Project proposal: “Community Resilience to Floods, Namentenga Province, Burkina Faso”. Luxembourg Red Cross. Dec. 2015-Jan. 2016

Namentenga Province is subject to floods that have become recurrent and severely affect sedentary farm populations. The proposed project aims to mitigate and reduce the impact of floods on traditional habitat through the learning and implementation of simple and easily reproducible techniques.

The proposal includes the installation of stone bunds which are normally used for the recovery of cultivable soils. Slightly oversized bunds will slow the rise of water and soil erosion while increasing infiltration. It is also proposed to dig traditional “boulis”, natural or artificial water reservoirs used for cattle and construction, which will serve as retention pond and reduce the volume and intensity of floods.

Housing improvement measures mainly focus on strengthening the base of constructions with techniques and materials tolerating prolonged contact with water, as well as on the use of corner pillars. All activities are implemented with the participation of the beneficiaries.