Impact of Flood Events on Community Livelihoods in Nyabihu District, Rwanda: Evidence from Six Selected Sectors
Author
Sinumvayabo Emmanuel, Ntwali Didier
Abstract
Recurrent flooding is a chronic threat to rural livelihoods in Rwanda’s volcanic highlands, yet sector-level evidence on its effects remains scarce. This study assessed the impact of flood events on community livelihoods in six sectors of Nyabihu District, Western Province, Rwanda (Jenda, Jomba, Mukamira, Rambura, Rugera and Shyira) between 2020 and 2025. It had three objectives: to characterize flood events in the selected sectors, to assess their effects on household livelihoods, and to determine the statistical relationship between flood events and livelihood disruption. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods case study design was used. A structured questionnaire was administered to 446 households selected through proportional stratified random sampling, complemented by key informant interviews and field observation. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive statistics, Pearson and Spearman correlations, and simple linear regression. Flooding was structurally recurrent: 71.8% of households were affected three or more times during the five-year period, and 42.4% more than five times. Agricultural damage was reported by 59.6% of households, 75.8% were temporarily displaced, and food insecurity was the most severe livelihood consequence. Flood frequency was positively associated with livelihood impact (r = .191, p < .001) and negatively with resilience (r = −.316, p < .001); the strongest association was the inverse relationship between livelihood impact and resilience (r = −.440, p < .001). Community response capacity positively predicted resilience (β = .199, p < .001). Flood frequency explained 3.7% of the variance in livelihood impact, showing that livelihood disruption is multi-determined. The findings support sector-differentiated flood risk management, expanded early warning systems, strengthened community disaster committees, and livelihood diversification.
Keywords
flood events; community livelihoods; resilience; early warning systems; Nyabihu District; Rwanda
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