Abstract
Climate-induced natural disaster, urban vulnerability and human security in the Pacific cities:
Implications to flooding.
Manoranjan Mohanty, Development Studies, The University of the South Pacific, mohanty_m@usp.ac.fj
Key words: Climate–induced disaster, flooding, human security, urban vulnerability.
Climate-related natural disasters are the threats to humankind today. About 90 per cent of
disasters are water-related including cyclone, flood, and drought. Flooding is one of the major
challenges, making the coastal cities especially more vulnerable. Apart from climate-induced
causes, flooding is associated with anthropogenic factors that can be prevented. The dramatic
rise in intensity of water-induced natural disasters and flooding in particular, make the urban
dwellers vulnerable, and threatening their basic human security. The food and water- the two
important life supporting systems are worst affected, endangering the environmental security
and sustainability.
In recent years, Pacific cities witness an increasing occurrence of climate–induced natural
disasters and especially flooding. Flooding that occurred in Apia, Ba, Nadi, Honiara, Majuro and
South Tarawa have had significant social and economic impacts. A bulk of population in PIC
cities is heavily dependent on their home-grown food production. The flooding causes damage
to the water infrastructural facilities that are largely concentrated in urban areas and the urban
gardening, affecting the water, food- nutritional and health well-being of urban dwellers. Both
food and water insecurities are the challenges not only to the urban dweller’s livelihoods and
social-and economic well-being, but also to the environmental sustainability.
The paper aims at bringing out the critical linkages between climate-induced disaster, urban
hazards and human security, and to examine the occurrence of recent flooding in Pacific cities
and the urban vulnerabilities and to explore planning adaptation and resilience-building in
making a ‘livable’ and ‘healthy’ city.