Flood Hazard Mapping with Participatory GIS: The Case of Gorakhpur

With cities representing concentrations of risk from many of the impacts of climate change, local communities are beginning to consider and implement actions to adapt to current or likely future impacts. Tools that can supplement existing community knowledage in assessing flood and other disaster risks have a valuable role to play, particularly in cases where the lack of reliable data in the public domain can impede local level planning. Such tools include Geographical Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) which can be used by trained local communities to assess flood risk intensity at a local level and hence develop risk management plans. This article describes how local communities in Gorakhpur, India have used participatory GIS to facilitate local resilience planning.