Interactive guide for post-disaster water supply in urban areas

Water deficit in post-disaster situations due to large past earthquakes has evidenced the difficulty in managing and distributing safe water to the urban population during the first moments after the event and the lack of preparation of the people to cope with this situation. Disorder and panic must be prevented by preparing and educating the people at risk and the local government. This paper aims to develop an interactive, online, GIS-based guide focused on water supply during emergencies caused by seismic events. To accomplish this task, we introduce the Emergency Water Supply System (EWaSS) concept, a network of local autonomous water supply points in public spaces, such as parks and squares. The objective of the EWaSS is to provide safe water in the first moments of the earthquake emergency, articulated with the existing emergency plans at different levels of government. The design of the EWaSS considers a three-scale spatial approach that involves the environmental, social and physical dimensions and the following aspects: quantity and quality of water, security, accessibility; performance in the face of adverse natural phenomena, population density, articulation to the network of public spaces that includes safe areas, evacuation routes and proximity to urban facilities, identification of the level of organization of the community, urban zoning, and social vulnerability. We present the megacity of Lima in South America as a case study in which an 8.8 Mw earthquake is expected. The probability of water supply interruption is high due to out-of-date water and sanitation infrastructure. Although there is a set of wells and tanks aimed to supply water during emergencies, more was needed to cover the whole city population. An interdisciplinary perspective integrates and articulates the knowledge of civil engineering and urban planning disciplines. Emphasis is placed on using collaborative methods with the participation of relevant local actors and stakeholders in disaster risk management to achieve a feasible solution. As a result, the interactive guide is delivered and introduced to the stakeholders, decision-makers, planners and neighborhood organizations. This guide is expected to help strengthen the capacities of the population and state entities in charge of emergency response and increase the population's resilience that could be affected by future earthquake disasters.