Reducing the Effect of Natural Hazards on Urban Areas

The paper is based on the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (UN-IDNDR) pilot study project ‘Mitigation of the effect of natural hazards on urban areas particularly developing country megacities’ for which the writer was the project leader. The project was carried out during ₁₉₉₃ and ₁₉₉₅ and considered the effect of natural hazards — with reference to three case studies cities — Karachi (Pakistan), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Metro Manila (The Philippines). The project included several visits to the case study cities and many meetings with government and city departments, commerce and business organisations, NGOs, public works and service authorities, health care units, emergency services and many other interest groups. The United Nations Scientific and Technical Committee (UNSTC) invited the Union des Associations Techniques Internationales (UATI), the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) to undertake the project funded mainly by the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) and to produce a guidance manual.