By Lolwa Reda
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Social capital allows communities to stand together and act collectively to reduce disaster risk and vulnerability as a direct result of its main characteristics: trust, reciprocity, shared norms and beliefs, information sharing, civic engagement and participation, according to the UNDP. Moreover, researchers argue that high social capital allows for the mobilisation of invisible resources, such as skills and knowledge held by society members, which encourages and generates new ideas, often leading societies to be less vulnerable in the face of natural hazards.
The positive correlation between high levels of social capital and effective DRR also seems to be rooted in the collective nature of DRR initiatives. When social capital is high, society members are willing to work together and invest time and money to develop the community and reduce vulnerability, even if they are not vulnerable. Moreover, social capital can substitute for the typically weak formal infrastructure and support systems in developing countries.
Abu Quir’s society has been battling coastal floods and floods caused by a weak and underdeveloped drainage system for decades. Currently the government is working, and has been working over the past four years, on strengthening their drainage systems and the general infrastructure, however, back then, they heavily relied on social capital to reduce disaster risk. Recently, climate change has led to increased flooding, resulting in unprecedented deaths in Abu Quir, according to The National.
Initially, this led to families, apartment-block committees, and neighbourhood watch committees to discuss the issue and the failures of the current risk reduction strategies. As people began to talk more about the issue, local media proliferated the subject. Civil leaders then emerged with the aim of fighting vulnerabilities that cause floods, like improper infrastructure. They spoke to, reportedly, tens of committees to collect theories and ideas from the community, and then took the issue to the local authorities, demanding a solution. It is clear that bonding ties allowed the community to put pressure on governments through linking ties, meaning that both were essential for the communities’ success.