Enhancing community resilience through information management: Flood risk mapping in Central Viet Nam

Community based disaster risk management is considered as an important approach and process to reduce disaster risks. A resilient community is found to cope with the natural disasters, especially in the areas prone to frequent disaster events. There are several ways to enhance community's resilience. One important aspect is to provide appropriate information and knowledge to local people. Although people have their traditional wisdom and knowledge developed through ages; dynamic change of nature and built environment creates new risks, which needs to be translated to the people through appropriate information sharing channel. Participatory risk mapping is used as an important tool in the development practices, where local knowledge is extracted through group discussion, and is reflected in the form of maps. Through this process, a mixed blending of technical expertise and local knowledge is found to be effective. This chapter demonstrates a process of integrating local knowledge into disaster risk management and lessons learned from a participatory Geographic Information System (GIS) hazardmapping project which was carried out in Central Viet Nam. The purpose of this project was to prepare detail flood risk maps for commune planners, villagers and other stakeholders, to identify the magnitude and extent of past flood disasters, and to make recommendations for local authorities and decision makers regarding flood risk reduction activities based on local knowledge and needs. The use of GIS at local levels; the need for combining modern technology and local knowledge into disaster management; and suggestions to mobilize available human and technical resources have been discussed. It also analyses the current vulnerability of local communes by correlating hazard risk and loss/damage caused by disasters and the contribution that domestic risk maps in the community can make to reduce this risk.