An integrated assessment of vulnerability to floods in coastal Odisha: a district-level analysis

A quantified index of disaster vulnerability can help policymakers identify the most vulnerable regions for priority interventions. Many studies have assessed vulnerability to floods across different geographical and ecological regions around the globe. Odisha is a state in India prone to frequent floods, but few studies have assessed flood vulnerability in terms of a quantified composite vulnerability index in respect of Odisha. The present study attempts to develop flood vulnerability sub-indices and a composite Flood Vulnerability Index to analyse the intensity of flood vulnerability in Odisha across six coastal districts. The index is constructed by incorporating three factors (exposure, susceptibility, and resilience) with respect to four domains i.e. social, economic, physical, and environmental of disaster vulnerability. The proxy variable for each factor is identified through both inductive and deductive approaches, and a composite index is constructed as a geometric mean of sub-indices. The results show that Kendrapara district is more vulnerable to flood impacts in social and physical domains due to its high exposure and sensitivity and comparatively low adaptive capacity. With regard to economic domain, Bhadrak district is substantially more vulnerable, while Cuttack is least vulnerable. On the other hand, Puri and Baleshwar districts are found most and least vulnerable in respect of the environmental domain. Both exposure and sensitivity indicators are the key driving factors of intensifying vulnerability in each domain of the districts concerned. Based on a composite vulnerability index, Kendrapara and Cuttack districts turned out to be most and least vulnerable to floods among the coastal districts of Odisha. It is evident from the analysis that the intensity of vulnerability of a community depends more on the state of social, economic, physical and environmental conditions than the mere magnitude or frequency of floods. These findings can help policymakers prioritise limited resource allocation to districts and domains.