The comparison of local perception of flood hazards, with hydrological and climate parameters, can give more insight and understanding on the causes of flood, its impacts and the strategies to effectively address the problem. This study examines whether households’ perception of rainfall and flood occurrence are consistent with observed variation in climate parameter (rainfall) and hydrological (discharge) data in the Lower Mono River catchment (Togo-Benin, West Africa). Perceptions of the 744 households from the catchment were collected and compared to historical climatic and hydrological data using correlation analysis. The Standardized Precipitation Index was utilized to identify the extreme years in terms of precipitation. Chi-test and binary regression analyses were performed to identify the most affected communes within the catchment, and the factors that influence household perceptions on rainfall change, respectively. Findings reveal that 85% of the respondents perceived an excess in rainfall during the last 20 years and identify two particular years as the most affected by flood, which correspond to the climate data analysis. Households’ perceptions on flooded months are correlated with the monthly precipitation and discharge at the upper part of the catchment while the ones at down part are not correlated. Furthermore, the chi-test analysis shows that in the perception of households, the communes at the down part are more affected by flood than those at the upper part of the catchment. It is then important for decision maker to consider local communities’ perception for having insight regarding climate parameters, the causes of flood and in the decision making for implementing measures to cope with this phenomenon.

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In many West African river basins, households regularly experience floods and the associated impacts. In the absence of widely accessible formal risk transfer mechanisms (e.g., insurance), households often have to cope with financial impacts. Only a few studies have explored the financial effects of floods on agriculture-dependent households in the region and the role formal and informal risk transfer plays in their mitigation. This study addresses this gap, explores flood impacts with financial implications for households, and researches the existing strategies to mitigate them. Moreover, it aims to better understand how different measures influence the recovery process. The study draws on primary data from a household survey (n = 744) in the Lower Mono River basin, combined with stakeholder workshops and semi-structured interviews, and applies a generalized linear model to the survey data. The results reveal four flood impact types with financial implications: agricultural, material, health, and trade. Moreover, a shortened recovery time is significantly associated with assistance from savings groups and cooperatives—groups originally not formed to help during floods. In light of the severe and frequent flood impacts, effective and publicly accepted adaptation measures are needed to enable favorable conditions for creating sustainable and accessible risk transfer mechanisms.