Assessment of infrastructure resilience in developing Countries: A case study of water infrastructure in the 2015 Nepalese earthquake
Conference
Nazarnia, H, Mostafavi, A, Pradhananga, N et al. (2016). Assessment of infrastructure resilience in developing Countries: A case study of water infrastructure in the 2015 Nepalese earthquake
. 627-632. 10.1680/tfitsi.61279.627
Nazarnia, H, Mostafavi, A, Pradhananga, N et al. (2016). Assessment of infrastructure resilience in developing Countries: A case study of water infrastructure in the 2015 Nepalese earthquake
. 627-632. 10.1680/tfitsi.61279.627
Despite the emerging literature on resilient infrastructure systems, the number of studies related to developing communities is rather limited. The majority of the existing studies focus mainly on resilience of infrastructure networks in developed countries. Infrastructure networks in developed countries are less vulnerable to the impacts of catastrophic disasters due to the existence of established design codes and management processes and the availability of financial and technological resources. Catastrophic disasters usually have more extensive impacts on infrastructure systems in developing countires. The objective of this study is to investigate the resilience of infrastructure in developing countries using a case study of water system in Kathmandu Valley in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepalese Earthquake. First, a new systemic farmcwork for assessment of infrastructure resilience was developed. Second, data obtained from various sources including pre-disaster condition, post-disaster damage assessments, and interviews with different stakeholders were used in assessment of different components of resilience in the water svstem.The study investigated three dimensions of resilience in Kathmandu Valley's water system : (1) exposure; (2) sensitivity; and (3) adaptive capacity. Through a systemic analysis, various resilience characteristics such as coupling, response behaviors, and types of interdependences that affect the resilience of the system were identified. The findings of the study highlight different factors that influenced the resilience of the water system in Kathmandu Valley. These results provide new insights regarding infratsructure resilience in the context of developing countries.
