This document discusses vulnerability and the factors that affect it. It defines vulnerability as characteristics determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors that increase susceptibility to hazards. There are four main types of vulnerability according to the UN: physical, social, economic, and environmental. Physical vulnerability refers to proximity to disaster sources. Social vulnerability is inability to withstand impacts due to social/cultural factors. Economic vulnerability means lacking resources to construct disaster-resistant buildings or evacuate. Environmental vulnerability involves factors like natural resource depletion. Poverty is a major contributing factor as it is difficult for poorer people to recover from losses or construct sturdy housing. The document also discusses impacts of development like dams, embankments, land use change, and

1. UNIT - 5
VULNERABILITY

2. vulnerability
 Vulnerability are the characteristics determined by physical,
social, economic, and environmental factors that increase the
susceptibility of an individual, community or group to a hazard
of any kind.
 It is a set of prevailing conditions that puts the population more
at risk
 The reverse side of vulnerability is capacity, which can be
describes as the resources available to individuals, community
and group to better cope with disaster situations
 Lack of capacity would lead to vulnerability
 Vulnerability varies from person to person, place to place and
time to time

3. Factors affecting vulnerability
 United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR) vulnerability are 4 types
1. Physical vulnerability
2. Social vulnerability
3. Economic vulnerability
4. Environmental vulnerability

4. 1. Physical vulnerability
 Physical vulnerability refers to the geographical proximity to the
source and origin of the disaster
 The closer we are to the source of the disaster, the more
susceptible we are getting affected.

5. 2. Social vulnerability
 Social vulnerability refers to the inability of people, institutions and
societies t withstand the adverse impacts of disasters owing to
social and cultural factors.

6. 3. Economic vulnerability
 It is not possible for the economically backward people for
construct sturdy buildings to withstand disasters, not they can
easily move away from disaster affected regions

7. 4. Environmental vulnerability
 this refers to the vulnerability to disasters caused due to
environmental factors.
 This may include natural resource depletion and degradation and
also the settlement in environmentally vulnerable region.

8. Factors Contributing to Vulnerability
 There are many factors contributing directly and indirectly to
vulnerability to disasters.
 Poverty

9. Poverty
 It is difficult for a person in a weaker socio- economic condition to
construct sturdy buildings that can withstand any type of hazard of
disaster
 Unlike the other group, it is also nearly impossible for them to
recover from the losses easily, making them more susceptible to
the aftermath of disasters

11. Environment and development
 Definitions of Environment and development
 The Environment is defined here as the entirety of the physical
world consisting of the worlds land masses, oceans , atmosphere
etc…
 Other hand the development is defined as the process of growth
and change in human, social, political and economic system

12. Impact of development projects

13. Impact on DAMS

14. Impact Of Developmental And
Environmental Modification On Dams
 Dams were created to improve the quality of life for humanity
 The intensions are to prevent flooding, provide power, and to be an accessible
reservoir for drinking and irrigation water.
 Dams actually have several negative impacts on areas where they are built.
 Dams completely destroy river systems
 For example, a dam blocks fish migration and therefore hinders reproduction. This has
the potential to drive some species to extinction.
 Also, dams create motionless water, which poses number of problems
 As algae grows and temperature and oxygen levels change the areas around a dam
are often unable to support aquatic life.
 Dams blocks nutrient – rich sediment flow, which is normally deposited on banks
downstream, so plants can flourish along the river

15.  The three Gorges Dam on the yangtze River killed a large amount of plant life
around the river, which will most likely never recover
 In fact, it is claimed that sediment build-up behind dams could turn them all into
giant waterfalls in about 1,000 years
 Dams are a temporary fix but in the process create even more long term issues
that are not so easily solved

17. Dam video

18. Impact on EMBANKMENT
Impact on Changes in LANDUSE

19. Impact of change in land use
 Runoff from agriculture is leading source of water pollution
 Draining wetland for crop production and irrigation water diversions has had
a negative impact on many wildlife spices
 Irrigated agriculture has changed the water cycle and caused groundwater
levels to decline in many parts of the world
 intensive framing and deforestations may cause soil erosion, salinization.
 Deforestations adds to the greenhouse effects, destroys, habitats that
support biodiversity.
 Urban development cause air pollution , water pollution , and urban runoff
 Urban development and intensive agriculture in coastal areas and further
inland is major threat to the health

20. land use Video

21. Impact Of Developmental And Environmental
Modification On Urbanization
 Urbanization is one of the common characteristics of economic development. With the
gradual growth of the economy, the process of Urbanization depends on the shift of
surplus populations from rural to urban areas along with the growth of some
industrializes urban centers.


25. Urbanization Video