Evaluating social vulnerability of people inhabiting a tropical coast in Kerala, south west coast of India

Abstract

Coastal Social Vulnerability Index (CSoVI) studies have drawn considerable attention in recent years due to its significance in identifying the spatial variation of socially vulnerable people inhabiting the coast. CSoVI provides a comparative spatial assessment of human capacity to respond to coastal hazards. The present study is an attempt to compute CSoVI for the coast of Thiruvananthapuram, which is densely populated and beset with several problems. This coast stretches for 75 km covering nine panchayats and two urban centers with an average population density of 3119 persons/km2. CSoVI has been defined in this study in terms of eleven quantifiable variables, comprising four demographic, three economic, and four infrastructural variables. Social Vulnerability Index (CSoVI) of each coastal panchayats has been computed after adding the factor scores of extracted four PCs placed in an additive model after adjusting their cardinality on social vulnerability. The study reveals that about 25% (19 km) of the coastline in Thiruvananthapuram is high socially vulnerable. Medium Social Vulnerability is found in three local bodies of the coast and covered 55% (41 km) of the coastline. Low Social Vulnerability is observed for about 20% (15 km) of the coastline. It is expected the findings of this study will be useful for the concerned departments, Trivandrum Corporation, and coastal panchayats of Thiruvananthapuram district in framing out various strategies for disaster risk reduction and resilience increase in the coast.