Socio–Economic Impact of Urban Flooding in one of the low-lying areas of Surat in light of e-governance and Social Engineering

Abstract

Flood is natural catastrophes that lead to massive damage to properties and lives. Its impact on socio-economic aspects has been highly recorded over the last two decades. Social and active learning efforts, such as flood monitoring through e-governance and Self Help Group’s (SHGs) social engineering method, effective cooperation by allowing stakeholders to talk about issues of common interest in a spirit of mutual trust and ownership, as well as breaking down information exchange obstacles. Here, we have emphasized the social impact of the low-lying area of Surat city in the context of e-governance and social engineering. In communities defined by changing climate, local economies, and demography, social and active learning through SHGs helps build an ability to manage complex socio-economic-political and environmental concerns. Using the Kadarshah Naal SHGs as a case study, we examined the SHGs framework as a catalyst for altering practices toward collaborative working and aiding the transition to more sustainable urban floods and their control. This study is collected on real-time basis data from urban flooding as a case study where the improvement in urban flood resiliency has been observed with the formation of the Kadarshah Naal SHGs. A socio-economic survey was carried out to evaluate the impact of the integration of SHGs with the urban local body (ULB) on resiliency. The study has found that the alone approach of e-governance of ULB was ineffective for faster and speedy resiliency but with the integration of SHGs, the resiliency is better. These SHGs have strengthened the peoples’ bonding and provided leverage to the ULB for handling the flood situation with disparities in viewpoints and behaviors. These SHGs have helped to reframe the tacit knowledge of handling emergency situation through social engineering approach. The Kadarshah Naal SHGs' social learning has pushed the members to move away from traditional "siloed" activities and responsibilities and provided a platform to have an integrated and inclusive approach to developing common visions and working toward urban flood resilience.