Natural disaster mitigation in drinking water and sewerage systems: guidelines for vulnerability analysis

The countries of the Region of the Americas are exposed to a large variety of natural hazards. Earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, droughts, and floods affect many of the countries of the Region and cause major disasters. The number of deaths, injuries, and persons seriously affected, damage to infrastructure, disruption of public services, and economic losses are on the increase and present a threat to the development of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Vulnerability analysis, the topic of this publication, provides a simple approach for assessing the vulnerability of system components to the impact of hazards in a particular area. The outcome of the analysis will define the necessary mitigation measures and emergency response procedures should a disaster occur. These guidelines are meant to be used as an analytical tool by engineering and technical personnel working with drinking water and sewerage services to diagnose the behaviour of these systems in the event of natural disaster.