Artist marta Goytom message

The climate of Addis Ababa is forecasted to have an increase in precipitation variability and temperature. This will likely induce a wide range of hazards in the city including flooding and landslides in addition to droughts and fires which have been the most common hazards in rural and urban areas. The geographic location and topographic features of Addis Ababa, compounded by the existing state of the drainage system, road network and sewerage system, exposes the city to street and riverine flooding as well as landslides. However, the degree of sensitivity to anticipated climate change varies from community to community within the city due to variations in topography, poverty levels, access to basic services, quality of housing and settlement patterns. Landslides are becoming a major threat in some parts of the city due to frequent digging related to the construction boom. Urban fire has also been identified as an existing shock. With increasing temperatures due to climate as well as to land-use changes in the city, combined with poor housing standards, fire incidents could be further amplified. However, there is little information about the scale of the challenge and the causal factors. One of the issues seems to be the low capacity and lack of coordination of the Fire Prevention unit. This, in combination with lack of appropriate road access and overcrowded traffic, exacerbates the problem.