Asia / Asie

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    Mapping and measuring social vulnerabilities of coastal areas of Bangkok and periphery
    (ICLEI, 2014) Marome, W.A.
    Disaster risk management has begun to prioritize interaction between social systems and infrastructure. This approach acknowledges societal and environmental practices that can influence the resilience of communities. The importance of social capital and its link with vulnerability at the most local level is addressed in this paper. Social vulnerabilities are discussed in terms of risk variables related to floods, and socioeconomic change as a result of urbanization. Social capital is treated as a measure of reduction of precondition to risk. By considering societal structures (i.e. community cooperation or its lack) as factors of vulnerability, resilience and sustainability can be promoted.
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    Addressing water stress through wastewater reuse : complexities and challenges in Bangalore, India
    (ICLEI, 2014) Jamwal, P.; Thomas, B.K.; Lele, S.; Srinivasan, V.
    The paper argues that upstream waste water re-use (WWRU) may not be as straightforward as city planners assume. Potential impacts downstream and the techno-institutional context need to be addressed with WWRU as one strategy to reduce water stress. Three challenges with WWRU are discussed using data from the study of wastewater treatment, an analysis of ongoing debates regarding the scale of treatment, and an ongoing study of the downstream uses and impacts of polluted water. Bangalore’s wastewater enters the Vrishabhavathy and the Pinakini river basins in almost equal quantities. This study focuses on the Vrishabhavathy River.
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    Improving flood management planning in Thailand : a case of Chao Phraya river basin
    (Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), 2013) Poapongsakorn, Nipon; Limskul, Atsmon
    Severe flooding occurred during the 2011 monsoon season in Thailand with floods soon spreading through the provinces ; 65 of Thailand's 76 provinces were declared flood disaster zones. The government’s response largely on “physical infrastructure” paid inadequate attention to the issues of “soft infrastructure” particularly the socio‐economic impact, land‐use patterns and water management institutional arrangements. These are the main focus of the presentation and analysis. Institutions at the national level are broken down in terms of legislation, organizational structure, tasks, and performance. Institutional reforms are the next step.
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    Communicating climate change risks for adaptation in coastal and delta communities in Vietnam - the case of policy makers in Quy Nhon City
    (National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Studies, 2013) Tan Sinh, Bach; Quynh Anh, Nguyen
    The presentation consists of communication to policy makers in Quy Nhon City regarding flooding and urban development. Recommendations include: Use participatory models of communication; Use local stories and examples as much as possible; Work through local partners; Build on what people already know/understand; Be conscious of gender.
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    Post Indus flood research
    (Institute of Social and Environmental Transition, PK, 2013) Khan, Fawad
    The presentation reports on surveys and studies to identify critical systems for increasing resilience to climate change disasters such as floods. Results identify under-serviced areas/populations (using the census of this area in Pakistan). The study tables results of a survey documenting service availability differential between resilient and vulnerable groups (factoring quantity, quality, time) and identifying critical services that build resilience. There are no generic solutions to vulnerability, however development interventions can increase resilience if context is considered.
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    Climate change policy making : case study of Nepal's LAPA; connecting research and policy
    (ISET-Nepal, 2013) Dixit, Ajaya
    National programmes do not reach the local level for effective action and hence will not reach the most vulnerable people. Nepal is fourth in terms of international climate change vulnerability. In terms of local adaptation planning action (LAPA), the presentation advocates for a systems approach to help understand power balance and imbalances and social differentials; to generate and integrate ideas; and to engage in constructive dialogue.
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    Climate change and water governance in Cambodia
    (Cambodia Development Resource Institute (CDRI), 2013) Chem, Phalla; Kim, Sour
    The presentation looks at climate change adaptation from the perspective of how change in natural and human systems determine vulnerability and adaptive capacity of rural populations and the government responses. It analyzes the institutional and policy level frameworks that impinge on water governance, using the case of Tonle Sap lake. A unique multi‐partner project is by far the most difficult process towards resilience, and poses an important challenge for coordination, but the presentation considers it the most workable for policy influence.
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    Coastal mega-cities at risk
    (Manila Observatory, 2013) Loyzaga, Antonia Y.
    The presentation provides an in-depth report on groundwater usage and changes in the urban population of Metro Manila with parallel changes of supply and demand on a diminishing watershed. Increased climate change vulnerability is determined by socioeconomic development impacts and interactions with natural climate variations (rainfall, monsoons), as well as human-caused climate change which cumulatively add up to influence disaster risk.
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    Part II. IRIACC study : vulnerability and adaptation to floods and other climate-related risks among marginal communities in Metro Manila
    (Ateneo de Manila University, 2013) Porio, Emma
    The presentation describes the complexity of impacts of climate change in the Philippines and in particular Metro Manila, as derived from combinations and compound effects of pre-existing vulnerabilities. Poverty, inequality and social exclusion also determine the most vulnerable groups and their ecological and environmental vulnerability of place. Photos depict graphically the effects of floods, typhoons and sea level rise on the geographical vulnerability of the islands of the Philippines. Presentation information encompasses the complexity of inter-related systems (institutional, socio-economical, geographical, climactic) that will underpin any plans for climate change adaptation.
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    Understanding vulnerability : increasing adaptive capacity and resilience among the most vulnerable to climate change effects and disasters
    (Ateneo de Manila University, 2013) Porio, Emma
    Climate impacts are a compound effect combining direct impacts, indirect impacts and pre-existing vulnerabilities. The presentation expands on the complexities of vulnerability in South Asia where ecological-environmental vulnerabilities intersect with socio-political-ecological vulnerabilities (at meso/macro levels). And where peri-/urban growth/urbanization, poverty and inequality, governance/institutional levels in turn interact with socio-political-ecological vulnerabilities. In addition, vulnerabilities at household, family community/commune levels interact with age and socio-economic status (income, occupation, education, gender, health). Adaptability studies need to address these complex inter-relationships.
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    Adapting to climate change in peri-urban Southeast Asia
    (Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), 2013) Resurrección, Bernadette P.
    The presentation provides an overview of research to identify the drivers of vulnerability (including both men and women’s experiences) to climate-related water stresses in three selected peri-urban areas in Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. The theoretical framework utilizes a political ecology approach to investigate vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies, and to assess institutionally-organized and supported adaptation programs with gender analysis. Early results and implications for policy as well as further research are included.
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    Gender, security and sanitation : action research on women's rights and access to water and sanitation (2009 - 2011)
    (Jagori and Women in Cities International (WICI), 2013) Anupriya
    Regarding water and sanitation, due to inadequate services and their maintenance, sustaining households has consumed the lives of women and girls, reducing time for education, livelihood opportunities or leisure. The presentation documents the project, its key findings, safety and security issues. The gender implications of inadequate services means public and private spheres merge: household chores spill over into the streets and drains; no lavatories for women produce fear, harassment and shame with loss of control of time and space. The project provided opportunities for influencing policy, and empowerment of groups including women, youth and displaced communities.
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    Learning for an uncertain future : vulnerabilities of agricultural production to flood in the Sangkae river basin, Northwest Cambodia
    (Learning Institute, KH, 2013) Doch, Sotheavin; Diepart, Jean-Christophe
    Vulnerability is produced through different scalar configurations of human‐environment interactions. Indicator‐based approaches are useful to categorize vulnerability, but not useful for understanding it. Horizontal and vertical integration of planning strategies is necessary, encompassing natural disaster management, spatial planning and watershed management. This presentation reviews differences in vulnerability due to socio-economic factors and regional variations in land use systems. River overflow, and run‐off floods are significant to vulnerability.
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    Gender and social vulnerability to climate change : a study of disaster prone areas in Sindh
    (Social Policy and Development Centre, PK, 2013) Ghaus, Khalida; Ahmed, Nadeem
    The study aimed to investigate gender dimensions of social vulnerability to climate change; assess the adaptive capacity of men and women at community level and the social capital available to them; and formulate a set of gender specific policy recommendations for provincial and district governments. The vulnerability of women to climate changes can be viewed as a chronic state of being rather than an outcome of environmental extremes, which can be explained by a combination of socioeconomic, political and environmental factors.
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    Chilika - climate change : strengthening livelihood security and adapting to climate uncertainty in Chilika Lagoon, India
    (Chilika Development Authority, 2013) Kumar, Ritesh; Rastogi, Gurdeep
    The Chilika Lagoon climate change project worked to identify management response options and strategies for reducing risks and increasing community preparedness for changes in wetland ecosystem services due to climate change. Dynamics of water, sediment, nutrient and species exchange define the ecosystem services of the diverse wetland regime; wetlands disaster risk and perception of risk was assessed, taking livelihoods and hydrometric stations into consideration. Ecological character was also evaluated over time (1966-2010). Developing a methodology manual for wetlands managers is a next step. The presentation includes photos and graphics.
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    Building effective water governance in the Asian Highlands
    (Asian Highlands, 2013) Asian Highlands
    The project included a hydrological study based on the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO-BoN) framework - comparative analysis climate change modelling. This is a globally consistent bio-climatic stratification based upon a statistical quantitative approach using spatially distributed climate data. Using this model, calculations are provided regarding bioclimatic zones and predicted changes in distribution by the year 2050. Bioclimatic zones can be matched to Ecoregions, Vegetation Types, and Forest Classes. Results are shown through graphic synthesis and simulations.
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    Improving food and livelihood security through water-energy-agriculture management in Punjab under climate change and variability
    (Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, IN, 2013) Vatta, Kamal
    Emerging issues due to intensive agriculture in the Punjab region are declining crop diversity; stagnation/slow growth in productivity; recent decline in rainfall; and depletion in groundwater resources. The project aimed to develop long term climate and socio-economic scenarios to inform water, energy and agriculture policy while reaching out to farmer cooperatives. Tensiometers were provided towards better understanding and use of watersheds, testing moisture retention and soil water balance. A mobile phone application was also developed. The presentation slides depict these applications and how they were utilized.
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    Adapting to Climate Change in Urbanizing Watersheds (ACCUWa) : situation in Arkavathy basin
    (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, 2013) Srinivasan, Veena
    The research entailed a comparative study of climate change‐water vulnerability and adaptation in two urbanizing watersheds. The presentation underlines multiple levels of complexity where the approach of blindly applying historical rainfall‐runoff relationships to predict future water supply are no longer valid. With climate change, multiple scales of vulnerability need also be factored in: climate variability occurs at the basin scale, whereas vulnerability is experienced at the household scale. As well, different areas of the watershed are vulnerable to different supply variability pathways. A new approach to planning for climate vulnerability will encompass multiple stressors.
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    From vulnerability assessment to economic analysis of adaptations : findings and lessons learned from a cross-country project in Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam
    (Hue College of Economics, 2013) Bui Dung The; Naret, Heng; Mendoza, Maria Emilinda T.
    The project analyzed and measured vulnerability of communes/ barangays and households in selected provinces; provided economic analysis of selected adaptation options; developed adaptation proposals; and formulated policy recommendations to enhance local capacity to adapt to climate change. The presentation slides show results as “vulnerability maps” of the different regions studied. Lack of alternative livelihoods, poor infrastructure and inadequate financing mechanisms are constraints to improvements in communities’ current and future resilience.
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    Fish farming, water and climate in northern Thailand : insurance and water management as potential risk mitigation options
    (Chiang Mai University, 2013) Potapohn, Manoj
    The presentation is derived from two proposed interventions towards mitigating climate change risk and vulnerability of fish farmers. Stress under current climate conditions is seen in variations in water quantity and quality. Market risk is borne or shared within a production organization, contract farming, independent and or farmers cooperatives. Images illustrate fish farming practices and water monitoring activities. Insurance companies could make payment conditional on prescribed private avoidance activities. Public support needs not be in the form of subsidies but from public information, for example monitoring water quality.