Disaster risk assessment management - implications to urban development and agriculture - experience from Kosovo

Abstract

The level of integration of DRAM into spatial planning is limited in Kosovo despite the fact that Kosovo has experienced several floods, earthquakes, landslides, and avalanches. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) through its Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme (MuSPP) funded by Swedish Government (Sida) is supporting different partner municipalities towards improving the effectiveness of the spatial planning efforts in Kosovo. UN-HABITAT has supported the municipality of Ferizaj, Kosovo for retrofitting DRAM in Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Urban Development Plan (UDP) as such aspect was not incorporated within MDP or UDP. The activities conducted were: discussions between central and local institutions, examination of laws and practices on DRAM in Kosovo; creation of Spatial Information Database for DRAM analysis; providing trainings to municipal counterparts; implementation of disaster surveys; conducting hazard mapping by using geographic information system (GIS) tool and drafting DRAM document for retrofitting MDP and UDP. The project implications of disasters to urban and rural areas are new urban developments, protection of agriculture land from impact of disasters: flooding, storm-hails, erosions and pollution which cause significant implications to agriculture land and food security and environment.