Landslides: Causes, Consequences and their Mitigation

ISBN-13: 9783639166743 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 316 str.

Golden Msilimba

Opis

Landslides are part and parcel of the physicalenvironment of undulating landscape of northern andcentral Malawi. The population comprises poor,largely rural communities who survive on subsistenceagriculture. This book focuses on both scientificcauses of landslides, and the local populationsawareness of landslides, their perceptions andtraditional beliefs regarding landslide causes, andtheir coping strategies. The role of gender withregard to perceptions and coping strategies receivespecial attention. The author argues thattraditional; beliefs play an important role ininvoking explanations to why landslides occur, andthat women are as aware of the phenomena as men.Coping strategies and proposed actions to combat theeffects of landslides are impacted upon bytraditional beliefs. Attempts to mitigate the impactsof landslides and minimize their potential for futurelandslides, particularly with regard to interventionsby government and NGOs, must enjoy the support of thelocal population within the context of theirperceptions of such events, or they will be unlikelyto succeed

O autorze

Golden Msilimba holds a PHD from the University of Free State,
South Africa. He is a lecturer in Earth Sciences (Geomorphology,
Hydrology and Water Resources Management) and
Coordinator of the Water Resources Management and Development
Programme at Mzuzu University, Malawi. His research interests
include landslides and IWRM.