Assessing the community vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change in the mountainous region of Pakistan

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/09/2018
Views (438) Download (11)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Assessing the community vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change in the mountainous region of Pakistan

Laila Shahzad, Arifa Tahir, Faiza Sharif, Muhammad Waqas Ijaz
Int. J. Biosci.13( 3), 132-143, September 2018.
Certificate: IJB 2018 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

It is maintained that mountainous communities are more susceptible to climatic changes and natural hazards owing to their weak socio-economic conditions and direct reliance on natural resources. This study was aimed at assessing the vulnerability and capacity of community living in mountains of District Mansehra of Khyber Phktonkhawa (KPK) province of Pakistan. A questionnaire was developed to collect data from three tehsils of district Mansehra. This questionnaire was designed to assess the six dimensions of vulnerability i.e. demographic vulnerability, socio-economic vulnerability, and physical vulnerability, vulnerability due to impacts of previous disasters, mitigation and adaptation capacity, and vulnerability due to climate change.  In order to compare the vulnerability of each tehsil, a vulnerability index ranging from 0 (low) to 1 (high) was developed. This vulnerability index inferred that Balakot (0.61) was highly vulnerable, and Oghi (0.43) & Mansehra (0.39) were medium vulnerable. It was observed that fragile topography along with poor demographic and socioeconomic conditions played a vital role in making Balakot highly vulnerable to future disasters. Community empowerment and disaster risk reduction initiatives at grass root level are much needed to reduce vulnerability and enhance people’s resilience.

VIEWS 11

Adger N, Kelly M. 1999. Social Vulnerability to Climate Change and the Architecture of Entitlement, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change 4, 253-266. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1009601904210

Adger WN, Barnett J, Brown K, Marshall N, O’Brien K. 2013. Cultural dimensions of climate change impacts and adaptation. Nature Climate Change 3, 112–117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1666

Arias KB, Dorado JR, Mendoza MT, Ballaran VG, Maligaya H. 2016. Vulnerability Assessment to Climate Change of Households from Mabacan, Sta. Cruz and Balanac Watersheds in Laguna, Philippines. Journal of Environmental Science and Management 19, 9-18.

Aryal S, Cockfield G, Maraseni TN. 2016. Perceived changes in climatic variables and impacts on the transhumance system in the Himalayas. Climate and Development 8, 1–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2015.1040718

Aryal S, Panthi J, Dhakal YR, Gaire NP, Karki K, Joshi NR. 2018. Historically evolved practices of the Himalayan transhumant pastoralists and their implications for climate change adaptation.  International Journal of Global Warming 14, 356–371. http://dx.doi.org/10.1504/IJGW.2018.090402

Birkmann J, Cardona OM, Carreño ML, Barbat AH, Pelling M, Schneiderbauer S, Kienberger S, Keiler M, Alexander D, Zeil P, Welle T. 2013. Framing vulnerability, risk and societal responses: The move framework. Natural Hazards 67, 193–211. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0558-5

Ludena CE, Yoon SW, Sánchez-Aragón L, Miller S, Yu BK. 2015. Vulnerability Indicators of Adaptation to Climate Change and Policy Implications for Investment Projects. Inter-American Development Bank, Technical Note No. 858, Washington DC.

Bryan E, Ringler C, Okoba B, Roncoli C, Silvestri S, Herrero M. 2013. Adapting agriculture to climate change in Kenya: Household strategies and determinants. Journal of Environmental Management 114, 26-35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.10.036

Busby J, Smith TG, White K, Strange SM. 2010. Locating Climate Insecurity: Where are the Vulnerable Places in Africa? University of Texas at Austin, Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS), Project from the Robert S. Strauss, Center for International Security and Law, USA.

Ciurean RL, Schröter D, Glade T. 2013. Approaches to disaster management: Examining the implications of hazards, emergencies and disasters. In Tech publisher, Austria, 3–32.

Crowards T. 2000. Comparative Vulnerability to Natural Disasters in the Caribbean. Caribbean Development Bank, Staff Working Paper 1, 00.

Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA). 2007. District Profile – Mansehra, Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Kamran Printers, Blue Area, Islamabad.

Fontaine MM, Steinemann AC. 2009. Assessing Vulnerability to Natural Hazards: Impact-Based Method and Application to Drought in Washington State. Natural Hazards Review 10, 11-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/ASCE15276988200910:111

Fuchs S, Röthlisberger V, Thaler T, Zischg A, Keiler M. 2017. Natural hazard management from a co-evolutionary perspective: Exposure and policy response in the European Alps. Annals of the American Association of Geographers 107, 382–392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2016.1235494

Gentle P, Maraseni TN. 2012. Climate change, poverty and livelihoods: adaptation practices by rural mountain communities in Nepal. Environmental Science and Policy 21, 24-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2012.03.007

Gentle P, Thwaites R. 2016. Transhumant Pastoralism in the context of socio-economic and climate change in the mountains of Nepal. Mountain Research and Development 36, 173–182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-15-00011.1

Herman-Mercer NM, Matkin E, Laituri MJ, Toohey RC, Massey M, Elder K, Schuster PF, Mutter EA. 2016. Changing times, changing stories: generational differences in climate change perspectives from four remote indigenous communities in Subarctic Alaska. Ecology and Society 21. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-08463-210328

Hufschmidt G, Glade T. 2010.Vulnerability analysis in geomorphic risk assessment. In: Geomorphological hazards and disaster prevention. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 233–243.

IPCC. 2007. Climate change 2007: Impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Working Group II Contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFCR). 2003. Using the vulnerability and capacity assessment tool in Rwanda. Geneva, Switzerland.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 2006a. What is VCA? A guide to Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment. Geneva, Switzerland.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 2006b. How to do a VCA: A Practical Step-by-Step guide for Red Cross Red Crescent Staff and Volunteers. Geneva, Switzerland.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 2006c. VCA Toolbox and Tool Reference Sheets. Geneva, Switzerland.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 2006d. Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment: Lessons Learned. Geneva, Switzerland.

Kaplan M, Renaud FG, Luchters G. 2009. Vulnerability assessment and protective effects of coastal vegetation during the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 9, 1479-1494.

Keating A, Campbell K, Szoenyi M, McQuistan C, Nash D, Burer M. 2017. Development and testing of a community flood resilience measurement tool. Natural Hazards and Earth System Science 17, 77–101.

Keiler M. Fuchs S. 2016. Vulnerability and Exposure to Geomorphic Hazards: Some Insights from the European Alps. In: Meadows, ME, Lin JC, Eds. Geomorphology and Society: Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences. Springer Japan KK. Tokyo, 165-180.

Kohle MP, Neuhauser B, Wenzel H, Howes DD. 2007. Elements at risk: a framework for assessing the vulnerability of communities to landslides. Natural Hazards Earth System Science 7, 765-779.

Lama S, Devkota B. 2009. Vulnerability of mountain communities to climate change and adaptation strategies. The Journal of Agriculture and Environment 10, 65-71.

Macchi M. 2011. Framework for community-based climate vulnerability and capacity assessment in mountain areas. ICIMOD, Kathmandu-Nepal.

Malek Z, Boerboom L, Glade T. 2015. Future forest cover change scenarios with implications for landslide risk: An example from Buzau Sub Carpathians, Romania. Journal of Environmental Management 56, 1228–1243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0577-y

Mallari AEC. 2016. Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment in the Agriculture Sector: Typhoon Santi Experience. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 216, 440 – 451. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.12.058

Martin Y, Mimbrero MR. 2017. Community vulnerability to hazards: introducing local expert knowledge into the equation. Natural Hazards http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-2969-1.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 2007. Building governance and institutions for earthquake response (BEGIN-ER): Mansehra District Disaster Risk Management plan, Govt. of Pakistan.

United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). 2004. Living with Risk, A Global Review of Disaster Reduction Initiatives. Geneva, Switzerland.

Vermeulen SJ, Aggarwal PK, Ainslie A, Angelone C, Campbell BM, Challinor AJ, Hansen JW, Ingram JSI, Jarvis A, Kristjanson PM, Lau C, Nelson GC, Thornton PK,  Wollenberg E. 2011. Options for support to agriculture and food security under climate change. Environmental Science and Policy 15, 136-144. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2011.09.003

Willis I, Gibin M, Barros J, Webber R. 2014. Applying neighborhood classification systems to natural hazards: a case study of Mt Vesuvius. Natural Hazards 70, 1–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-010-9648-9

Zare M, Karimi-Paridari S. 2008. Balakot, Muzaffarabad earthquake of 8 october 2005, mw 7.6; field observations on geological aspects. The 14th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering October 12-17, 2008, Beijing, China.