Page 157 - Read Online

Kodag et al. Dis Prev Res 2023;2:12 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/dpr.2023.11 Page 5 of 16

About Pune
Pune city evolves in an organic pattern; it is not a planned city. The decision on the development pattern of
the city is made by Pune Municipal Corporation in a consultative process with stakeholders. Over the years,
there has been an increase in city limits, with fringe villages getting incorporated in the city limits. The
recent introduction of Uniform Development Control Rules 2019 (UDPCR, 2019) has amplified the floor
space index (FSI), resulting in an increase in the height and density of buildings . The road pattern and
[26]
critical services of the city evolve as per the need generated due to the development of new residential areas.
The high demand for residential units makes the real estate market lucrative, pressurizing all the civic
services available in the city.

Pune city is situated on the confluence of the rivers Mula and Mutha. It is the second largest city in the state
of Maharashtra, with a population of 3.99 million spread over an area of 331.26 sq km located at the
elevation of 560 m above MSL in the Sahyadri mountain range. It lies in the Moderate Damage Risk Zone
III of an earthquake adjacent to the active seismic zone of Koyna. Though there is no history of earthquakes,
except for severe tremors felt during the Latur earthquake on 30 September 1993, the city is highly
[27]
vulnerable to earthquakes . Figure 3 shows the map of physical features of Pune.

The city experiences low to moderate flooding every year due to instances of high precipitation or release of
water from the four upstream dams. The Panshet dam burst (12 July 1961) and the cloud burst on 25
September 2019 are major flooding events in the history of the city. Each year during the monsoon, there
are events of riverine flooding and flash flooding in the city, disrupting its normal functioning.

The smart city initiative has boosted the development pattern of the city. All the initiatives proposed in the
Smart City mission of Pune have a strong linkage to the spatial planning of the city. The development
pattern of the city shall be further elevated with the introduction of the Metro for mass transportation and
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) (an area within a radius of 5 kms of metro stations with dense and
compact development, enjoying an FSI of five for residential and commercial landuse).

METHODOLOGY
Selection of spatial planning components
Urban planning in India comprises six key components: population density, landuse, open spaces, roads,
physical infrastructure, and critical infrastructure, modulated through two key instruments: development
plan and building codes. Hence, these spatial planning components were selected in this study as they play
[28]
an important role in DRR . These components form the basis of spatial planning and are impacted directly
and indirectly by any developmental decision taken by the local government . Table 1 shows the spatial
[29]
planning components, subcomponents, and description of the perceptions gathered in the survey from
participants on smart city initiatives from a disaster risk perspective.

Method
Pune city is selected for this study as a case. This method helped us to conduct a comprehensive study of the
city, smart city initiatives, and its implications from a disaster perspective. The study focuses on
understanding the perceptions of citizens of Pune on DRR for spatially relevant hazards, earthquakes, and
floods. We selected a questionnaire survey method . An articulated questionnaire was distributed in 15
[30]
wards of the city through the volunteers of a non-profit organization. The questionnaires were circulated to
almost 2,000 citizens, and with gender equality, we received back almost 1,350 questionnaires, out of which
800 (400 men and 400 women) were used in the study for analysis as they had answers and comments. Most
of these participants were also part of the city engagement program conducted by the smart city initiative
(as per the question answered). The rest were incomplete or vaguely answered.