Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk: The Pakistan Context

Abstract

In this chapter an attempt has been to highlight the concept of hazard, vulnerability, capacity and risk. These disaster terminologies were discussed taking help from the latest available literature. All these concepts have been supported with examples from the real world situations. Additionally, various tools and techniques have been discussed for carrying out hazard, vulnerability and risk assessment and management. The chapter also elaborated the hazard profile of Pakistan, which specifically focuses on the frequently occurring hazards such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, drought, GLOF, cyclones, heat waves etc. In Pakistan, the massive 2005 earthquake was a turning point in disaster risk management system. As Pakistan has a long history of natural hazards and almost every year, the impacts of disasters put extra pressure on the country budget. Looking to the transition in economic system, the importance of disaster risk reduction (DRR) was realized and the national disaster management commission (NDMC) was established in 2006 to proactively respond to disasters. In this regard, national disaster management authority (NDMA), a focus body was assigned a task to implement policies, strategies and programs of disaster risk reduction. Eventually, national disaster risk management framework (NDRMF) was developed in 2007, which provides guidelines for all the key stakeholders and in 2013 national disaster risk reduction policy (NDRRP) was developed. However, there is a need of sustainable socio-economic and environmental development to properly mainstream DRR into policies and programs and especially to cater the poor and marginalized people of the country. To make the country more resilient, to a wide range of disasters, there is an emergent and consist need of enhancement in social, physical, economic and institutional capacity both at national and local level.