JOYS, TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS OF LIVING IN ONE OF ASIA S MEGACITIES EVOLVING RISKS AND REWARDS

Transcription

1 JOYS, TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS OF LIVING IN ONE OF ASIA S MEGACITIES EVOLVING RISKS AND REWARDS Haresh C. Shah ICRM Symposium 2015 MegaCities of Asia and their Evolving Risks Are these Risks Manageable? April 22-23, 2015 NTU, Singapore 1 Top 15 Megacities (urban areas) with population greater than 15 million (2015 rankings) 2015 Rank City Country Population 1 Tokyo / Yokohama Japan 37,843,000* 2 Jakarta Indonesia 30,539,000* 3 Delhi India 24,998,000* 4 Manila Philippines 24,123,000* 5 Seoul / Inchon South Korea 23,480,000* 6 Shanghai China 23,416,000* 7 Karachi Pakistan 22,123,000* 8 Beijing China 21,009,000* 9 New York City USA 20,630, Guangzhou / Fushan China 20,597,000* 11 Sao Paulo Brazil 20,365, Mexico City Mexico 20,063, Mumbai India 17,712,000* 14 Osaka / Kobe / Kyoto Japan 17,444,000* 15 Lagos Nigeria 17,060,000 *Megacities in Asia (11 out of 15 in 2015) 2

2 Majority of world s urban population lives in Asia The rate of growth of megacities in Asia is much faster than in other parts of the world (Doubling every 13 Years) It is estimated that more than 650 million people will live in megacities of the world by 2020 More than half of Mumbai s 17+ million residents live in slums. Similar demography in many Asian Megacities. Rate of migration from Rural to Urban areas is due to push factors (unemployment, low standards of housing and infrastructure, lack of educational facilities) and pull factors (economical opportunities, attractive jobs, better education, modern lifestyle). 3 Megacities 2015 Source: PGM.jpg 4

3 Picture Taken by H. Shah in Pune on March 14, 2015 Photos taken by Prof H. Shah on March 14, 2015 Picture Taken by H. Shah in Pune on March 14, Photos taken by Prof H. Shah on March 14,

4 POTENTIALS AND OPPORTUNITIES Nodal points of global economic growth Promoters of National and International Growth Concentration of highly skilled and inexpensive labor force Concentration of capital and Investment Growth Generator of large incomes and hence impact on surrounding regions Availability of Jobs Availability of Social and Medical services Dynamic environment for budding entrepreneurs and for business to grow SOCIO-ECONOMIC DISPARITIES Very large economic disparities Cultural and often religious conflicts Mounting povery and growth of slums Degradation of the quality of life for the majority Increased social and personal safety vulneraibilities Increased risk of individual, social and economic stability 7 8

5 RISK AND VULNERABILITY Massive increase of vulnerability and risk due to Natural and Man-made disasters High rate of consumption of natural resources water, energy, land, etc. increases environmental and ecological vulnerabilities Improper land use increases vulnerability/risk due to flooding, earthquake induced ground motion, landslides and tsunamis Being a nodal point for business and development and at the same time connected to major economies of the world, the disruption can have regional, national and international fallout GIVEN THE MANY PROS AND CONS OF LIVING IN AN ASIAN MEGACITY, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR RISK REDUCTION? Better Governance Educating citizens about risks and mitigation strategies Clear articulation of exposure, vulnerabilities and risk by the government to citizens Better land use planning Developing innovative insurance products which are easily available and affordable to mitigate economic risk to individuals, business, local government and nations. 9 10

6 IN THE VARIOUS SESSIONS OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS, WE WILL HEAR AND LEARN ABOUT THESE AND OTHER RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. A lot of literature is available about Megacities and their growth, their advantages and disadvantages. Not enough literature or research is available about how and why megacities have contributed towards catastrophe risk and its management. This symposium is an attempt to improve on that THANK YOU 11