Urbanization and hydro-meteorological disaster resilience: The case of Delhi

The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of institutions dealing with disaster risk in Delhi and propose possible solutions for disaster risk reduction. The approach to assess the role of institutions is based on the Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) questionnaire survey. It evaluates roles based on variables such as mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, effectiveness of crisis management framework, knowledge dissemination and management, institutional collaboration with other stakeholders, and good governance. The findings show the institution's limitations and strengths to face hydro-meteorological disaster risk in Delhi. It further identifies possible areas for disaster risk reduction. The methodology is new and it only incorporates disasters that are hydro-meteorological. The study does not include man-made, geological, and biological disasters. The paper is unique in its approach to identify gaps in the current approach in managing disaster risk in Delhi and puts forward the possible ways to deal with disaster risk. Moreover, very few studies have been done in this area.