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An Introduction to Vulnerability

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In the previous post we learned about Gender aware development planning The theoretical aspects of vulnerability and vulnerability analysis are covered in this post.

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Vulnerability and hazard
  3. Vulnerability of Places
  4. Social vulnerability
  5. Gender and age  
  6. Tribals
  7. Vulnerability and risk
  8. Linking sustainable development, risk and vulnerability
  9. Coping Capacity
  10. Adaptive Capacity
  11. Building resilient livelihoods

Introduction

The word "vulnerability" is used to describe a wide range of concepts and circumstances. It is used by experts in computer systems to evaluate potential dangers to a piece of software, hardware, or system. It is used by experts in the development sector to comprehend poverty. Vulnerability aids disaster researchers in understanding the dangers that regions or populations face from a catastrophic hazard. Therefore, it is important to understand the complexity of vulnerability (Bohle, 2002a, 2002b). In a variety of disciplines, including disaster management, environmental change research, and development studies, the idea of vulnerability is widely accepted. The description of vulnerability that best captures its multifaceted qualities in our situation is provided below.
Vulnerability is an intrinsic predisposition to be affected by or to be susceptible to damage; that means vulnerability represents the system or the community’s physical, economic, social or political susceptibility to damage as the result of a hazardous event of natural or anthropogenic origin (Cardona, 2004a,b).

Vulnerability and hazard 

A word that is frequently used in disaster science study is vulnerability. For a number of years, research into disasters centred on developing technology solutions for hazard prediction and mitigation. For instance, river systems were researched in order to gauge the severity of floods. As a means of preventing (or decreasing) damage caused by floods, technical interventions to reduce flooding were implemented, such as the construction of reservoirs, the redirection of river flows, or the construction of barriers to reduce flooding. If not anticipated (or averted, if feasible), natural calamities like cyclones, earthquakes, forest fires, and volcanic eruptions were considered to be potentially devastating events.

Vulnerability of Places

Studying patterns in the frequency of dangers like cyclones, floods, and other natural catastrophes over both space and time has been one technique of disaster prediction. Regional differences in the risks of particular natural hazards are significant. For instance, low-lying locations near water are more likely to experience floods. In India, low-lying areas near major river systems like the Ganga and Brahmaputra are frequently flooded. Because of the shape of the Bay of Bengal, the east coast of India experiences more cyclones than the west coast. In comparison to older mountains like the Western Ghats or Satpudas, the Himalayan region, which is relatively young in terms of geology, experiences more earthquakes.

Droughts are happening more frequently in central India as a result of the planet's warming and drier climate. Some areas are more at risk than others for geological, topographical, and climatic reasons. People who reside there are therefore more vulnerable. A location's susceptibility can be determined by analysing historical event trends. India's flood risk maps display places that are more and less likely to experience flooding. Scientists studying earthquakes have divided India's regions into high- and low-risk areas. By being aware of a location's risks, suitable preventive steps can be taken. High-risk flood zones may be designated as no-development areas. In places with a high risk of earthquakes, building specifications can be created for housing that is earthquake-resistant. These precautions aid in reducing the impact of disasters on those living in risk areas.

Social vulnerability

Our understanding of calamity is constrained by a technical perspective. Natural occurrences include cyclones, earthquakes, fires, and many others. Since the beginning of time, they have occurred on earth. Their occurrence alone cannot be considered a catastrophe. The (then) UN SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan put it very clearly in 2003, saying that “hazards only become disasters when people’s lives and livelihoods are swept away”.  Thus, even in natural calamities, there is a significant social component. In the 1970s, social scientists developed the idea of societal vulnerability in an effort to counter the predominately hazard-focused understanding of catastrophe risk (Schneiderbauer and Ehrlich, 2004). The alternative paradigm of using vulnerability as the starting point for risk reduction has been challenging the dominance of hazard-oriented prediction methodologies based on technological interventions since the 1980s.

Disasters are better understood as the result of the complex interaction between a potentially harmful physical event (such as floods, droughts, fires, earthquakes, storms, etc.) and the vulnerability of a society, including its infrastructure, economy, and environment, which are all influenced by human behaviour. For instance, an urban slum with improvised housing, a high population density, and inadequate infrastructure might sustain significant damage from an earthquake. But in a wealthy civilization with sturdy homes, fewer people, and greater infrastructure capable of withstanding the earthquake, the same water will rarely have any impact. This vulnerability method combines the vulnerability of individuals and groups with their capacity to withstand potential harm on a social, economic, and cultural level (Hilhorst and Bankoff, 2004). According to some authors, societal vulnerability refers to human sensitivity and the circumstances required for their survival and adaptation.

On the concept of social vulnerability, Cannon et al. (2003) argue that social vulnerability is much more than the likelihood of buildings collapsing and infrastructure being damaged. They describe social vulnerability as a set of characteristics that includes a person’s 
  • “initial well-being (nutritional status, physical and mental health) 
  • livelihood and resilience (assets and capitals, income and qualifications) 
  • Self-protection (capability and willingness to build a safe home, use a safe site) 
  • social protection (preparedness and mitigation measures) 
  • social and political networks and institutions (social capital, institutional environment and the like)”.

Gender and age  

Women continue to experience a variety of pressures in all societies, often more so than men. In all dangerous situations, women face considerably greater dangers than do men. Women, for instance, are more vulnerable to flooding than men because of the attire they wear and because they are unable to swim. Additionally, they frequently have children under their care and cannot abandon them in catastrophic situations. Because they are unable to react quickly to potential risks, young children, the elderly, and those with disabilities are more at risk during disasters.

Tribals

India has 67 tribes that are considered to be extremely vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs). These are predominantly pre-agricultural groups that have largely avoided contact with other populations. To shield kids from the dangers posed by a world that is changing quickly, extra precautions are taken. Indian law recognises these tribes' rights to self-determination, access to land, water, and forests.

Vulnerability and risk

Incorporating knowledge from the social and environmental sciences, the United National Development Programme (UNDP) defines vulnerability as
“A human condition or process resulting from physical, social, economic and environmental factors, which determine the likelihood and scale of damage from the impact of a given hazard. (UNDP, 2004)”
When compared to "hazard" and "vulnerability," the term "risk" can be interpreted as the result of how "hazard" and "vulnerability" interact.

Pressure and Release Model 

The pressure and release model (PAR model) sees tragedy as the meeting point of two powerful forces: the natural hazard occurrence and the processes that lead to vulnerability.

The PAR method emphasises how natural catastrophes happen when they affect vulnerable populations. The conceptual framework emphasises the possibility of viewing vulnerability and the emergence of a possible disaster as a process involving escalating pressure on the one hand and possibilities for pressure relief on the other. The PAR strategy is based on the widely used

used equation: 

Risk = Hazard X Vulnerability 
In this context, vulnerability is defined in three progressive levels: 
1. root causes, 
2. dynamic pressures 
3. and unsafe conditions

Linking sustainable development, risk and vulnerability 

The necessity of integrating risk and vulnerability reduction into sustainable development is stressed in international discussions (conferences, treaties, and conventions) and reports, such as the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, the UN/ISDR report "Living with risk" (UN/ISDR, 2004: 15), and the UNDP report "Reducing disaster risk" (UNDP, 2004). Therefore, it's crucial to comprehend the connections and distinctions between sustainable development and risk and vulnerability reduction.

The need for systematic integration of catastrophe risk reduction initiatives into policies, strategies, and programmes for sustainable development is now widely acknowledged on a global scale. The goals of disaster risk reduction, good governance, poverty reduction, and sustainable development are all mutually beneficial. (UN, 2005)

In the context of lowering disaster risk, the word resilience is commonly employed. Resilience can also be thought of as vulnerability's opposite in specific situations. The ability of a system to maintain its fundamental functions and structures in the face of shocks and perturbations—and to continue supplying resources and ecosystem services that are vital for human livelihoods—is generally recognised as a point of agreement (Adger et al., 2005; Allenby and Fink, 2005).

For instance, numerous organisations are attempting to ensure that farming systems are climate change-resistant and can continue to produce enough food to meet humankind's fundamental requirements. Finding and growing food crops that can endure climatic changes would be the intervention in this scenario. To ensure that farmers can continue farming even inclement weather, it is also vital to develop agricultural techniques with them.

According to the definition of resilience, a system or unit is able to adapt and learn if it can mobilise enough self-organization to maintain critical structures and processes during a coping or adaptation process. Examples of such systems include social systems, ecosystems, and human-environmental systems.

Coping Capacity

Coping capacity is defined as 
“The level of resources and the way people or organisations use these resources and abilities to face adverse consequences of a disaster”. (The DIPECHO programme: Reducing the impact of disasters, 2004).
One sign of coping, for instance, is when individuals have a sufficient surplus of food grains in case they are impacted by drought conditions that cause crop failure. When an epidemic like malaria or dengue strikes, having access to healthcare facilities can be a crucial coping mechanism.

Adaptive capacity

A system's ability to adapt to a changing environment is referred to as adaptive capacity. The concept of adaptive capacity is used in relation to both natural and human social systems. People who are familiar with historic varieties of drought-resistant crops, for instance, are well-equipped to handle drought risks. Fishing communities frequently have gathered and passed down over centuries an experiential knowledge of the weather conditions. This enables them to anticipate the potential of storms, choppy waters, and cyclones and to prepare for these situations.

Building resilient livelihoods

The poor's way of life is threatened by growing populations, globalisation, and dynamic pressures around the world, especially for those who depend on natural resources. If people's livelihoods are continuously at danger, sustainable development is impossible. Since the social, political, and environmental settings are ever-changing, specialists in creating livelihood possibilities aim to design them to be adaptable. To reach the required level of resilience, activities from several viewpoints are required because resilience is a multifaceted phenomenon. For instance, just giving coastal fisherman more cyclone-resistant homes won't guarantee their resiliency. Additionally, one must make sure that freshwater resources are accessible, freshwater resources are ample and diverse, and that fishermen have the essential legal and policy-level protections.

Interventions in livelihoods are not the only way to introduce resilience measures. In order to assist resilience measures, NGOs are trying to reform laws and regulations. Institutions are being established and/or given the authority they need to handle risks of all sizes. Global conventions have made such methods obligatory. A new age of sustainable development will begin as a result of India's determination to uphold international agreements.

Reference

  • Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (2000). Training module on Community Based Disaster Preparedness, Bangkok, Thailand. 
  • Blaikie, P. et al (1994). At Risk: Natural hazards, people’s vulnerability and disasters, Routledge, London, pp.21-29 
  • High Powered Committee Report on Disaster Management (2001). Department of Agriculture and Co-operation, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India. 
  • International Disaster Database (EM-DAT), (http://www.em-dat.net) 
  • International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), World Disasters Report 2004: Focus on Community Resilience, Geneva. 
  • Living with Risk: A Global review of disaster reduction initiatives UNISDR (2006), pp 141-151
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