DR. FAHAD ANIS , ALI ASHRAF , MOHAMMAD IRFAN ALI , MISS HINA FATIMA
DOI: https://doi.org/Proper disaster alerts systems are needed in case of minimum risk and loss of lives. However, those who are marginalized are likely to lose attempts to receive, comprehend, or act on such warnings due to social, cultural, and technological factors. This qualitative study explores the problem of communication among vulnerable groups in flood-affected areas of Rajanpur and Badin district of Pakistan. According to the in-depth interviews with 35 local people, NGOs, and disaster management authorities, the research establishes a number of underlying obstacles. These include language exclusion, low literacy levels, limited access to digital technologies, mistrust of official communication of the government, cultural marginalization of women and minorities. Respondents also noted the importance of locally based and trusted communication channels e.g. mosques, elders and radio as better channels of receiving disaster information. In accordance with the Access to Communication Theory and Participatory Communication Theory, the study demonstrates the inability of disaster communication practices to be informed by the daily life of marginalized communities in most instances. Findings have shown that the current systems are majorly top down and technology based thus making them inaccessible to individuals with low levels of literacy or those who do not have access to the internet. The study draws a conclusion that inclusive disaster communication requires localized, culturally suitable and low-technological processes. The early warning outreach can be significantly improved using community-based measures like the use of local language, Girls involvement in preparedness programs, and the utilization of grassroots networks. Communication systems must be socio-culturally adjusted to the socio-cultural background of the populations that they are operating in to be more resilient to a disaster.
