Unpacking the Social Construction of 'Natural' Disaster Through Policy Discourses and Institutional Responses in Mexico
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UNPACKING THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF ´NATURAL´ DISASTER THROUGH POLICY DISCOURSES AND INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES IN MEXICO: THE CASE OF CHALCO VALLEY‟S FLOODS, STATE OF MEXICO FERNANDO DE JESÚS ARAGÓN-DURAND THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Development Planning Unit The Bartlett University College London 2009 I, Fernando Aragón-Durand, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Fernando Aragón-Durand 2 PARA SER GRANDE, sê inteiro: nada Teu exagera ou exclui. Sê todo em cada coisa. Pôe quanto és No mínimo que fazes. Assim em cada lago a lua toda Brilha, porque alta vive Ricardo Reis 14.2.1933 3 I dedicate this thesis to my dearest parents Patricia and Rodolfo 4 To the memory of my friend Martín Durán 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………... 11 LIST OF PHOTOS…………………………………………………………………... 11 LIST OF BOXES…………………………………………………………………….. 11 LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………… 12 ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS…………………………………………… 13 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………. 15 ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………….. 16 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 17 i. The focus of the research………………………………………………………. 23 ii. The research case study……………………………………………………….. 26 iii. The research methodology……………………………………………………. 28 iv. The structure and content of the thesis……………………………………….. 30 CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BASES OF NATURAL DISASTER POLICIES Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 35 1. The conceptual bases of the disaster field…….................................................... 36 1.1 Disaster......................................................................................................... 42 1.2 Natural Hazard.............................................................................................. 46 1.3 Vulnerability................................................................................................. 50 2. Risk...................................................................................................................... 56 2.1 The naturalist perspective of risk.................................................................. 57 2.2 The constructionist perspective of risk……………………………………. 60 2.2.1 Risk as a perceived reality........................................................... 60 2.2.2 Risk as a cultural process............................................................ 62 2.2.3 Risk as a social process................................................................ 63333 3. Constructionist analyses of ´natural´ disaster.................................................... 64 Conclusions: Disaster policies, risk and knowledge…………………………….. 70 6 CHAPTER TWO: DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION OF „NATURAL‟ DISASTER AT POLICY LEVEL Introduction………………………………………………………………………... 72 1. Social constructionism and ´natural´ disaster..................................................... 73 1.1 The nature and scope of the social constructionism.................................... 73 1.2 Nature and environment as social products................................................ 77 1.2.1 Criticisms to social constructionism of nature................................... 81 1.3 The social nature and ´natural´ disaster..................................................... 83 2. Knowledge production of ´natural´ disaster and risk......................................... 88 2.1 Knowledge production in the domain of International Science and Disaster Management................................................................................... 90 2.2 Knowledge production in the domain of Disaster Governance................... 92 2.3 Knowledge production in the domain of Local Knowledge and Coping Practices.......................................................................................... 93 3. Disaster causality as a policy problem and policy responses: two frameworks to analyse a discursive construction.................................................................... 94 3.1 Disaster causality, risk definition and the policy problem.......................... 95 3.2 Discursive elements of disaster causality..................................................... 98 3.3 Policy responses of floods discourses: from objectives to implementation. 101 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY Introduction…………………………………………………………………………. 104 1. The Approach…………………………………………………………………... 104 2. The Research Questions………………………………………………………... 106 2.1 Central questions…………………………………………………………. 106 2.2 Secondary questions…………………………………………………. 106 3. Methods………………………………………………………………………… 108 3.1 Secondary information…………………………………………………… 108 3.2 Primary Information……………………………………………………… 109 4. The Justification of the Case Study…………………………………………….. 114 5. Study Populations and the Selection of the Interviewees……………………… 115 6. Grouping of Science and Policy Institutions according to the Social Domains of Response to Risk and Disaster in Mexico........................... 120 6.1 Domain of Science and Disaster Management.............................................. 120 6.2 Domain of Disaster Governance.................................................................... 121 6.3 Domain of Local Coping Strategies............................................................... 122 7. Time scale and Research Sites…………………………………………………. 122 8. Limitations of the Study and Issues of Bias……………………………………. 122 7 CHAPTER FOUR: THE CASE STUDY OF CHALCO VALLEY‟S FLOODS Introduction................................................................................................................ 124 1. Chalco Valley‘s floods of June 2000………………………………………….. 125 2. Urbanisation, former policies and floods risk generation in Chalco Valley….. 127 2.1 Socio-environmental change in Chalco Valley between the Spanish Conquest and the beginning of XX Century…………………….. 127 2.2 Political economy of the urbanisation in Chalco Valley after the Mexican Revolution..................................................................................... 134 2.3. PRONASOL in Chalco Valley and local environmental deterioration…… 137 3. Hazards, people‘s vulnerability and recent policy responses............................... 141 3.1 Recent policy responses and the failure of risk management of La Compañía Canal…………………………………………………….. 141 3.2 People‘s vulnerability and floods impact in four colonias of Chalco Valley: the chain of causation…………………………………….. 146 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………... 163 CHAPTER FIVE: THE DISASTER POLICY CONTEXT IN MEXICO Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. 164 1. Historical background, conceptual origins and the foundational framework of the National System of Civil Protection in Mexico……………. 165 2. The National System of Civil Protection and the Public Institutions.................. 171 2.1 Ministry of Internal Affairs (SEGOB)........................................................... 171 2.2 General Coordination of Civil Protection (GCCP)...................................... 172 2.3 General Direction of Civil Protection (GCP)................................................. 172 2.4 Natural Disaster Fund (FONDEN)................................................................ 172 2.5 National Centre for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED)............................. 173 2.6 State System of Civil Protection.................................................................... 173 2.7 Municipal System of Civil Protection............................................................ 174 2.8 Institutional Structure……………………………………………..………. 174 2.9 Population………………………………………………………………… 174 3. Civil Protection Programmes…………………………………………………... 175 3.1 National Programme of Civil Protection 2000-2006……………………… 175 3.2 Research on disaster and technological projects 2000-2006……………...... 181 3.3 Civil Protection Programme of the State of Mexico 1999-2005………….... 185 Conclusions……………………………………………………………………….. 188 8 CHAPTER SIX: CHALCO VALLEY`S FLOODS AS A DISASTER POLICY PROBLEM: THE DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION Introduction...................................................................................................................... 190 1. Conceptual and methodological considerations…………………………………... 191 2. Causality Discourses of Chalco Valley´s floods……..………………………….. 196 2.1 Discourses of Inadvertent Causality………………………………………. 197 2.1.1 Inadvertence by ´ignorance´………………………………………... 197 .2.1.2 Inadvertence by ´carelessness´…………………………………….. 205 2.2 Discourse of Accidental Causality………………………………………… 216 2.3 Discourse of Structural Causality…………………………………………. 223 3. Problem constructions…………………………………………………………….... 236 3.1 Ignorance of hazards and of unsafe conditions…………………………… 238 3.2 Failure of infrastructure and sanitation system and inadequate monitoring of risk object……………………………………………………………. 243 3.3 Accidents of nature and of man-made systems that disrupt human systems………………………………………………………….. 245 3.4 Exposure of vulnerable people to hazards is a consequence of socio-economic inequalities…………………………………………….... 247 Conclusions: multiple discourses, contested problems and discourse coalitions........... 248 CHAPTER SEVEN: POLICY RESPONSES TO FOUR CONSTRUCTIONS OF CHALCO VALLEY`S FLOODS PROBLEM Introduction…………………………………………………………………………... 251 1. Ignorance of hazards and unsafe conditions………………………………………. 254 1.1 Policy