Utilization of Participatory Rural Appraisal Techniques for Housing Condition Evaluation for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Earthen Dwelling

Abstract

The interactions between hazard exposure, social vulnerability, and physical vulnerability conditions cause major impacts during disasters. Infrastructure and housing problems are given more importance and considered as the root of many other concerns. As a self-disaster recovery approach, earthen construction techniques have gained greater acceptance due to the utilization of local materials, indigenous building practices that do not depend on highly skilled paid labour, and affordability. Earthen construction techniques are practiced globally, in various geographical conditions adapted to serve as site-specific hazard mitigation measures. This study utilized Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques, to examine the vernacular earthen practices of the Rajanga village of Dhenkanal District, Odisha State, India, and performed a qualitative analysis of its disaster resilience capacity. This village is located in a very high-damage risk zone for wind and cyclones. Findings suggest that PRA methods are effective in exploring construction practices and conducting a cause-issue-effect analysis after synthesizing various PRA inputs. Poor housing conditions in the village are due to a deterioration of various building elements and lack of hazard-resistant features increasing the vulnerability to disasters. In conclusion, PRA methods can be utilized as an effective tool for the exchange of knowledge between researchers and rural community members at large, for initiating a co-design process and conducting capacity building. Earthen construction methods have a greater potential for sustainable development, where it is engineered using traditional knowledge and new knowledge and incorporated with disaster-resilient features.