Vorwort |
<p>Flooding is an annual phenomenon in the Nyando River catchment, wiping out decades of development gains. Presently, there is no policy on land use in the floodplains in the Kenyan side of the Lake Victoria Basin. In order to make efficient flood management and reduce flood risk, it is not enough to know if, when, or even where a flood will strike. We need to know where our vulnerabilities are. This book, therefore, highlights the dimensions and spatial distribution of vulnerabilities to flooding in the catchment and to areas with similar rural populations. Based on flood hazard, vulnerability and risk studies, the book provides the Kenyan Government, flood managers, local communities and other stakeholders with strategies and a basis for vulnerability reduction including linking flood management to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals as well as encouraging “living with the rivers”.</p>
<p><br />This study was funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) through a doctoral scholarship at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Germany. I am also very grateful to Prof. Eric Odada for the support, comments on this research, constant guidance and particularly for financing the fieldwork. I would like to individually and collectively thank my supervisors Prof. Dr. Bernhard Eitel and Dr. Daniel O. Olago for preparing me for this task. Prof. Eitel even after being elected the University Rector continued to be my supervisor found time to consult on my progress and give guidance. I am highly indebted to Dr. Olago for his useful and progressive comments and critique on the chapters and for providing the river discharge data. Thanks to Dr. Washington O. Ochola for his advice on the participatory section this research. I am grateful to Prof. Dr. Olaf Bubenzer for his timely help and advice when I needed to purchase IKONOS images and other materials at the department.</p>
<p><br />The support I received from Prof. Werner Fricke was useful to this study. His suggestions, aid with aerial photographs and thematic maps are appreciated. He cared to personally check how I was doing and where I needed help. I shall remain grateful that he also took time, read through the manuscript and provided critique. Special thanks to Daniel Orwenjo for finding time to read through and give comments on the draft version of this thesis. Arne Egger, Antonia Koch and Gela Wittemberg for proof-reading the German abstract. Mr. Eugene Apindi Ochieng’ is thanked for the shapefiles he provided. Mr. Joachim Pfeifer introduced me to GIS that proved very useful. Knowledge gained from Metier Postgraduate course (Geo-visualisation) at the Environmental Sciences Department, University of Wageningen - The Netherlands was instrumental in the GIS work. Thanks to Prof. Ron van Lammern, his team and all those with whom I interacted during the training. <br />My work has greatly benefited from the support from colleagues in the Laboratory for Geomorphology and Geo-ecology: Arne Egger, Dr. Stefan Hecht, Dr. Annette Kadereit, Dr. Bertil Mächtle, Christiane Rhodius, Gerd Schukraft, Christoph Siart, Dr. Beate Sandler, Adnan Al-Karghuli, Nicola Manke, Brigitta Oezen, Christine Dörr, Julia Eustachi, Markus Forbriger, Frederik Gerst, Manuel Herzog, Antonia Koch, Stella Marraccini, Ellen Roberts, Niklas Schenck, Ingmar Holzauer, Tim Freser and Lena Schlichting.</p>
<p><br />I would like to particularly recognise the help of Arne Egger and Gela Wittenberg for helping me settle down on my arrival in Heidelberg. Thanks to Vicensia Shule, Ben Bandowe, Ogboro Cole, Francis Orata, Wilson Shitandi, Daniel Orwenjo and Aggrey Wetaba whose friendship kept me active. Constant checking on their dissertation progress and comparing with my own gave me the inspiration to continue. I would like to acknowledge the concern and support from my parents Mrs. Felgona Ngasi and Mr. Francis Ochola whose upbringing enabled me to get where I have reached so far. Without the dedication and hard work of Japuonj Peter Osore, this research would not have been equally successful. Even when the fieldwork got tough and the villages inaccessible, he kept me going and never gave up. Mr. Francis Orieny’s support during for fieldwork is highly appreciated. Such a tedious undertaking benefits directly or indirectly from many people who might have skipped my memory. They are all hereby thanked. Finally, this work is my own and I am wholly responsible for the views and any typographical errors herein.</p>
<p>Heidelberg, im Januar 2009 Samuel Ogada OCHOLA <br /><br /></p>
|