ABSTRACT
Gujarat is the third most urbanised state in India and is experiencing a very high rate of economic growth. The high level of urbanisation has transformed agricultural land into built-up areas with buildings, roads and pavement.This has made the urban areas highly impermeable and more vulnerable to water related disasters. As well, the rate of occurrence of climatic induced water-related disasters in Gujarat has increased. Currently, Gujarat is more likely to experience a flood over any other major disaster. Recent flash floods have shown their adverse impacts on urban areas and the existing inefficient water supply management system is not able to cope with the high risk of water related disasters. Often, it is the poorest city dwellers who are most affected by this mismanagement. The current disaster management plans are inadequate and do not consider risk reduction strategies. This paper has assessed the risk and vulnerability aspects of urban disasters in Gujarat and has come out with concrete strategies to address current shortcomings.
