A regional scale approach to assess non-residential buildings, transportation and croplands exposure in Central Asia

Abstract

Abstract. The Central Asia region encompasses a wide variety of climatic areas and geological settings. It is therefore prone to multiple hazards which can affect different parts of the region, including transboundary areas. Floods and landslides are increasing in number and intensity due to climate change, while earthquakes are a well-known threat for the region. Knowing the location, type and characteristics of exposed assets is paramount in order to develop disaster risk reduction strategies. Floods, landslides and earthquakes can affect a wide range of exposed assets in the region, but past research efforts were mostly focused on residential buildings. Here, we develop the first regionally-consistent exposure database for selected asset types (namely, non-residential buildings, transportation and croplands) in Central Asia. We assembled the available global and regional datasets together with country-based information provided by local authorities and research groups, including reconstruction costs. The exposure database provided here supports further analysis to integrate data from national and sub-national projects and support regional-scale disaster risk reduction strategies.