A pilot participatory multi-hazard mapping of East Azad Nagar unauthorized regularized colony in Delhi

Unauthorized colonies (UCs) are home to nearly a third of Delhi’s population, but remain vulnerable to natural and human-induced hazards due to informal development, haphazard construction, and inadequate infrastructure. Although regularization has increased property values, there is little evidence of improved disaster resilience. Framed within an infrastructure resilience perspective, this study uses participatory multi-hazard mapping to assess vulnerability in East Azad Nagar, a regularized unauthorized colony in Delhi. Field surveys and community-based mapping were used to identify exposure to earthquakes, fire, urban flooding, floods, and building collapse. The findings reveal limited improvements in infrastructure and disaster preparedness following regularization, and vulnerability patterns differ from district-level assessments. The study demonstrates that participatory hazard mapping generates rounded risk insights and identifies community assets for resilience planning. The approach supports the objectives of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and highlights the need for settlement-level disaster management in such urban settlements.