Page 155 - 5th APA Conference Program Book Final

residences temporally or permanently. Moreover, magnitude and frequency of floods are projected to increase
and thus it is largely concerned that future climate changes may amplify risks of such population displacements.
However, complex and multiple social and environmental factors drive population displacements, and it is difficult
to estimate high potential areas of displacements at a global scale. Here we showed occurrence of flood-induced
displacements in the world by combining observed flood-induced displacements with flood exposed population.
We also examine effects of economic levels and flood scales on occurrence of displacements.

1488 Population Vulnerability to Floods: A Case Study in Ratnapura, Sri lanka

Palitha Amaraweera, Shyama Ranabahu

University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka

Categories

9. Population and Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Abstract

The risk of natural disasters is increasing worldwide due to frequent changes in the climate. The floods have been
identified as the most significant natural disaster in Sri Lanka. Over the last decade, it has affected more people and
caused massive economic losses within the country. This paper investigates the population vulnerability to floods
in Ratnapura, which is one of the main flood affected areas in Sri Lanka. The data were gathered through an
interviewer administered questionnaire with a random sample of 209 households. The analysis of data was
performed using descriptive statistics. The flood innundation maps were constructed using Geographical
Information Systems. The study explored the population vulnerability in terms of exposure, susceptibility and
resilience of the affected community. Findings revealed that a considerable percentage of respondents were
affected by frequent flood incidents either once (44.9%) or twice (44.1%) a year. It was identified that households
with low income and low resources were more vulnerable to floods. Although flooding was viewed as a recurring
problem, a large segment of the affected population was observed as reluctant to vacate their flood prone land
permanently.

912 Urban Resident's Perception of Climate Change and Health Problems: An
Exploratory Study of Kolkata Metropolitan Area, India

2,3
1
Dinabandhu Mahata , Sulochana Shekhar , Pralip Narzary
1
1 Central University of Tamil Nadu, Chennai (Thiruvarur), India. International Institute for Population Sciences,
2
3
Mumbai, India. Bodoland University, Kokrajhar, India
Categories

9. Population and Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development

Abstract

Climate change, directly and indirectly, effects on the health of different age group population. The study explored
the precipitation of climate change and significant health Problems in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area. A mixed-

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