MAINSTREAMING LANDUSE PLANNING APPROACHES FOR EFFECTIVE DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: A CASE STUDY OF GILGIT, PAKISTAN

Abstract

The number of disasters triggered by climate change and extreme weather events has increased in the last few decades. The Hindukush-Karakorum-Himalayan region is prone to multi-hazards. Remote settlements in the region further exacerbate the vulnerabilities and risks. Moreover, the rapidly increasing urbanization and its induced issues worsen the situation. Gilgit city is considered a highly vulnerable settlement in the region. This calls for an immediate and urgent need to mainstream land-use planning approaches to cope with the changing climatic conditions and extreme events in Gilgit Pakistan. This study investigates the urban and land-use challenges faced by the remote Gilgit city followed by knowing the risk perceptions of local community in a muti hazard environment and highlighting the key institutional challenges face in the remote city in mitigating disasters and climate change risks. The primary data is collected via household surveys and expert interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Paired sample test, index and thematic analysis were applied to know the climate change and multi-hazard risk perception and to identify the key institutional challenges in the city. Results of the study reveal that most respondents perceived the impacts of floods/GLOFs on daily life activities as the highest in a multi-hazard environment. Furthermore, the local community is well prepared about the global phenomenon of climate change and its impacts. Moreover, the results of expert interviews regarding the institutional challenges show that the concerned institutions still use conventional monitoring and analysis methods of data related to natural hazards. Land-use planning is greatly lacking in the region, which makes it even more vulnerable to disasters. Major institutional challenges include lack of public participation, limited access to vulnerable sites, unavailability of trained and wellequipped human resources, budgetary constraints, weak land-use, and building bylaws, and absence of risk-based master planning. The findings of this study will be helpful for urban planners, environmental scientists, and decision-makers to formulate policies that will ultimately increase community resilience to cope with the impacts of multi-hazards. Furthermore, the outcomes of this study will be helpful in highlighting the key institutional challenges and adopting future proactive approaches for effective disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.