Towards resilient cities: advancing sustainable urban drainage systems in Malawi amid climate change challenges

Urban flooding, a relatively new research area in Malawi, has brought urban drainage systems under increasing scrutiny for their capacity to manage stormwater and mitigate flood risk. In the context of global practice in sustainable urban drainage systems in the face of climate change, this review analyzes the limited progress in Malawi towards sustainable urban drainage, highlighting the socio-economic, environmental and technical factors influencing urban drainage resilience, and the gaps in stormwater management practice. Results reveal advances in urban drainage within the global discourse, characterized by hydrological analyses and incorporation in design practice, ICT integration for decision support, and piloting and implementation of sustainable technology and practices. In Malawi, as in most low-income countries, efforts remain, to a large extent, directed at understanding the challenges of urban drainage and the potential of sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), with little progress on actually adopting these systems. Through a scoping review of the literature, the study identifies opportunities for implementing SuDS in Malawi.