1.6A - Inequality
Inequality of access to education, housing, healthcare and income opportunities can influence vulnerability and resilience.
The impact of tectonic hazards are not only determined by the level of development, but it is an important factor.
Here are five, fairly recent earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7:
- 2013 - Balochistan, Pakistan - HDI: 0.54 - 825 deaths
- 2015 - Nepal - 0.55 - 9018
- 2010 - Sumatra, Indonesia - 0.68 - 711
- 2013 - Khash, Iran - 0.77 - 35
- 2007 - Chile - 0.83 - 2
However, other factors such as population density, duration of ground shaking, secondary hazards and response are also important. Generally, low level of development increases risk by increasing vulnerability:
Increasing risk:
- Population growth
- Urbanisation and urban sprawl
- Environmental degradation
- Loss of community memory about hazards
- Very young, or very old population
- Ageing, inadequate infrastructure
- Greater reliance on power, water and communication systems
- Warning and emergency-response systems
- Economic wealth
- Government disaster-assistance programmes
- Insurance
- Community initiatives
- Scientific understanding
- Hazard engineering
In some locations with very low human development (below 0.55), vulnerability is usually high because:
- many people lack basic needs of sufficient water and food even in 'normal' times
- much housing is informally constructed with no regard for hazard resilience
- access to healthcare is poor, and disease and illness are common
- education levels are lower, so hazard perception and risk awareness is low
In rural Nepal, the area hit by the 2015 earthquake, 40% of families live below the poverty line and more than 90% depend on subsistence farming. Of the rural population, 40% exhibit stunting of growth as a result of malnutrition and only 20-40% of rural adults are literate.