BUILDING DISASTER RESILIENCE IN VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES OF BALOCHISTAN: INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE CAPACITY

Abstract

This paper discusses disaster preparedness in vulnerable communities in the Balochistan province based on three districts of the province, namely: Awaran, Lasbela, and Kech. It uses a mixed-methods research design because it is founded on the survey data obtained among 120 respondents and Rich descriptions of in-depth interviews conducted with the representatives of the government and NGOs. The key data identifies that the most common risks that occur when it comes to droughts and flash floods but just one in every four respondents stated that they had been given early warning. The vast majority of them were unprepared in terms of disasters and one out of five judged disaster coping as poor. Additionally, it was found that resilience is closely connected with preparedness training, access to early warning systems, community participation, use of technological tools of communication, and social cohesion. The qualitative learning explained the problems of poor coordination within the institution, less application of technologies at the distance site, and the absence of community involvement. This research presupposes the prolongation of the training programs, the deepening of the scope of an early warning system, the stimulation of the participatory planning, the involvement of social trust, and the stimulation of the organization between the government and the NGOs. It also requires the necessity to carry out more studies on the inclusive strategy, indigenous knowledge, and technology adoption to improve disaster risk reduction in Balochistan.