban communities’ capacity to adapt to climate change. By adopting and implementing gender-responsive NBS to restore watersheds, riparian corridors, and urban green spaces, the SUNCASA project directly responds to risks like climate change-induced flooding, landslides, extreme heat, and biodiversity loss. SUNCASA also aims to address gender gaps in climate adaptation: at least 50% of the project’s beneficiaries will be women, representing a shift in existing social norms.