Socioeconomic Vulnerability Assessment: A Case Study of Flood Prone Urban Communities of Pakistan

Abstract

Urban flooding has become a regular phenomenon in many cities in the developing countries over the past years. Pakistan is also facing severe urban flooding in recent years. Socioeconomic vulnerability is essential for reducing disaster risk. The main objective of this study is to assess the socioeconomic vulnerability of flood prone urban areas of Pakistan. Based on high flood risk zones classification by National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan, three urban centres with different population size (metropolitan, medium city and town) were chosen as a case study. Household survey was conducted, and indices were developed for using on well-defined indicators. A sample size of 210 were collected. The methodology for socioeconomic vulnerability assessment was tested and found operational. The households from medium town were found to be more vulnerable as compared to other two communities. This method can be replicated irrespective of spatial scales, and can be modified for other disasters by streamlining hazard specific indicators.