| Abstract | Ayeyawaddy Delta is prone to multiple hazards in Myanmar. Its coastal regions are exposed to cyclone, storm surge and flood frequently. In any disaster situation, most lives and properties are lost due to lack of knowledge on preparedness. Disasters may happen in the future. There is a need to study vulnerability of people in disaster prone areas. The overall goal of the study is to assess the degree of vulnerability of people in the context of social, economic, housing structure and infrastructure, water and sanitation conditions of people living in disaster prone area, and to prioritize their needs for infrastructural and other facilities, and help them for disaster risk reduction. The field survey was conducted in five villages of Labutta Township in September 2010. Primary data were collected through key informants and questionnaire survey. By assuming 90 % confidence interval, the sample size was 80 out of 395 households in five villages of Ayeyawaddy Delta. Descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency, percentage, and average and weighted average index were used to assess social vulnerability of people with focus on gender, age group, households‟ attendance on disaster risk reduction training. Economic vulnerability assessment of people was done using indicators such as income, landownership, household assets, purpose of taking loan. Similarly, physical vulnerability assessment of people was also done relating to factors such as housing conditions and infrastructure, housing types, housing location from the river bank and availability of safer shelters. Degree of vulnerability related to infrastructure was measured in terms of water and sanitation conditions of people including source of water, distance of water from the settlement, access to health center and toilet facilities, and risks of diseases. Weighted average index was used to prioritize their needs for different infrastructural facilities in the context of disaster risk reduction. Based on this study, it is revealed that households are vulnerable in terms of age group, income level, landholding size, housing location, access to safer shelter, availability of water from other village pond, access to health center. Moreover, the priority needs are health center, water ponds, school building, cyclone shelter, road accessibility and electricity supply. In order to reduce disaster risks among the households the following measures to be taken. The measures are early warning dissemination, evacuation plans and training. |