Integrating indigenous knowledge and technology for safer habitat |

Hazard and risk map verification - © AKAH Pakistan

Disaster mitigation, Singal - ©Christopher Wilton-Steer

MIRP house- Woman planting - ©Arman

Integrating indigenous knowledge and technology for safer habitat

Status

ongoing

City

Islamabad

Main actors

NGO / Philanthropy, Community / Citizen Group, other

Project area

other

Duration

Ongoing since 2004

A proactive approach to engage citizens in disaster risk planning

The Integrating indigenous knowledge and technology for safer habitat approach set up by the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Pakistan (AKAH Pakistan) integrates disaster-risk management into habitat planning and development projects at village and community levels.

Integrating indigenous knowledge and technology for safer habitat uses residents’ local knowledge together with Geographic Information System (GIS) data to map risks by using satellite images and advanced risk-mapping tools. It also provides training and enables residents to build homes in safer areas using construction techniques which mitigate future disaster risks.

This is a unique approach to disaster risk reduction in Pakistan. The proactive approach of promoting hazard, vulnerability and risk assessments (HVRAs) for planning - and not only for mitigation measures - enables communities to take control, reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid and be self-reliant, reducing risks and adapting to the impacts of the climate emergency.

For further information about the case study, click here.

Sustainable Development Goals

World Habitat Awards

This project was awarded the 'World Habitat Awards' in 2020 in the following category: Gold.

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City information

City

Islamabad, Pakistan

Size and population development

According to the 2017 census conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad had an estimated population of 1,014,825. The city covers a total surface area of 906.5 square kilometres with a population density of 2,089 people per Km2. In terms of populations growth World Population Review states ‘Islamabad’s high percentage of youthful residents, combined with its climate, scenery, and jobs in sectors including information and communications technology makes it an area that should see continued growth well into the future. Estimates place the 2020 population at almost 1.7 million, and it’s expected to exceed 2.2 million in 2030’.

Population composition

The 2017 census data revealed that the majority of the population is in the 15-64 years age group (59.38%), only 2.73% of the population is above 65 years of age with the remaining 37.9% below the age of 15. The total migrant population of the city is 397,731, with the majority from Punjab (201,977). Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, is predominantly spoken due to the ethnic mix of the population, however, the mother tongue of the majority of the population is Punjabi. English is also commonly understood. Islam is the largest religion in the city, with 91.53% of the population Muslim.

Main functions

The city of Islamabad is situated on the Potwar Plateau at the foot of the Margalla Hills. It is the capital and ninth largest city of Pakistan. Built as a planned city in the 1960’s it has a high standard of living and abundant greenery. The urban area is divided into eight zones: administrative, diplomatic, residential, institutional, industrial and commercial areas, a greenbelt, and a national park

Main industries / business

The city of Islamabad has seen a significant expansion in information and communications technology with the addition of three Software Technology Parks that house many national and foreign technological and IT companies. Call centres for foreign companies are another significant area of growth, with the government making efforts to reduce taxes by as much as 10% in order to encourage foreign investments in the IT sector. Most of Pakistan's state-owned companies are based in Islamabad including all of the major telecommunication operators. The city is also home to many branches of Karachi-based companies, banks, and TV channels (Karachi is the largest city in Pakistan and premiere industrial and financial centre).

Political structure

Islamabad Capital Territory is the only federal territory of Pakistan and includes the country's federal capital Islamabad. The territory is represented in the National Assembly constituencies. The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration, mostly known as Islamabad Administration, is the civil administration as well as main law and order agency of the Federal Capital. ICT Administration operates under Presidential Order No. 18 of 1980, which confers powers of the Provincial Government upon the Chief Commissioner Islamabad. The Executive Officers of ICT Administration are Chief Commissioner, Inspector General of Islamabad Police and Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate. There are 6 directorates and 25 departments working under ICT Administration. All departments report to the concerned Directorate under the supervision of Chief Commissioner Islamabad

Administrative structure

The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) is a municipal authority established under the ICT Local Government Act 2015 in Islamabad Capital Territory. The corporation is led by the Mayor and includes Chairman UCs and others. The MCI is responsible for various activities in the capital territory including waste management, environmental protection, developmental works and more.

Website

http://ictadministration.gov.pk/

Background and objectives

According to the World Bank, Pakistan is one of the most disaster-prone countries in South Asia, having suffered an estimated $18 billion in damages and losses during the past decades. The northern mountainous areas – home to some of the most disadvantaged and isolated people in the country – are subject to earthquakes, floods and many other hazards that have caused mass-scale damage in recent years. The remoteness of these areas also poses difficulties for preparedness and response efforts.

Population growth, climate change and increasing environmental degradation make future disasters more likely. Several international and national agencies work on disaster preparedness and response in Pakistan, and this has increased since the floods that affected the country in 2010. However, there were few examples of village or community level HVRAs as a planning tool for disaster preparedness, response, rehabilitation and development.

AKAH Pakistan introduced community-based HVRAs in the country for the first time in 2004, combining local and scientific knowledge to map risks, determine residential and economic zones, and develop disaster management plans. AKAH geologists use satellite images and risk-mapping tools, with participation from residents, who contribute local knowledge and receive training on the process. This enables them to build in safer areas and protect against hazards.

Implementation

The project educates and works with communities to build better and safer homes in safer areas and to develop and implement their village disaster-management plans, including structural and non-structural mitigation measures at local levels.

In developing the HVRAs, residents and community organisations actively participate in data collection and knowledge-sharing, including evaluation of local disaster history, identification of areas where people live or work, and collection of demographic data. The maps and findings are used to create community-based village disaster management plans.

The HVRAs influence both the planning and implementation of risk-reduction measures, such as the construction of gabion walls. They are also used to identify safer sites for temporary shelters following disasters.

Fifty villages have been identified as ‘high-risk’, due to the regular occurrence of disasters. Therefore, relocating people from these settlements is considered the most viable option. AKAH Pakistan, together with local communities and civil society organisations, is working on developing a comprehensive relocation programme.

The maps are also shared with various government agencies and civil society organisations as tools for their planning and development programmes. AKAH Pakistan has links with academic institutions and is currently working with the Karakoram International University to educate students on participatory hazard and risk assessment, and HVRA mapping.

While the use of HVRAs is not unique to this project, AKAH Pakistan has been innovative in integrating indigenous knowledge in the process, enabling communities to play a central role, and using HVRAs not only for disaster risk reduction, but also for habitat and development planning and sustainable development. The project is, however, unique in implementing HVRAs at micro-level, in villages and communities.

Financing and resources

The lead agency for the project is Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Pakistan (AKAH Pakistan).

Results and impacts

Social and environmental impact

To date, AKAH Pakistan has conducted HVRAs in 785 settlements, mostly in the mountain areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions - home to more than one million people. The project has provided more than 20,000 households with technical assistance in maintaining and improving their homes, constructed over 4,000 shelters for internally displaced people, and created more than 280 community disaster management plans.

Over 50,000 community volunteers have been trained across Pakistan in community-based disaster risk management. Alongside AKAH Pakistan, they have responded to over 200 disasters and, through the use of HVRAs, identified 50 extremely hazard prone settlements for relocation. AKAH Pakistan has also established 190 community-managed emergency stockpiles, which include tents, blankets, search and rescue tools and first aid kits.

In addition, they have installed 52 community-based weather monitoring posts and four early warning systems. These alert communities of the need for temporary evacuation, saving lives from avalanches and floods.

AKAH Pakistan has used the HVRAs to inform its habitat planning activities for its Multi-Input Resettlement Program (MIRP) housing project, which is part of its longer-term relief efforts after 2010’s floodings and Attabad landslide. Through this project, AKAH has constructed 370 houses on safer sites in Hunza, Gilgit, Ghizer, and Chitral, for internally displaced people. They have also constructed over 100 community buildings - including schools, health centres and community facilities - in safe zones identified using HVRA maps and assessment reports.

By the end of 2025, AKAH Pakistan plans to have conducted and updated over 2,000 HVRAs across Pakistan.

Barriers and challenges

Although international and national agencies have undertaken work on disaster preparedness at different levels, the integration of HVRAs into planning processes - for disaster preparedness, response, rehabilitation and development has been rare.

Lessons learned and transferability

Since its beginnings as a research activity to produce a pilot map for a district in northern Pakistan, the project has been improved by developments in science and technology as well as through the knowledge and input of communities and has been scaled-up to reach almost 800 villages in Pakistan.

AKAH Pakistan plans to further expand the scale and scope of the project to oversee more sustainable and safer habitat planning in Pakistan and increase the use of HVRAs among local communities to promote their incorporation into: