Risks Prevention Plans (RPP) and the vulnerability of peoples around volcanoes: Case study of Mt. Cameroon

Appolinaire Zogning (1) , Claudia Spinetti (2) , Chrétien Ngouanet (3) , David Tchoudam (3) , Pierre Thierry (4) , Christian Bignami (2) , Emmanuel Kouokam (5) , Maria Fabrizia Buongiorno (6) , Maria Ilaria Pannaccione Apa (2)

1 Azomarc
2 INGV - Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia - Sezione di Roma
3 Azomarc
4 BRGM - Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM)
5 MINIMIDT
6 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

Located at the bottom of the Gulf of Guinea, Cameroon is exposed to a large variety of natural hazards, some of which are linked to volcanic activity. These are concentrated around the active volcano Mt. Cameroon which combines effusive and explosive types of activity. The threatened stakes are numerous and diversely exposed. They include people, habitat, industrial plantations, a petrol refinery complex and many other industries, equipments and infrastructures. In order to understand and strengthen civil protection measures, for the security of the population faced with natural hazards, the French Embassy in Cameroon, within the framework of a financial convention between Cameroon and France, put in place the GRINP (Management of Natural Risks and Civil Protection) project whose objective was to reinforce the capacity of Cameroon's civil protection department and thus, contribute to the improvement of the security of the population faced with catastrophes. At the end of the 2 years working program focused on the “Elaboration of the risk zoning map of the Mount Cameroon”, which corresponds to the 1st phase of the 1st component of the GRINP project, some key recommendations were made to Cameroonian authorities. In the framework of the implementation of recommendation n°1, it was deemed necessary to carry on a risk prevention plan (RPP) project, which was the 2nd phase of the 1st component, with the aim of reducing the vulnerability of the stakes. The objective was to realize a Risk Prevention Plan at a local council scale, and taking into consideration the specific natural risks of each zone. The general objective of the RPP was to clearly draw land use maps for risks zones, showing the overlay of stakes with risk of different intensities. This then led to the setting up of regulations that can reduce the impact of natural catastrophes on human lives and properties.

Domaines: Sciences de la Terre

Appolinaire Zogning, Claudia Spinetti, Chrétien Ngouanet, David Tchoudam, Pierre Thierry, et al.. Risks Prevention Plans (RPP) and the vulnerability of peoples around volcanoes: Case study of Mt. Cameroon. First international conference "Volcanoes Landscapes and cultures", Nov 2009, Catania, Italy. 10 p. ⟨hal-00533130⟩