March 2015 southasiadisasters.net 1 · achieving urban resilience. system of a city is like the arterial system of our body which assures the vital blood flow. If they are blocked,

southasiadisasters.netMarch 2015 1

southasiadisasters.net March 20152

URBAN RESILIENCE

What is Missing in India'sUrban Resilience?

India, like all other countries of theworld, is increasingly facing the

severe impact of the growingclimatic changes and its consequenceson urban life. Events of many recentdisastrous situations bear testimonyto these changes like erraticmonsoonal activities, floods innorthern India (Sept. 2014), frequentdroughts, severe flooding in coastalzones as well as inland river basins,unprecedented landslides inHimalayan areas; increasing airpollution and recurring fogformation on vast Gangetic plainsand their dramatic impacts ontransportation, agriculture andhealth situation, etc. They costbillions of rupees every year toIndia's economic life.

Though, many cities have startedincluding resilient programs in theirmaster plans, however, most of themare far from efficient to respond, intime and in quality, to face the effectsof disasters. Some of the most

important reasons behind thissituation are the lack of a holisticvision of the systemic relationbetween different urban parameters(inherent and developed) and alsothe absence of an effectiveoperational mechanism for timelysignalization and modus-operandi toface these disaster situations. Themost important is the absence ofeffective resilience measures'program integrated with the MasterPlan of most of the India's urbandevelopment programs and, mostimportantly, even if it exists, theyare not constantly monitored withthe changing nature of theseparameters.

Although our knowledge invisualizing the causes and effects ofdisasters in terms of place, time andmagnitude has been vastlydeveloped thanks to the high qualityof computerization of data analysisrelated to climatology andgeography, GIS mapping, remote

Helicopter rescue operation (Srinagar, September 2014).

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ABOUT THIS ISSUE

Rapid urbanization hasemerged as an undeniable

global trend. Ever since 2008, morepeople in the world live in urbanareas than in the countryside. In2014 alone, 54% of the world'spopulation resides in urban areas.This puts an extraordinary level ofpressure on urban centres whichaccount for only 2.8% of the world'sland area. All these facts point tothe distending of urbaninfrastructure and services beyondtheir carrying capacity. This leavesthese urban areas highlyvulnerable to new risks. India'surban infrastructure too is at riskwith a projected surge in thenumber of its urban dwellersreaching 404 million by 2050.

This issue of Southasiadisasters.netfocuses on the Challenges of UrbanResilience in India. As repeateddisasters have struck India's urbancentres, new risks andvulnerabilities have emerged.Weak institutional frameworksand gross social inequalities makethe urban centres of the countryparticularly susceptible to theadverse impacts of disasters.Climate change has added anotherlevel of complexity to the mire ofexisting vulnerabilities. In thiscontext, this issue tries to exploreunderlying facts, observable trendsand the projected impacts of theseurban risks and their implicationson urban resilience in India.

The scope of this issue ranges fromthe missing aspects in India's urbanresilience to the underlying risksto marginalized groups inhabitingIndian cities. Topical andmeticulously researched, this issueof Southasiadisasters.netunderscores all major challengesthat India faces in its pursuit ofurban resilience.

– Kshitij Gupta, AIDMI


sensing and space imageries and theirinteractive interpretation through 3Dvisualization, there is, however, apersistent lack in their real timeoperation and installation ofmeasures to achieve highly resilienturban or spatial development plans.

When we talk about the resilientcapacity of towns, we look to thedegree of shock resistant orabsorbing capacity of the towns toface the disaster events. These eventsmay be unforeseen or have not beenappropriately considered whilepreparing the development plans ofthe towns and hence no provisionhas been made in the planningstructure or in its operationalsystem. Therefore, when theseevents take place, the cities arehelpless and bear the burnt.

Take the transport planning systemin the big cities of India, like, Delhi,Bombay, Kolkatta, Hyderabad,Bangalore, etc... Last year, I was inDelhi & in Hyderabad. I get caughtin the traffic jam in both cities. Isuddenly heard the frantic siren ofemergency services (an ambulanceand a police van) looking forpassage. To my horror, both werestuck up in the traffic jam andnobody gave the way (there was noemergency lane)!! The transport

A SHORT FLOW CHART OF DESIGNING A RESILIENT PLANNING STRUCTURE OF A TOWN

• Due to climate change India'surban infrastructure is exposedto multiple disasters such aserratic monsoons, increasedincidence of floods, landslides,heatwaves, etc.

• While many cities are takingmeasures to prepare against suchextreme events, a majority ofIndian cities do not includeresilience measures in theirmaster plans.

• This proves to be a majorimpediment towards Indiaachieving urban resilience.

system of a city is like the arterialsystem of our body which assures thevital blood flow. If they are blocked,death is inevitable and so is the city'stransport system.

Again, to fight against the weathervagaries, production system oremergency events, we depend highlyon energy supply, or almost all citiesof India are lacking them severely.The result is, longtime power cut,affecting the whole system of life,production and services and costingbillions of rupees in economy.

In India, many urban expansionprograms are planned in areas notecologically susceptible for built-in

development. We built high risebuildings, clearing virgin forestsonly to prepare future droughts, landsubsides and water scarcity; we builton floodable lands upsettinghydrological balance, subjecting thearea to future flood disasters (Delhi,Kolkata, Mumbai, Patna, Banaras,etc.); we built on steep hill slopes,cutting out the trees thus weakeningthe soil consolidation (Dharamsala,Dehradun, etc). No Indian citypossesses any consolidated andeffective plans to face the disasterssituation. Almost all the Master Plansof cities are devoid of appropriateresilient plans to meet the futuredisaster events originating fromtheir own actions as well as natural(a friend of mine, a high rankingplanning officer in Delhi, told methat 60% of built-up areas of the cityare non-conforming to the MasterPlan provision).

Almost all cities in India are facingtoday serious disaster situationmostly originating from climaticchanges and from man-made actionswithout backed up by anyappropriate resilient plans. India'scities are unable to resist the shockof worst disasters of the comingcentury.

– Dr. Hari Baral,Director ENVITEC, Paris


CASE STUDY

Risk on the Structural Margins

Background Thakkar Bapa Colony is a

residential and commercial area ofChembur suburb in Mumbai. It ismost famous for its shoes which aremanufactured by the localpopulation. In this area, aroundninety percent of the population aremigrants, especially from Rajasthan,Bihar and Haryana. The focus of thestudy is population living belowhigh tension wire, but duringHazard, Risk and VulnerabilityAnalysis it has been found that hightension wire is not only a singlehazard; fire due to electrocution,stampede due to congestion ofbuildings makes it more vulnerable.

MethodologyTo understand and analyze thevulnerability of this area, Birkmann

and Bogardi (BBC) model has beenused which covers the threedimensions: social, economic andenvironmental, are influenced byboth exposure and coping capacities.It is based on the model of Cardona(2004) and incorporates the aspectsof coping capacities and exposureoriginally proposed by Chambersand Bohle within vulnerability.

For this analysis, the model has beenmodified and physical vulnerabilityand human dimension have beenincluded in place of ecologicalvulnerability. Hazard andvulnerability are mutuallyconditioning situations and neithercan exist on its own.

To determine the exposure to thehazards, income earning capacity,

health, population density, andinstitutions structure are alsoconsidered.

Physical DimensionThe internal road network are pavedwith bricks, concrete or tiles, thenarrowness of these roads makespeople highly vulnerable in anydisaster situation. The internal roadsare connected to each other but thecomplex maze of these roads is likelyto make evacuation very difficult.Majority of the houses in ThakkarBapa colony are pucca with few kucchastructures. In some areas it has beennoticed that high tension wire areonly about a few meters away fromthe top of the houses. None of therespondents reported fire outbreakor electrocution event, which givesa false impression of safety.

The communities get adequatesupply of drinking water.Households have access tocommunity taps. On an average, onetap provides water to around five toten households. They havecommunity toilets which are used bymost residents. There are twocommunity toilets with a total of 24seats, twelve for men and women. Inthe monsoon season the area getswater logged. The roads around andleading to colonies get blocked withtraffic at peak hours which can createa problem during an emergency.

Economic DimensionMajority of people are engaged ininformal sector and sources of theirincome are not secure. Men aremostly daily wage laborers or selfemployed as shoe maker, hawkers,vendors, pan shops etc. Youngsters,usually, after completing their

HRVA of Thakkar Bapa colony in Tilak Nagar, Mumbai

Figure: The BBC Conceptual Framework.Source: Author, based on Bogardi/Birkmann (2004) and Cardona (1999/2001).


school till 10th also work in the samebusiness in the absence of alternatejobs. Unemployed youth is a majorconcern for this community. Due tomoderate income, most of thepopulation is under vicious circle ofdebt trap, which restricts them tosend their children to school and toavail basic services like health.

Human DimensionThe municipality school “ThakkarBapa Colony Municipality HigherSecondary Hindi School” is situatednear to the high tension wire area.The drop out ratio after 10th standardis high among girls. The absence ofsecurity on the premises makes thegirl students vulnerable to socialsecurity factors. The health status ofthe people in the study area is pooras majority of the population issuffering from tuberculosis, diabetesor some allergy. They are notsatisfied with the health facilities ofgovernment hospital, as there arefew private practitioners but povertyrestricts their options to go toprivate practitioners.

Social DimensionThe community involvement incollective action drastically reducesthe vulnerability. Internal disputesand struggles divert people’s energyand resources and social networkswill remain poor during crisis.Although, there is no overt conflict,

but there is continuous internalcompetition to access resources suchas drinking water, sanitationfacilities, etc. The members of thecommunity share their grievancesregarding facilities provided by thelocal administration, but they havenot been able to demonstratecollective action on their concerns.

ResultsA Risk matrix was prepared fordetailed analysis of the types of

hazards that Thakkar Bapa colony isexposed to and to determine issuesdue to infrastructure failure that ledto such problems.

Ethical Antithesis and UnansweredQuestionsA set of issues and questions aroseduring field visits. The concernsrevolve around the followingsubjects: Needs of the population vs.Needs of the report, listening topeople vs. Surveying, Hollowness ofopinions vs. Emptiness of technicalobservations, Subjectivity ofclassifications vs. Rigidity ofLinearity, Depiction of conflicts vs.Employer Demands. We also wantto propose a question; we believe, asdisaster managers, how we can giveback the precious time andinformation which people gaveus.

– Shailendra Rai,Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster

Management, Tata Institute of SocialSciences, Mumbai

• The Thakkar Bappa Colony is a residential and commercial area in theChembur suburb of Mumbai, India.

• A Hazard, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (HVRA) was done to mapout the various risks to which the residents of the colony are exposed to.

• The analysis was carried out using the Birkman and Bogardi modelwhich mapped the physical, economic, human and social dimensions ofthe vulnerability of the community.

• Overhanging high tension wires, narrow and congested roads, limitedemployment opportunities for youth, persistence of debt, high dropoutrate form schools and inadequate access to healthcare by residents werethe main sources of risk for the community.


URBAN RISK PROFILE

Chennai and its Urban Environmental Risks

Chennai, formerly known asMadras, is the fourth largest city

in India with a population of 4.7million. It is the capital of the TamilNadu state. It is the Gateway to SouthIndia and is about 400 years old. Likeelsewhere, the urban population inChennai has been burdened by therural ones which add on to the poorbasic infrastructure such astransportation, housing, and sewagedisposal. Poor people migrate tocities in search of better jobs andmany of them end up in slums andpavements. Although the city hasnight shelters for the poor who arehomeless, many pavement dwellersare not in a position to move fromtheir place of day-time stay to nightshelters which may be in a distantlocation.

In Chennai, rising sea levels lead tosaltwater intrusion, and added upwith it is the vertical growth of thecity and the consequent over-exploitation of groundwater. Saltwater intrusion into groundwateraquifer is so much that most peopleof Chennai do not relay ongroundwater for drinking andcooking purposes. There was apositive effect on the groundwatertable after rainwater harvesting wasmade compulsory in Chennai adecade ago. There is a need for therestoration of the BuckinghamCanal, Cooum and Adyar rivers thatpass by Chennai and empty into theBay of Bengal. Illegal sand mining,encroachments on the river banksand discharge of untreated effluentsinto the rivers result in a high levelof pollution. The rivers are a thrivingsource for mosquito and other water-borne pathogens. The rivers too helpkeep the groundwater table up intheir neighbouring areas, though

effluent chemicals leach into thegroundwater aquifer. The riverswhich were once used as waterwaysfor transporting passengers (and

even for bathing and drinking) arenow an eyesore. However, theserivers along with the vast MarinaBeach took the pressure off much ofthe 2004 devastating tsunami whichhit Chennai shore as well. Ever sincethe Chennai port was constructed bythe British, accretion takes place inits south shore on the famous Marinabeach though severe shore erosiontakes place in the Ennore side in thenorth. The Marina beach is consideredthe world's second longest beach.Pollution in the beach by slum-dwellers using the beach for opendefecation, beachgoers leavingplastic waste, and beach vendorsdisposing off their waste have alsoto be dealt with systematically.Flooding is a frequent occurrence inseveral parts of Chennai wheneverthere is heavy rainfall. Despite manystreets having storm water drainage,wastes are at times dumped intothem and the storm water drainagegets clogged. River width in severalplaces is reduced because of

River encroachments by the poor in Chennai.

• Chennai, the 4th largest city inIndia is ailed by many risks dueto its burgeoning population andcrumbling infrastructure oftransportation, housing andsewage disposal.

• Rising sea levels often lead tosaltwater intrusion into thesources of drinking water.

• Indiscriminate dumping of toxicwaste along the road,discharging untreated effluentsinto rivers and a high probabilityof drinking water contaminationhave escalated the risk profile ofthe city.

• The government authoritiesought to undertake correctivemeasures to address these criticalissues.


encroachments along the sides andthis too increases the vulnerabilityof Chennai to floods.

Pallikaranai marshland, a freshwaterswamp in the city, is the onlysurviving wetland ecosystem of thecity and is among the few and lastremaining natural wetlands of SouthIndia. This marshland also serves asa floodplain, and more it shrinksmore areas are flooded. The numberof bird species sighted in the wetlandis significant and it is comparable tothat of the Vedanthangal BirdSanctuary. Indiscriminate dumpingof toxic solid waste along the road,discharge of sewage, andconstruction of buildings, metrorailway stations and a new road haveaffected the wetland to a great extent.In 2007, the undeveloped areas in theregion were notified as a reserve

forest. Remnant forests elsewhere inthe city are within the TheosophicalSociety campus, Guindy NationalPark-IIT complex and theNanmangalam Reserve Forest. Alarge quantity of metallicsedimentation discharged intoPallikaranai from the adjoiningPerungudi dump yard is beingdeposited in the marshland, besidesa portion of the marshland itselfserving as a dump yard. This alsoresults in loss of habitat and loss ofbiodiversity in this ecologically-sensitive marshland.

Most areas in Chennai getmetropolitan water supply for alimited number of hours on alternatedays. Once in a while drainage watergets mixed with drinking water asboth the lines run parallel and thereis low pressure in the drinking water

line as water does not flow roundthe clock. When such leaks happenand water contamination occurs,people using metro water fordrinking purpose are taken ill.Efforts are under way to replace oldmetro water underground pipelinesso that such leaks are minimized.

Studies have projected thatvulnerability of the Chennai coastdue to climate change is moderate,though it is set to have a negativeimpact on economic development,ecosystem and economic activity.The increase in temperature andprolonged summer months in therecent decades are attributed toclimate change. The erosion in theEnnore coast is also attributed toclimate change.

– Dr. I. Arul Aram, AssociateProfessor of Environment Science,

Department of Chemistry, AnnaUniversity, Chennai

OUTLIERS

Urban Risks and Vulnerabilities in India

In October 2014, cyclone Hudhudtore through coastal regions of

Southern India, strikingVisakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.Videos on Youtube divulge a violentgale ripping into urban sprawl,contorting trees and assaultingbuildings. One salient videocapturing the apex of the cycloneshows torrential rain and winds ofup to 180 km/hr coalesce into anopaque mass, feigning a winterblizzard. The pseudo-Northernlandscape of these frames is betrayedonly by the silhouettes of palm trees:tall staves bent in the furor, leavesbillowing like hair. A Category 4cyclone, Hudhud claimed 84 lives inthe province, mainly fromVisakhapatnam. The damages caused

by the storm are currently estimatedat over $1.5 billion US. UnfortunatelyAndhra Pradesh is no stranger to theravages of cyclonic storms. Hudhudbecomes the eleventh cyclone to hitthe province, and the 32nd to afflictIndia since 1977, with most of thesecyclones having occurred within thepast few years. While the latestnatural calamity to hit the SouthAsian nation, its damage is smallcompared to other natural disastersoccurring in the country, withearthquakes and drought accountingfor most deaths, and floods causingthe greatest economic loss.1 The mostaffected are populations living inurban regions of the country, withthe poor disproportionatelyvulnerable. The video footage casts

the disaster as an inevitable, andimpersonal, event.

As India hastens industrializationand becomes more rapidlyurbanized, weather events will posean even greater threat to mortalityand national economy. India housesa sixth of the world's population on1/50th of the world's land and 1/25th

of the world's water. While fortypercent of the world's naturaldisasters occur within Asia, thecontinent is burdened with 80% ofall natural disaster deathsworldwide.2 These are grim statistics.Not only is India at a geographicdisadvantage, its institutional andsocial frameworks make itparticularly vulnerable.

1 Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters2 Bush, K. (2011). Impacts of Climate Change on Public Health in India: Future Research Directions. Environmental Health

Perspectives, 119(6), 766.


• India's geographical conditions and its weak institutional frameworkspose serious challenges to achieving resilience for its urban centres.

• Climate change has added another layer of complexity and escalatedthe country's vulnerability to multiple hazards.

• There is a need of domestic and community based efforts to combatthis vulnerability in an inclusive manner.

In the 2001 Third Assessment Reportby the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change, it was determinedthat within the past five decadesglobal warming had beensignificantly aggravated by humanactivities. The highest levels ofglobal greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions are currently produced bydeveloped nations. GHG haveadversely effected changes in climatethat are already experiencedworldwide. However, theconsequences of this excess is mostlyfelt in developing countries and isexpected to worsen in these regions,of which India is one. These regionsalready suffer overpopulation,insufficient infrastructure, high ratesof disease, and limited resources. Thesocial fabric of developing countriesis additionally fraught with culturalinequalities- in India specifically thatof caste, religion, and gender, as wellas civil unrest and conflict- that makeclimate change a complex,multilayered, and political problem.

An increase in GHG is correlatedwith more volatile climate events.Urban areas are at a substantiallyhigher risk to these natural disastersthan rural regions. The UnitedNations' World UrbanizationProspects 2014 edition projects that66% of the global population willreside within urban centres by 2050.This necessitates the urgent need toadapt existing infrastructures asalready high population densities inexpanding cities create structuralpoverty. An integral component ofthis are urban risk assessments.

Assessing urban risk is a nuancedpractice that takes into consideration

institutional frameworks, hazards,and socioeconomic fabrics. Urbanhazards related to climate changeinclude: rises in sea-level resultingin erosion and saline intrusion; stormsurges which wreak havoc oninfrastructure; heavy rainfall thatleads to flooding and increasedincidence of diseases such asmalaria3; heat island effect caused bythe retention of heat by pavedsurfaces; reduction of wateravailability; and finally, an increasein air pollutants from factories,businesses, residences, and vehicles.4

The profile of a city will determineits vulnerability5 and contributes toits resilience. Basic assumptions ofrisk can be inferred through citytypology; coastal, dryland, inland,and high altitude cities face uniquechallenges. For instance, as a coastalcity, Visakhapatnam is situated onlow-lying land and this increases itsrisk from a rise in sea level. It is alsoreadily exposed to storm surges.

The coping capacity and adaptationof a community is correlated withincome, geography, housing type,and insurance policy. This places theurban poor as most at risk as theyare forced to settle on the outskirtsof cities that are frequently the mosthazard-prone.6 This demographic haslow income, unsafe housing, limitedaccess to city services, andinadequate access to socialinstitutions. These conditions aresymptoms of the larger societalissues of identity politics7 that mustbe addressed simultaneously forlong-term sustainability to beachieved.

In order to effectively combat urbanvulnerabilities to natural disasters,efforts have to be largely domesticand community-led. Urban centersmust adhere to higher standards inplanning and safety. In the July 2014issue of Southasiadisasters.net, HariBaral, Director of ENVITEC Paris,France offers the first steps towardsmore emboldened cities, suggestingthe SWOT analysis of urban fringes.The rigorous implementation of thissimple tool would locate those atgreatest risk quickly and efficiently.The dissemination of informationregarding the causes of naturaldisasters to all demographics,especially those with historicallyrestricted access to such knowledgeand information systems, is crucialto building more resilientcommunities.

In the recent coverage of Hudhud,there was a focus missing on howpoor communities within theaffected areas will be impacted in theaftermath of the cyclone. Thesentiment seems to be that thecyclone favored no one,disadvantaging the rich and the pooralike. A quick Google search rendersmany photographs of eschewedcarcasses of buildings, torn metalskeletons that emphasize the violentpower of the storm against anindustrial city. Media coverage of thedevastation to residences in poorcommunities would draw attentionto their general exclusion in policy-making and city planning, holdingthe potential and promise ofinstigating action.

– Kasia Knap, AIDMI

3 Ibid, 767.4 Urban Development & Local

Government Unit of the World Bank(2010). Understanding Urban Risk: AnApproach for Assessing Disaster &Climate Risk in Cities. 8.

5 Ibid, 7.6 Ibid, 2.7 Ahmed, S., & Fajber, E. (2009).

Engendering adaptation to climatevariability in Gujarat, India. Gender andDevelopment, 17(1), 34.


STATE URBAN RISK PROFILE

Urban Resilience in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is one of the largeststates of India. About 22 percent

of states' population resides in urbancenters. There has been 30 percentincrease in the number of towns andcities during 2001 to 2011. There are630 urban local bodies in the stateviz. 13 Municipal Corporations, 193Nagar Palika Parishads, and 424Nagar Panchayats. The populationgrowth and the demographic shiftfrom rural to urban areas arechallenging the urban governancesystem and for other actors toprovide the basic civic services to theurban dwellers. Growing urbanizationis posing serious environmentalconcerns in India in terms ofchanging land use pattern, increasingcarbon emissions, solid wastegeneration and disposal, air andwater pollution and poor sanitationamenities.

The large segments of the westernand eastern region of the state isreported to be high to moderate earthquake risk zone. Out of 13 MunicipalCorporations, 5 MunicipalCorporations fall under high seismiczone, 6 Municipal Corporations inmoderate seismic risk zone, and 2Municipal Corporations are in lowand very low seismic risk zones. Alarge segment of urban populationin the state resides in slums, periurban areas, squatters and informalsettlements. These settlements areoften located in low laying areasprone to direct and indirect risks dueto environmental degradation.Natural disasters that are ofsignificance in Uttar Pradesh areFloods, Droughts, Fires andEarthquakes. Of the various naturaldisasters floods are the mostcommonly occurring in UttarPradesh, Moreover, overexploitation of ground waterresources in urban centers for

quenching the thirst of increasingurban population, changing lifestyle,and water uses for various purposesis cause of concern. Due tounregulated housing and buildingconstruction, lack of proper drainageand sewer network and alsoineffective functioning of seweragesystem, urban centers are at highrisks .The blockage and choking indrainage sever system leads to waterlogging and flash flood in urbancenters. Increasing urbanization,expansion of habitat into unsuitablevulnerable areas, higher populationdensity, higher housing density,vulnerable housing and buildingsconstruction, non engineered unsafeconstruction, and aging buildingsand other infrastructure are some ofthe factors that have increased thevulnerability of hazards anddisasters in urban areas. Theaccelerated and uncontrolled urbangrowth has contributed to theecological transformation of the

cities and their immediatesurroundings resulting in flashfloods and water scarcity.

Strategic urban planning directlysupports urban resilience as a toolfor sustainable development. Urbanlocal governments must activelycoordinate and mainstreammitigation, adaption and resilienceinto urban planning process toprepare cities to deal with climaticrisks and impacts. Strong urbanplanning can promote resilience byensuring optimal use of space,energy and natural resources.Flexible and adaptable climatechange planning processes arecrucial .Decentralized and improvedurban governance is important forpractical implementation ofresilience and sustainabilitystrategies. Public-privatepartnerships are an important andeffective means of leveragingstakeholder expertise and formingpartnerships for greater communitybenefits. Municipal bodies often donot have appropriate data to addressplanning needs and development.Advanced mapping, visual andspatial technologies can promoteeffective resource allocation andresilience strategies in cities. In orderto ensure disaster resilientdevelopment in cities, there is a needfor better inter-agency coordinationacross ministries and departmentssuch as urban development , housing,water resources, environment,transport, home/internal affairs,power, communications, municipalgovernance amongst others atnational, state and local levels alongwith many non-governmentalorganizations and civil society.

– Dr. A.K. Singh,Assistant Director, Regional Centre for

Urban and Environmental Studies,Lucknow

• As one of the largest states ofIndia, Uttar Pradesh (UP) facesmajor challenges of urban resiliencedue to its growing population,indiscriminate urbanization,poor sanitation facilities, carbonemissions, solid wastegeneration and disposal, etc.

• Effective urban governance isthe foundation of urbanresilience for a state like UPwhere disasters like floods,droughts, fires and earthquakesare frequent.

• Building effective urbanresilience necessitates effectiveresource allocation, use ofadvanced mapping technologies,improved inter-agencycoordination, etc.


GLOBAL INITIATIVES

Lima to Delhi: What can be Learned on UrbanResilience?Fast-growing cities and urban

areas in the global South can bevulnerable because they lack the webof structures and institutions thatenable more long-established citiesto mitigate risks and, when a disasterdoes strike, to bounce back quickly.But thanks to many newtechnologies, and some smart newthinking, it is possible to bringresilience to even the poorest andmost deprived urban communities.

The essence of resilience is to buildinto plans and daily activities acommunity's ability to weather anydisaster, small or large. All cities,rich or poor, can experience a disasterof some sort, be it weather, civilunrest, war, earthquakes, shortages, oreconomic, financial and health crises.New technologies make it possiblefor all cities, no matter how poor andovercrowded, to build in urbanresilience. The ubiquity of mobilephones introduces a powerful cityand urban planning tool. Mappingchaotic and unplanned areas isalready underway in many cities of theglobal South (in Brazil and Kenya forexample) (http://tinyurl.com/qgba8kb).

Impressively, innovators in the Southare using affordable micro-electronics in the form of mobilephones and laptops to gather data andmap it. This computing capabilitywas once the sole domain of biginformation technology companies

such as IBM. Now, a single laptopcomputer combined with asmartphone equipped with the rightsoftware can manage a large urbanarea, a task that once required roomsfull of computers. The data can thenbe used to manage growth today andre-build after a disaster. Any excusenot to be resilient has been wipedout with this technological leap.

But how to deal with the commonreality of feeling overwhelmed bythe many obstacles to rationalplanning and building for urbangrowth in the South? Innovatorshave stepped in to take matters intotheir own hands with simpleconstruction technologies as thesolution. One example is the Moladisystem of recycled plastic moulds(moladi.net). Anybody can masterthis simple building technique, as themortar-filled moulds are designed tofit easily together to construct anearthquake-resistant, beautiful home.This approach has the advantage ofbypassing the failings of authoritiesto enforce building codes andstandards in poor, urbancommunities, creating safer places tolive and preventing the growth ofunregulated shanty towns at risk tofire and earthquakes.

Others have found social ways toorganize people, even in the mostdesperate of conditions, providingservices and laying down the

groundwork for an upgrading of anurban area to improve living conditionsand long-term opportunities. Theconcept of 'cities for all' has inspiredmany to re-energize civicorganizations and networking inpoor areas to ensure they are not leftout of economic growth. InColombia, a famous example of thisis the escalator in the city ofMedellin, which connects a hillsideslum to the centre of the city, openingup economic opportunities to all(http://tinyurl.com/nm47d3u).

Still more exciting, new technologiesare in the works to simplifyconstruction of major infrastructureand new buildings. A future city willbe able to gather extensive data onan expanding urban area, makedetailed development plans witharchitects and engineers, and then haverobots and 3D fabricating machinesquickly lay down infrastructure anderect buildings. Sounds far-fetched?Well, in China one company recentlyused a 3D machine to make 10 housesin a single day (http://www.yhbm.com/index.aspx).

An infographic from SouthernInnovator's fourth issue (http://tinyurl.com/m9vfwur) shows 10ways any urban area - either plannedor unplanned - can build in resilience.All are proven approaches from citiesin the global South.

Southern Innovator's upcomingsixth issue will explore the interplayof science, technology andinnovation in the global South andhow people are making the most of21st century advances to increasewealth and improve humandevelopment. Hopefully, all of thisinnovation will lead to moreresilient cities in the future!

– David South,Editor, Southern Innovator, UNOSSC

• New technologies are helping cities of the global south to bring in the poorestand most deprived urban communities under the umbrella of resilience.

• Use of affordable forms of micro-electronics such as mobile phonesand laptops are helping innovators in the global south to build theresilience of cities.

• The use of Moladi system of recycled plastic moulds for building houses,use of escalators to connect hill side slums to city centres, use of 3Dprinters to build houses, etc. all point to the promising innovationsfor resilient cities.


CASE STUDY

Sericulture – A Potential but Vulnerable Sourceof Livelihood in Flood-prone Dhemaji Assam

Sericulture is the cultivation of silkthrough rearing of silkworm. It

is an agro-based industry. It involvesthe raising of food plants forsilkworm, rearing of silk worm forproduction of cocoons reeling andspinning of cocoon for production ofyarn etc. for value added benefits suchas processing and weaving.1

Sericulture is of great traditionalvalue in Assam. Muga silk is goldenyellow in color and an exclusiveproduct of India, primarily the stateof Assam where it is the preferredattire during festivities. Muga silk issecreted by Antheraea assama thatfeeds on aromatic leaves of naturallygrowing Som (Persia bombycina) andSualu (Litsea polyantha) plants.

The demands for outputs are not onlylocal but are of export value. Asection of population in Assam isassociated with this occupation as asecondary source of livelihood andin certain cases even primary. The silkworms used for production of the silkcan grow suitably in the agro-climaticsituation prevalent in the State.Though the different risks associatedwith this occupation have largely

been responsible for its limitedgrowth expansion. The underlinedrisks can be analyzed as under:1. Vulnerability to hailstorms: This is

a potential hazard to 'silkwormbreeding' in the months of March-April. These two months are oneamongst three productive seasonsfor silkworm breeding and theusually experiences occasionalhailstorms in this period of time.Even a single instance has thepotential to destroy the worms.

2. Vulnerability to sand casting: Thedistrict lies on the banks a numberof tributaries to Brahmaputra riversystem. These rivers carry withthem heavy silt and sand erodedfrom the deforested uppercatchment areas of ArunachalPradesh. This takes the form ofsand casting in the plains afterflooding. Sand casting in the 'Som'and other silkworm feeding treeplanted areas leads to the death ofthe trees which in turn affectsbreeding of silkworms.

3. Vulnerability to Air pollution: Thesilkworms’ breeding is also highly

1 http://218.248.11.68/textilehandloom/PDF/SericultureActivities_Orissa.pdf

affected due to air pollution.Dhemaji also harbors a few teaestates and private tea plantationsowned by individuals wherechemical pesticides are used. Theplantation where pesticide spray isdone in the month of March-Apriladversely affects the breeding ofsilk worms. Particular affects arefound in their size and quality ofsilk produced.

These factors affect the motivationand association of communities withthis occupation which is still in thenature of secondary rather supple-mentary nature. Muga silk productsin particular which are unique toAssam are costly commodities andhave higher demands in the nationalmarket too. Dhemaji harbors thepotential of escalating this industryas a measure to increase environmentfriendly and sustainable livelihoodsupplementing community resilienceto different hazards with properpreventive measures, risk transfermechanisms and promotion.

– Sonali Das, AIDMI

• The Indian State of Assam isextremely prone to the adverseimpacts of Climate Change.

• Traditional livelihoods likeSericulture are an importantcommunity based adaptationmeasures that need to bepromoted in the state.

• However, a changing climate andenhanced vulnerability of disastersthreaten Sericulture in Assam.

• The onus is upon the governmentto devise the appropriatepreventive measures and risktransfer mechanisms to ensure thelongevity of Sericulture in Assam.

Phot

o: A

IDM

I.


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Editorial Advisors:

Anshuman SaikiaRegional Programme Support CoordinatorARO, IUCN (International Union for Conservation ofNature), Thailand

Denis NkalaRegional Coordinator, South-South Cooperation andCountry Support (Asia-Pacific), United NationsDevelopment Programme, New York

Ian DavisVisiting Professor in Disaster Risk Management inCopenhagen, Lund, Kyoto and Oxford BrookesUniversities

Madhavi Malalgoda AriyabanduInternational Strategy for Risk Reduction (ISDR) –South Asia, Sri Lanka

Mihir R. BhattAll India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MD, MPHThe University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell,New York, USA

T. Nanda KumarChairman, National Dairy Development Board(NDDB), Anand, Gujarat, India

ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE411 Sakar Five, Near Natraj Cinema, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad–380 009 India. Tele/Fax: +91-79-2658 2962E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.aidmi.org, www.southasiadisasters.net

AIDMI is delighted to receive generous support of UNICEF (India) towards this issue.

30th Annual Meeting

Working together in the field for effectivehumanitarian response

ALNAP’s 30th Annual Meeting took place in Berlin,Germany from 3 to 4 March 2015. Held over two days, this

meeting focussed on taking stock and sharing experiences and bestpractice on collaborative and inter-organisational approaches foreffective humanitarian response at the field and country level.

The issue of coordination became more pressing as the number of humanitarian actors hasincreased and a combination of factors – climate change, urbanisation and population growthamong others – have led to responses becoming larger and more complex.

The last decade has seen a variety of approaches to improved coordination and collaboration.Among these initiatives, there are many success stories, as well as a number of significantchallenges. With the projected growth in humanitarian needs, coordination and collaborationcan be expected to become even more important in the years ahead.

for more information: http://www.alnap.org/what-we-do/effectiveness/meeting-2015

INFORMATION SHARING

Documents

March 2015 southasiadisasters.net 1 · achieving urban resilience. system of a city is like the arterial system of our body which assures the vital blood flow. If they are blocked,