4.2. Stakeholder Identification and Mapping

We set up a small office in a ward G-North ward, MCGM, a research hub from there imagine this is a timeline, we started to say used to go to Dharavi and say people hey hello how are you, and then we started to build kind of rapport with the people. People say hello, how are you they are talking about many issues, they are concerned about their livelihood issues, their job, family issues, housing issues.

In this chunk, the focus is on the initial steps taken to engage with the community. The team established a local office in Dharavi to be present in the area and approach residents directly. This close engagement helped the researchers to build trust with the community. Instead of imposing their ideas, they chose to listen to the people's daily concerns like livelihoods and housing, which were vital for understanding the context of disaster risk management.

Imagine a new teacher entering a classroom. Instead of starting the lesson immediately, they walk around and ask students about their interests and home life. This approach helps students feel valued and respected, making them more open to learning and participating actively in the class.

We have chat over on tea stall and juice shop wherever whatever places we have, then they started talk about the flood and waterlogging problem in this area and we had continuous discussions and we said can we help you? can you help you some manner, before that we did not really put our plan to them we just wanted to know that this proposal should come from them and we should also try to understand them their concerns?

This chunk discusses how the researchers held informal discussions at local venues like tea stalls and juice shops. This casual setting encouraged open conversation about pressing issues such as flooding and waterlogging. The researchers were careful not to present their own plans initially but focused instead on truly understanding the community's needs, which helps in creating solutions that are relevant and accepted by the residents.

Think of it like a community gathering where neighbors discuss problems they face in their area, such as potholes or lack of parks. Instead of someone coming in with a solution right away, listening first allows for a better understanding of what everyone is experiencing, leading to more effective improvements that reflect the true needs of the community.

So they said that yes we need some help if you can do to manage better the flood we are facing every year. So we developed risk mapping and then over the period of time we developed an action plan with them.

In this chunk, after gathering input from the community, the researchers learned that residents needed assistance in managing recurring floods. In response, they created risk maps which visually represented areas most at risk of flooding. This step was crucial as it allowed for the identification of high-risk areas and helped the community prioritize their concerns in the development of an action plan for better flood management.

Like mapping out a neighborhood for a community sports event to identify locations for fields, bathrooms, and food stalls, risk mapping in disaster management helps in visually organizing information about where floods are likely to happen, making it easier to plan for protective measures and community responses.

I will talk about that how we involved these communities into this decision-making process. That was the phase one and that we first identified the stakeholder and we developed a base map and also Phase two we developed a risk mapping and prioritisation of work.

This chunk highlights the importance of involving the community at every step of the decision-making process. The researchers emphasized that identifying stakeholders—people who have an interest in the disaster management process—is foundational. In the first phase, they created a base map to visualize the area's layout, and in the second phase, they developed detailed risk maps and prioritized actions based on community feedback, ensuring that the process was truly participatory.

Consider a town planning meeting where citizens decide on improvements for public parks. Everyone's input can lead to prioritizing the projects that the community feels are most important, such as adding playgrounds first rather than parking lots, ensuring that what gets built truly serves the public's needs.

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