Flood risks, expected annual impacts and willingness to pay for a catastrophe insurance policy in the Uvira health zone, eastern DRC

Abstract For several decades, the Uvira Health Zone has been exposed to hydroclimatic risks as well as various natural and anthropogenic disasters, particularly recurrent flooding. These events have increasingly exacerbated the socio-economic conditions of households in the region. The overall objective of this study is to contribute to the assessment of flood-related risks and damages in the Uvira Health Zone. To achieve this, a structured household survey was conducted, and additional data were sourced from the Fathom database. Flood-risk mapping, estimation of annual expected impacts (AEI), and a contingent valuation approach to assess willingness to adopt a catastrophe insurance policy were applied. Data analysis was conducted using STATA, ArcGIS, and Excel software. Findings reveal that cultivated lands in Kavimvira and Kala Children’s Villages are highly exposed to flood risks, with over 1,000 hectares destroyed. In the event of a flood, more than 10,000 people are affected in the Kilomoni, Nyamyanda, and Kalundu health areas. Between 1,001 and 5,000 houses are highly exposed in the Kavimvira, Kilomoni, Kasenga Community of Pentecostal Churches in Central Africa, Saint Paul, Kabindula, and Namyanda health areas. The AEI of pluvial floods are higher than those of fluvial floods in Uvira. For pluvial floods, AEI values for housing are 158.3, 219.1, 299.85, and 347.4 units/year for return periods of 10, 20, 100, and 1,000 years, respectively. AEI values for the population are 1108.1, 1533.7, 2098.95, and 2431.8 units year −1 for the same return periods. AEI values for schools are 0.15, 0.16, 0.054, and 0.006 units/year. Only the variables for education level and monthly expenses are significant in the selection equation, while occupation is significant in the outcome equation. Based on these results, the enforcement of buffer zones as well as implementation of adaptation strategies such as catastrophe insurance policies and promotion of environmental literacy emerge as essential solutions for mitigating the issue under study.