Bakau

Bakau forms part of the dense coastal urban belt within the Greater Banjul Area, where residential neighbourhoods, tourism activity and major roads compete for limited space. The low-lying metropolitan setting also exposes parts of the town to flooding and coastal hazards, making drainage and environmental management important to everyday urban functioning.

Recent Greater Banjul risk analysis identifies Bakau within the areas exposed to significant storm damage, while national climate policy emphasises resilient transport, flood protection and more deliberate planning of future growth. These issues are closely linked at local scale. Streets and drainage determine both access and flood behaviour, while continued infill reduces the space available for water management. Bakau’s resilience therefore depends on treating urban infrastructure, coastal risk and development control as one planning problem.