Inequality & Vulnerability
- Inequality is closely linked vulnerability, the greater the levels of inequality experienced the more vulnerable the population
- People are more vulnerable and less resilient if they lack access to:
- Education
- Housing
- Healthcare
- Income
- The Human Development Index (HDI) is used to measure the level of development
- Low HDI is often reflected in:
- Lower education levels which means that people have a lower awareness of the risk and less perception of the hazard
- Poor quality housing, unregulated building and the use of poor construction materials
- A lack of access to healthcare
- Poor access to clean water and a healthy diet during 'normal times'
- Other factors linked to inequality which further increase the risk include:
- High population density
- Young population
- Poor infrastructure
- Rapid urbanisation
- When a natural hazard event occurs, such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the high level of vulnerability and lack of resilience meant there were devastating impacts:
- Buildings were poorly constructed and although there were building regulations these were usually not enforced
- Search and rescue was difficult due to poor quality infrastructure
- Government corruption meant that infrastructure and planning lacked investment
- Many people, particularly in rural areas, were not educated about what to do in the event of an earthquake
- Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world so there was a lack of funds for preparation and planning