Pinning down social vulnerability in Sindh Province, Pakistan: from narratives to numbers, and back again (original) (raw)

A Pragmatic Approach to Study Vulnerability Using Livelihood Vulnerability Index: A Case Study from Cold Desert of Nubra Valley, Ladakh (Himalaya)

Regional Economic Development Research

Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) is being proposed to assess the degree of vulnerability and adaptability against the impacts of natural disasters in the Nubra valley. The index comprises households variables of all the three dimensions of vulnerability such as Exposure, Sensitivity, and Adaptive Capacity. Exposure is described by 'Natural disaster', 'Its impact', and 'Flood warning'. Sensitivity is defined by 'Water', 'Housing', 'Health' and 'Finance', and Adaptive Capacity by 'Socio-demographic profile', 'Livelihood strategies', 'Food', and 'Social networks'. The study is based on the primary data and information collected from 300 sample households in the three blocks such as Turtuk, Diskit, and Panamik in the Nubra valley (Union Territory of Ladakh), India. Data were aggregated using a composite index and disparity vulnerabilities were compared. The result reveals that Panamik block was h...

Rural Livelihoods and Vulnerability Towards Natural Disasters: An Empirical Exploration from Selected Villages of District Gilgit, Pakistan

International Journal of Economic and Environmental Geology

Present study explores livelihoods of rural households and their vulnerability towards natural hazards in three selected villages of district Gilgit, a far-flung mountainous area in north of Pakistan. Data were collected from 180 households by using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Moreover, Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. The standard value of LVI ranges from 0 to 1, whereby the higher value of LVI shows higher vulnerability. LVI for each village was calculated using the data of seven components i.e. socio demography, livelihood strategies, social networks, food, health and education, water, natural disasters and climate vulnerability. The results suggest that the rural households of district Gilgit are vulnerable to natural disasters and Gilgit is most vulnerable in food and social network and least vulnerable in terms of demographic profile. Lastly, the overall value of LVI for district Gilgit is 0.34

A Qualitative Insight into Gendered Vulnerabilities: A Case Study of the Shishper GLOF in Hunza Valley, Pakistan

Sustainability

Gendered vulnerability from women’s point of view has gained popularity in disaster studies in recent decades especially in the Global South. The positioning of women in society during normal times gives rise to vulnerabilities that are revealed when a disaster strikes. These vulnerabilities are often deep-rooted in societal makeup, cultural and traditional norms, and the economic fabric of society. In the context of Pakistan, the role of women in disaster risk reduction programs is still an under-researched area. In this paper, the gendered vulnerability progression in one of the mountain rural communities of Hassanabad in Hunza Valley (Northern Pakistan) is analyzed post-Shishper glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF) in 2019 and 2020. The study uses empirical qualitative data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with men and women of different age groups within Hassanabad village. A thematic gendered analysis unveiled several interlinked social, economic, and institutional vuln...

An Analytical Framework for Assessing Context-Specific Rural Livelihood Vulnerability

Sustainability

Reviewing both conceptual and empirical studies on climate vulnerability and adaptation assessment, this paper offers an analytical framework to help better understand how context-specific adaptation strategies could be developed. The framework systematically assembles the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and the Vulnerability Assessment frameworks to develop its structural and analytical components. The resulting five-step approach involves: (i) identification of context along with understanding what aspect of vulnerability need to be studied; (ii) assessment of livelihood exposure to climate impacts involving both community perspectives and meteorological data-based climate forecasts; (iii) characterization of available capital asset usages to help buffer climate sensitivity; (iv) analysis of formal and informal institutional impetus to enhance adaptive capacity; and (v) evaluation of gaps between context-specific vulnerability and institutional and policy responses to avoid maladapt...

Bridging the gap between biophysical and social vulnerability in rural India: a community livelihood vulnerability approach

AREA DEVELOPMENT AND POLICY, 2020

This study of the nature and extent of livelihood vulnerability of farm households in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India, involved the computation of livelihood vulnerability indices and indices of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity for different social communities. The empirical findings reveal that farmers belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST) communities were relatively highly exposed and sensitive to climate change and least able to adapt. In this light, several policy recommendations are proposed to improve the livelihood security of vulnerable groups.