Household flood resilience in the Nowshera district, Pakistan: A multidimensional analysis

In response to the limitations of conventional flood control measures, modern flood risk management is evolving towards a more community-centred approach, emphasizing household flood resilience. In line with this shift, a multidimensional framework encompassing physical, social, economic, and institutional aspects of flood resilience was developed and applied to Akbar Pura, Mohib Banda, Aman Kot, Khaishki Bala, and Pir Piai union councils in the Nowshera district in Pakistan. An indicator-based approach was used to collect data through questionnaire-based surveys from 210 households in the five union councils. A standardized index-creation procedure was used to create indices for flood resilience and its four key dimensions. The results revealed significant variations in household flood resilience across the union councils, Pir Piai showing the highest resilience (0.45) and Khaishki Bala the lowest (0.38). Access to communication tools, basic utilities, and social networks were factors that improved resilience while low participation in flood preparedness activities, lack of flood emergency plans, limited skills, inadequate financial preparedness, and low trust in government disaster risk reduction programs weakened resilience. We contribute to a growing body of knowledge on flood resilience by demonstrating the critical role of household-level dynamics, integrating often-neglected human and resource dimensions, and providing insights for targeted resilience-building in flood-prone communities.