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A spatial multi-risk hazard assessment and vulnerability study of ...

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Abstract<br />

A new act on Disaster Management has been introduced in South Africa that will shift<br />

the focus <strong>of</strong> Disaster Management to a pro-active approach. The new Disaster<br />

Management Act, Act number 57 <strong>of</strong> 2002, states that all Municipalities should provide<br />

for: “An integrated <strong>and</strong> co-ordinated disaster management policy that focuses on<br />

preventing or reducing the <strong>risk</strong> <strong>of</strong> disasters, mitigating the severity <strong>of</strong> disasters,<br />

emergency preparedness, rapid <strong>and</strong> effective response to disasters <strong>and</strong> post disaster<br />

recovery”.<br />

Because <strong>of</strong> this it is important to identify areas that are at <strong>risk</strong> <strong>of</strong> any disaster <strong>and</strong> to<br />

introduce mitigating measures to ensure that any foreseeable impacts on the community<br />

are limited as much as possible. It is thus important that a disaster <strong>risk</strong> <strong>assessment</strong> must<br />

be performed for every Municipality that can be used in the planning process.<br />

A great deal <strong>of</strong> information needs to be gathered <strong>and</strong> analysed in the <strong>risk</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>vulnerability</strong> <strong>assessment</strong> process. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provides the<br />

ideal platform from which to analyse large quantities <strong>of</strong> environmental, demographic,<br />

cadastral <strong>and</strong> infrastructural data <strong>and</strong> represent it <strong>spatial</strong>ly <strong>and</strong> in a format that is easily<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>able to everyone.<br />

GIS has proven to be a very important tool in disaster management, from identifying<br />

<strong>hazard</strong>s <strong>and</strong> vulnerable communities, to providing information during disaster events <strong>and</strong><br />

the recovery process afterwards. It is also a very effective method <strong>of</strong> gathering <strong>and</strong><br />

storing data from different fields <strong>and</strong> applications to be used for planning mitigating<br />

measures, setting up st<strong>and</strong>ard operating procedures for disaster events <strong>and</strong> coordination<br />

<strong>and</strong> planning in the event <strong>of</strong> a disaster.<br />

The purpose <strong>of</strong> this <strong>study</strong> was to gather all available information on identified <strong>hazard</strong>s in<br />

the Madibeng Municipality <strong>and</strong> to use this information to perform a <strong>risk</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>vulnerability</strong><br />

<strong>assessment</strong> <strong>of</strong> the Madibeng Local Municipality with the aid <strong>of</strong> GIS.<br />

The information provided in this <strong>study</strong> was intended to assist in building a disaster<br />

resistant community by sharing geographic knowledge about local <strong>hazard</strong>s. This <strong>study</strong><br />

VIII

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