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UNIT 12 LAND-USE ZONING FOR DISASTERMANAGEMENT

Structure

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12.0 Objectives

12.1 Introduction

12.2 General Policy Considerations for Disaster Management

12.3 Issues at the National, Regional and Local Levels12.4 Zoning Controls

12.4.1 Land UseMacro Zoning

12.4.2 Land Use Micro Zoning

12.4.3 Sub-division regulations12.4.4 Building or Location I-'erniits12.4.5 Open Space Controls

12.4.6 Building Codes

12.5 Location of Activit ies and Land -Use

12.5.1 Implications in Town Planning

12.6 Application of Remote Sensing and GIs12.7 LetUsSumUp12.8 Key Words

12.9 References and Further Readings

12.10 ~ h s w e r sto CheckYour Progress Exercises12.0 OBJECTIVES

After studying this Unit, you sl~ouldbe able to:understand the relationsllip between land-use zon'ing and disasters;know how faulty allocations of land-use can ofteq become the cause ofdisasters;both man-made and natural; anddescribe how judicious land-use zoning can help not only in'jdisastermitigation, but also in disaster relief operations.

1 2 . INTRODUCTION

The rapid growth and spread of population in harardous areas is a matter ofincreasing concern because it leads to mounting costs of disasters in terms of liveslost and damage to property and investments. Besides, the high residentialdensities add to the problen~sin hazardous areas. The risk is further increased bythe drama& increase in infrastructural investments and development assets that getdestroyed by disasters. There land-use has to be decided keeping in view thevulnerability to disasters. In other words, land-uselzoning has t~ be done so thatdifferent land zones can be earmarked for major activities in accordance with therisks that they are likely to withstand.

Land-use zoning for disaster prevention and mitigation may act as a spur tocomprehensive land-use planning, morerso is disaster prone regions. The majorelements of land-use planning may be summarized as follow:

i) Land-use policies and plans setting out the social , "economic andenvironmental of comprel~ensiveland development and their stages ofdevelopment;


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i i ) Land ownership and land tenure patterns identif'ying the legal, social andeconomic basis of ownership and tenure;

iii) Land values and prices, reflecting the forces of supply and demand for land;and

iv) Land-use controls which may be subdivided into three broad categories, i.e.,legal, fiscal and directive.

12.2 GENERAL POLICY CONSIDE MTION S FORDISASTER M A N A G E M N T

Land-use policy is only one of the possible strategies to mitigate disaster, and allmeasures must be responsive to the economic and-social resource balance of theregion. The major concerns of national or regional policy formulation deal mainlywith economic and social goals but with environmental goals becoming

increasingly important.

Regional policies emphasize local considerations and correspondingly appropriate

physical planning and hence are particularly relevant for disaster management.Regional policies may include objectives such as a balance between various areasin the region by directing econon~icdevelopment into backward areas, or the ,ericourage~nentof urban development to allow for social mobility and progressnecessa~yfor industrial activity.'Major co~npo nentsof regional policies include the selection of areas designated fortransport networks, industry, agriculture, and urban growth. The area aspects ofregional planning are a vital link to national planning efforts and constitute a basicmeans of implementing disaster prevention policies.Thus, guiding the location of activities within a region may not only serve social,economic and environmental goals but may also serve as a means of mitigatingdisasters leading to very significant benefits in the medium to long-term.Local policies (including urban policies) are extremely important in the totalplanning process, for these g ~ ~ i d ehe specific area distribution of human activities.It is here that investments are made and the development of human settlementstake place. and it is here that specific llazard mitigation programmes are reallyrequired.

India being a developing count~y,most areas iinder developmental planning andland-use is decided/assigned accordingly. But the requirements of disastermitigation tend to receive lower priority because of the overriding considerationsofexpediency. Tlle apparent clash of interest between development and disastermanagement arises because of the following considerations:

i) The pressures for development are frequently so overwhelming that disasterrisk is often overlooked in the hope of sI101.t-term gains, and little weight islikely to be given to disaster prevention in land-use policies.

Land-Usc Zoning forDisaster Management

iii Traditional systems'of land-use have over a long period adjusted to periodicdisasters; but the pace ofdevelop~nentover the last few decades has upset thenatural socio-economic modes of adjustment. This pace is not likely to slow

down, i t least, in the foreseeable future.iii) Traditional and i~lter~nediateindigenous econo~nicsystems are highly sensitive

to regulation and the economic costs (measured by employment oremployment growth losses) or uprooting, relocating, or i@i6iting development

.qan be' very high in labwr intensve employment s&&fs. This llampers land-use) zoning' to take*care,~fdisastqrmitigation,.


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12.10 ANSWERS TO CHECKYOUR PROGRESSEXERCISES

Land-Use Zoning for

Disaster Mnnagcn~ent

Checlc Your Progress 11 ) Your answer should include following points:

a more pressure 011urban land;e

a pace oFcliange of land use is faster than the society can handle;o socio-economic cost of relocating people is very high;

o economic presgilres are pushing the poor into marginal lands prone todisasters; and ~

0 overall economic resource crunch.

2) Your answer sliould include following points:0 conflict between conservation storage such as for irrigation and dedicated

flood storage reserve in large reservoirs;

a relation between floodplain nxnagement and watershed management;a rapid i~rbanizationprocess and pressure on urban land; increasing change

of larid use from agricultural to non-agricultural land uses: and generalresistancc to sliitiing of population.Check Your I'rogress 21) Your Luiswer sliou lcl include the following points:

Macro zoning, ~nicrozoning, sub-division regulation, building permits,open space controls, building codes, arid develop~nentcontrols.

2) Your answer sliould include following points:broad zonal plan basecl on risk zones;building codes;

building material supporting structural safety; and

a monitoring tlirougli techniques o.fRemoteSensing and GIs .

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