Ecosystem Based Approaches-Disaster Proofing Indias Urban Sprawls
Published: Jan 10, 2020
Photo Courtesy: Karl Janisse
Indian cities are choking with unprecedented concentration of urban dwellers. The rapidly growing Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities are vulnerable to disasters, but still holds scope of disaster proofing. The skyline of Nagpur City clearly show dense clusters of dwellings with a clear lack of open spaces.
Abstract: India is undergoing rapid urban expansion. With increasing population, rapid development and infrastructure growth, urban sprawls are the new hotspots of disaster. The article focuses on the Tier II city of Nagpur, which is being developed as a Smart City. The urban areas of the city have been facing recent water/climate challenges and it is pertinent to explore the future of this city in the backdrop of increasing urban disasters.
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Disaster risk reduction is the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyse and reduce the causal factors of disasters.It aims to reduce damage caused by natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, droughts and cyclones, through prevention.
Earthflow, is a sheet or stream of soil and rock material saturated with water and flowing downslope under the pull of gravity; it represents the intermediate stage between creep and mudflow.
It is a term coined by Essam El-Hinnawi, which describes “people who have been forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily or permanently, because of a marked environmental disruption (natural and/or triggered by people) that jeopardises their existence and/or seriously effects the quality of their life”.
A geologic hazard is an extreme natural event that occurs within the crust of the earth and poses a threat to life and property, for example, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis (tidal waves) and landslides.
A atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage (includes tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, hailstorms, tornados, blizzards, heavy snowfall, avalanches, coastal storm surges, floods including flash floods, drought, heatwaves
and cold spells).