The reproduction of human (in)security : a case study of post-flood Ayutthaya

Abstract

The study focuses on human security in the post-flood environment of disaster-affected community. The research aims to assess the reproduction of human (in)security constituted by relief operation as well as institutional learning of community’s experience. It explains the reproduction process of human security concentrated on community of affected areas. In addition, it further proposes potential way of reconstructing and restructuring human security in the post-disaster environment future preparation. This research is the analytical-qualitative study being employed the case study of the 2011 flood in Lae Paniad Luang Elephant Camp and Ayutthaya Hospital community as the unit of analysis. Ayutthaya, housing five industrial zones and contributing to a large amount of the country’s GDP as well as its historical significance, was severely affected by the incident in 2011. The methodology utilized in the study includes in-depth and semi-structured interview, potentially aimed to extract qualitative data analysis. The study found that flood in 2011 resulted in immediate-to-short term food, economic, health, environmental, personal, community and political insecurity. The relief operation by different sectors contributed to addressing multi-dimensional human insecurity to some degree. The findings suggest that even though human security has been reproduced to some extent two years after the disaster, there have been numbers of issues different stakeholders need to learn and take in account in coping with natural disaster.