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To reduce disaster risk and hazard exposure at city level the sustainable development goals outlined Resilient Cities under one of its objectives. The initiative called upon local governments to develop disaster risk reduction plan outlining strategy for disaster management and preparedness. The report attempts to address disaster risk at ward level in Pune city by identifying hazard exposure, its vulnerability and coping capacity of people and intuitions using participatory and comprehensive reporting mechanism by the means of GIS mapping and smartphone application.
The components of disaster risk reduction such as hazard exposure, vulnerability and coping capacity were studied. The study involved developing an overall risk matrix for the ward by combining risk scores of three hazards viz. Earthquake risk, Fire risk and flood risk. By further breaking down the risk into the three components of DRR, individual parameters were built and quantified. Data was collected through secondary and primary surveys which involved live reporting of location-based data through the mobile application iNagrik. The risk assessment revealed the ward is at moderate to low risk for hazards such as earthquakes and fire and for floods the degree of risk is low. Challenges such non-compliance of building codes, inadequate safety drills and absence capacity building mechanism at individual and institutional level were recognized and addressed. The study concludes by recommending a three-prong strategy to tackle each risk by providing design and policy interventions at ward level thus increasing the coping capacity and preparedness. A ward risk report will be designed which would form a baseline for all DRR activities and programmes at city level.
Key words: Disaster Risk Reduction, Ward Risk, Urban Resilience, Resilient Cities
