How Selected Areas in Nowshera City (Pakistan) Can Be Made Flood Resilient

Abstract

Abstract

Climate change and variability is causing more hydro-meteorological risks today than ever before. No individual country can declare itself protected against events like floods, hurricanes, droughts and snowfalls. Pakistan is no different against impacts from these events. 2010 floods in Pakistan have highlighted weaknesses of the systems for dealing with floods, especially in urban areas of Khyber Pakhtun Khwa (KPK) including Peshawar, Nowshera and Charsadda. At Nowshera, areas north of the road N-45 were totally submerged in flood waters. The city was never originally planned as such. No residential accommodation for areas under study was located at north of the road N-45 till mid-1960s. This paper aims at highlighting gaps and challenges of our existing systems using United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) essentials as guideline tools, suggesting measures to make the selected areas flood resilient. It recommends possible mitigation measures including green buffer zone to the north of N-45, revival of spring based gravity water supply scheme as part of sustainable development for the city and possible measures upstream Kabul River, including rehabilitation/capacity enhancement of silted Munda headworks. The qualitative research approach uses United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) essentials/tools, where existing conditions are utilized as a base line data to identify the requirements of the works, the necessity of works to be executed and methods to do it including fulfilling the institutional gaps and challenges. Risk and vulnerability aspects of similar areas have been touched previously, however proposing mitigation strategy, improving resilience and presenting better land use planning for the subject areas are proposed for the first time. As the implementation of the plan shall involve different stakeholders, the study can serve as a guideline for governments at all levels. Suggested mitigation measures can be rendered to relevant stakeholders for improvements/implementation of the existing systems. Disaster management institutions in Pakistan with a proactive awareness approach are merely a decade old, while those at district level are not functional at all. Hence, this study compels the reader to explore sustainability and resilience aspects of the city with special focus on non-mitigation measures of flood protection.

Keywords: Resilient city, floods, mitigation measures, green buffer zone, disaster management

Cite this Article

Abdus Sami. How Selected Areas in Nowshera City (Pakistan) Can Be Made Flood Resilient. Research & Reviews: Journal of Ecology. 2017; 6(1): 17–34p.