ID: 2189
Presenting Author: Federico Scodelaro
Session: 652 - EA in Latin America: Bridging Infrastructure and Communities for Sustainable Development
Status: pending
A case study on integrating disaster and climate risk analysis into project preparation stage to enhance resilience and sustain essential services in remote areas: Suriname case study.
As climate-related hazards intensify, integrating disaster and climate risk into infrastructure design has become crucial, particularly where vulnerable populations depend on it for access to health, education, and emergency services. This paper presents the Support to the Air Transport Sector in Suriname Program, aimed at improving existing airstrips that provide essential transport for Indigenous and remote communities. The project demonstrates a pragmatic approach to incorporating disaster and climate risk into project design, despite limited baseline data and the small-scale of each intervention. Applying the Inter-American Development Bank Disaster and Climate Change Risk Assessment Methodology, the ESIA combined national hazard maps, site-level observations, and engagement with local stakeholders, to assess exposure to flooding, erosion, extreme rainfall, and poor drainage. These findings were then translated into adaptive design features, such as improved surface drainage and elevation of critical infrastructure above projected flood levels, as well as non-structural measures related to early warning and operational preparedness, to ensure continued operability under worsening climate conditions.
The case highlights how infrastructure criticality and population vulnerability were jointly evaluated to prioritize adaptation measures. By embedding resilience within the environmental and social management framework, the project illustrates how safeguards can go beyond compliance to become instruments for climate adaptation in remote settings.
Environmental Specialist with 18 years of experience in 28 countries worldwide. Environmental Lead at PlanEHS, firm focused on environmental and social impact assessments.
Coauthor 1: Martina Vazquez Miranda
Coauthor 2: Edoardo Brovero
Coauthor 3: Maria Amelia Viteri
Coauthor 4: Roberto Leal