Analysing Vulnerability to Climate
Change in India with Special Reference
to Drought Risk: Results from a Field
Survey
Anu Susan Sam, Azhar Abbas, Muhammad Arshad
and Harald Kächele
Abstract India faces considerable threat from changing climatic conditions locally
and globally. Drought risk is one such threat which is projected to increase in
frequency and intensity under such changing conditions. Many households are
expected to suffer from these changes and associated risks such as drought. These
risks may expose many vulnerable households in the absence of effective mitigation
and adaptation measures. This study analyses climate change and drought risk
vulnerability of marginal households exposed to such hazards. For this purpose, a
field survey of 220 households in Balangir district of Odisha state in India was
carried out using multistage random sampling technique. Using Climate
Vulnerability Index (CVI) and other indicators of vulnerability to socioeconomic
domains defined by IPCC, the current level of household’s exposure and coping
capacity is evaluated. Results indicate that vulnerability is a function of both climatic and non-climatic factors. The socio demographic characters like low literacy
rates, resource availability and accessibility, social structure, etc., make people
more vulnerable whereas access to social networks plays a significant role in
uplifting the poor rural households. The research concludes that the impacts of
climate change and drought risk expose those households disproportionately who
are already vulnerable due to poverty, inequality and marginalisation. Moreover, a
need to formulate policies based on regional and local estimates of vulnerability and
coping capacity is emphasised for an effective mitigation to climate change and
drought risk.
Keywords Adaptive capacity Á Assessment Á Exposure Á Natural disaster Á Risk Á
Sensitivity
A.S. Sam (&) Á A. Abbas Á M. Arshad Á H. Kächele
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF),
Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
e-mail: anu.sam@zalf.de; rachelsusanrachel@gmail.com
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_25
409
Change in India with Special Reference
to Drought Risk: Results from a Field
Survey
Anu Susan Sam, Azhar Abbas, Muhammad Arshad
and Harald Kächele
Abstract India faces considerable threat from changing climatic conditions locally
and globally. Drought risk is one such threat which is projected to increase in
frequency and intensity under such changing conditions. Many households are
expected to suffer from these changes and associated risks such as drought. These
risks may expose many vulnerable households in the absence of effective mitigation
and adaptation measures. This study analyses climate change and drought risk
vulnerability of marginal households exposed to such hazards. For this purpose, a
field survey of 220 households in Balangir district of Odisha state in India was
carried out using multistage random sampling technique. Using Climate
Vulnerability Index (CVI) and other indicators of vulnerability to socioeconomic
domains defined by IPCC, the current level of household’s exposure and coping
capacity is evaluated. Results indicate that vulnerability is a function of both climatic and non-climatic factors. The socio demographic characters like low literacy
rates, resource availability and accessibility, social structure, etc., make people
more vulnerable whereas access to social networks plays a significant role in
uplifting the poor rural households. The research concludes that the impacts of
climate change and drought risk expose those households disproportionately who
are already vulnerable due to poverty, inequality and marginalisation. Moreover, a
need to formulate policies based on regional and local estimates of vulnerability and
coping capacity is emphasised for an effective mitigation to climate change and
drought risk.
Keywords Adaptive capacity Á Assessment Á Exposure Á Natural disaster Á Risk Á
Sensitivity
A.S. Sam (&) Á A. Abbas Á M. Arshad Á H. Kächele
Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF),
Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
e-mail: anu.sam@zalf.de; rachelsusanrachel@gmail.com
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
S. Nautiyal et al. (eds.), Climate Change Challenge (3C)
and Social-Economic-Ecological Interface-Building, Environmental Science,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31014-5_25
409