Drought vulnerability assessment and mitigation strategies for peri-urban province of Pathum Thani, Thailand

This study assesses the drought vulnerability of Thailand's peri-urban province of Pathum Thani using a three-component vulnerability assessment framework, comprising drought exposure, drought sensitivity, and drought adaptive capacity components. Pathum Thani province, consisting of seven administrative districts, is home to a number of industries including agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. Rapid urbanization and climate change have exacerbated the province's drought situations. To assess the drought vulnerability of Pathum Thani, drought vulnerability indicators structured around the three vulnerability components are developed across the three sustainability dimensions: social, economic, and environmental dimensions. The drought vulnerability indicators are initially evaluated by experts for their relevancy. The drought indicators are further evaluated using a questionnaire administered to randomly selected households across seven administrative districts. The drought vulnerability components and indicators, based on the questionnaire responses, are subsequently validated by using structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis. After the validation, a drought vulnerability questionnaire is developed to evaluate the drought vulnerability of the study area, measured by the province- and district-level drought vulnerability indexes. The research findings reveal a moderate level of drought vulnerability across most administrative districts. As a result, policymakers should focus interventions and mitigation strategies on reducing drought exposure, cultivating drought resilience, and enhancing adaptive capacity.