Why do riparian communities persist in disaster-prone areas? Empirical evidence from Mbire District, Zimbabwe

Understanding the relocation behaviour of people from unsafe places has been a major area of research among many scholars. The current study applies the Person–Process–Place model to examine the influence of place attachment on riparian communities’ willingness to relocate from disaster-prone areas of Mbire district, Zimbabwe. The study uses qualitative semi-structured interviews to collect data from 35 key informants. The interview transcripts were subjected to thematic anaysis. Results revealed five dimensions of place attachment that are fostering a keen desire among riparian communities to remain in the floodplains despite repeated threats from floods, drought, dry spells and malaria. These include sense of place, sense of community, rootedness to place, place dependence and place identity. The emotional bonds of the communities are bolstered by their very long-term historical, religious and cultural practices that characterise their place of residence. They are also associated with the symbolic value of their floodplains as repositories for emotions and relationships that define meaning and purpose to community life. In view of the strong place attachment in disaster-prone places, this study makes two key policy recommendations related to relocation and welfare of communities living in such areas. These include (a) promoting receiving areas such that they become more attractive than the sending ones and (b) considering cultural and religious contexts when planning and implementing relocation.