Adaptive capacity to reduce disaster risks in informal settlements.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Urban Planning
• Disaster Management

Background:

• Informal settlements in eMalahleni Local Municipality face significant hazards like underground fires, pollution, and sinkholes.
• Existing policies for informal settlement upgrading focus on physical structures, neglecting community adaptive capacity and disaster resilience.
• The United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals and South Africa's National Development Plan aim to upgrade informal settlements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To recommend adaptive capacity strategies and reduce disaster risks in informal settlements within the eMalahleni Local Municipality.
• To address the policy gap concerning community resilience in informal settlement upgrading.
• To investigate the role of intergovernmental structures and public participation in disaster risk reduction.

Main Methods:

• A case study research design was employed for the inquiry.
• Purposive sampling selected 25 participants from the eMalahleni Local Municipality, provincial government, and informal settlements.
• Thematic analysis, based on the study's conceptual framework, was used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Government involvement of vulnerable communities in developing disaster risk reduction policies for informal settlements is insufficient.
• A lack of promotion and reinforcement of public participation leaves vulnerable communities inadequately prepared for disasters.
• Intergovernmental coordination and public participation are crucial for effective disaster risk reduction.

Conclusions:

• Strengthening intergovernmental structures and public participation is essential for reducing disaster risks in vulnerable communities.
• A coordinated, interdepartmental approach, utilizing models like Pressure and Release, is needed to address the root causes of disaster vulnerability.
• Policies must integrate adaptive capacity building to enhance community resilience in informal settlements facing environmental and man-made hazards.