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Assessing the resilience of Delhi to climate-related disasters: a comprehensive approach

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Abstract

The study addresses disaster risks in Delhi through a resilience approach. It utilizes the Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) tool, which assesses disaster resilience from five dimensions: physical, social, economic, institutional, and natural. Each dimension comprises 5 parameters, and each parameter consists of 5 variables. The study is carried out in the nine revenue districts of Delhi and reveals that East Delhi is least resilient and New Delhi is most resilient. The CDRI analysis in East Delhi points out the urgent need to focus on key parameters such as housing and land use, population, intensity and frequency of natural hazards, ecosystem services, and land use in natural terms. On the other hand, New Delhi is the most resilient due to all five dimensions, where most significant parameters responsible for its high resilience are housing and land use, population, income, employment, intensity and frequency of natural hazards, ecosystem services, and land use in natural terms. In addition, the overall results of all nine districts show an inverse relationship between resilience score and population density. For example, districts with higher population density show low resilience and vice versa. Moreover, districts located on hazard-prone areas show low resilience. For example, East Delhi and North East Delhi scored low resilience because they both are situated on the Yamuna flood catchment areas. The study further develops key suggestions that are required to address disaster risk in all nine districts of Delhi and discusses future implications of CDRI to address city’s vulnerability. The approach’s distinctness is reflected through its consideration of micro-level diversities and presents some implications to resilience.

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Acknowledgments

The first author acknowledges the guidance and support of his supervisor in carrying out this study. He is thankful to the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho: MEXT) for scholarship support for the study in Delhi, India. In addition, the first author received support in India from Dr. Anshu Sharma of SEEDS, India, and Ms. Abha Mishra of UNDP, India. The first author would also like to thank the District Project Officers and Project Coordinators of Delhi Government for valuable contribution in data collection. Finally, the first author acknowledges Kyoto University’s Environmental Management Leader Program (EML) under which the author is pursuing his doctoral course.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto, 6068501, Japan

    Sunil Prashar, Rajib Shaw & Yukiko Takeuchi

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  1. Sunil Prashar
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  2. Rajib Shaw
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  3. Yukiko Takeuchi
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Correspondence to Sunil Prashar.

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Prashar, S., Shaw, R. & Takeuchi, Y. Assessing the resilience of Delhi to climate-related disasters: a comprehensive approach. Nat Hazards 64, 1609–1624 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0320-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0320-4

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