Opportunities to address the emergent disaster risk landscape in urban India

Indian cities are exposed to a new pattern of climate-related disaster risks. Floods in Srinagar in September 2014, triggered by extreme rainfall, were the deadliest to hit the valley in the last 60 years. The port city of Visakhapatnam, ground zero of Cyclone Hudhud in October 2014, was the first city in India to be hit by a cyclone according to historic records of the India Meteorological Department. Such hydro-meteorological hazards are likely to become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change impacts. This emergent disaster risk landscape in India poses a threat to urban development investments and gains. However, ongoing post-disaster reconstruction and a new political climate in India provide a policy window to strengthen an urban disaster risk governance framework to facilitate and improve urban resilience planning and investment.

Available at http://pubs.iied.org/10726IIED.html?c=urban