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Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
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Vol. 20, issue 1-2, No. 139-140, 2020

                                                                                                                           CapaCity
                                                                                                                       building for
                                                                                                                          Calamity
                                                                                                                        resistanCe
                                                                                                                           —saving
                                                                                                                          lives and
                                                                                                                       livelihoods.

                                                                          Disaster
                                                             resilience
                                                                      PersPectives
                                                                                   Disaster resilient
                                                                                   in frastr uctures in inDia
                                                                                   saarc: regional
                                                                                   Disaster PersPe ctive
                                                                                   The 2018 Kerala Flood:
                                                                                   BesT pracTi
                                                                                         pracTices
                                                                                                ces and
                                                                                   lessons learned
                                                                                   Flood risK reducTion
                                                                                   and resilience
                                                                                        re silience
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
G’nY SINCE 2001
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                      GeoGraphy and you                                                     a dEvElopmENt aNd
                                                                                      ENvIroNmENt fortNIGhtlY
                       VOL. 20  ISSUE 1 & 2 No. 139 & 140  2020

                                                  DISaSTER RESIlIENCE pERSpECTIVES
                                                  6   Disaster Resilience Journey
                                                      to Sustainable India – 2030
                                                      Anil K Gupta
                                                      Planning and implementing disaster risk reduction
                                                      requires integration pathways and appropriate tools.
                                                      The transition from Hyogo Framework for Action to
                                                      the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has
                                                      brought focus on specific goals, integrating climate
                                                      change adaptation and environment-disaster linkages in
                                                      all developmental sectors.

                                                  12 Disaster Resilient Infrastructures in India
                                                      Chandan Ghosh
                                                      Disasters have been inflicting heavy damage in terms of
                                                      deaths, injuries, destruction of our habitat and economic
                                                      activity. The economic impact of infrastructure damage
                                                      during extreme events are required to be evaluated,
                                                      particularly in the light of growing urban and coastal
                                                      establishments of the country.

                                                  26 Flood Resilience Capacity of Coastal
                                                     Ecosystem: Violation of CRZ Notification
                                                      Prakash Nelliyat
                                                      Coastal zones are facing multiple anthropogenic
                                                      challenges and the recent floods in the coastal cities
                                                      of Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi are examples. The
                                                      enforcement of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)
                                                      Notification is however a challenge.

                                                  34 Flood Risk Reduction and Resilience
                                                      Surya Parkash and Harjeet Kaur
                                                      About 12 per cent of India’s land is prone to floods.
                                                      High intensity short duration rainfall; inadequate
                                                      reservoir regulation; reduced channel carrying capacity;
                                                      and, failure of flood management structures like levees
                                                      and embankments exacerbate floods.

                                                  40 Disaster Risk Reduction through
                                                     Humanitarian Supply Chain Development
                                                      Rajat Agrawal
                                                      Proper supply chain management for disasters, which is
                                                      known as humanitarian supply chain (HSC) can play a
                                                      vital role in disaster risk reduction. A properly planned
                                                      HSC where the private sector is also involved can help
                                                      in improving the response to the disasters.

                                                  46 The 2018 Kerala Flood: Best practices
                                                     and lessons learnt
                                                      Shailendra Rai
                                                      It is imperative to reconnoiter the potential best
                                                      practices, lessons learned and way forward from the
                                                      2018 Kerala Floods, which include community response
                                                      to disaster risk reduction and institutionalising capacity
                                                      building for flood risk management.
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
56 Ecosystem based approaches: Disaster
                                                                                   proofing India’s urban sprawls
                                                                                    Shalini Dhyani
                                                                                    India is undergoing rapid urban expansion. With
                                                                                    increasing population, rapid development and
                                                                                    infrastructure growth, urban sprawls are the new
                                                                                    hotspots of disaster. The article focuses on the Tier II city
                                                                                    of Nagpur, which is being developed as a Smart City.

                                                                                66 Disaster Risk Reduction through
                                                                                   Sustainable Development Goals:
                                                                                   Vulnerability and trafficking
                                                                                    Mondira Dutta
                                                                                    Research shows disasters exacerbate pre-existing
                                                                                    vulnerabilities, which are often ignored in the
                                                                                    disaster risk reduction policies. The major global
                                                                                    policy instruments thus need to align to facilitate and
                                                                                    encourage better communication, participation and
                                                                                    create awareness thereby ushering in the sustainable
                                                                                    development goals under the 2030 development agenda.

                                                                                74 Increasing Vulnerability, Risk and
                                                                                   Undermining Resilience: Some
                                                                                   Reflections
                                                                                    Sunita Reddy
                                                                                    With climate change and increase in the frequency and
                                                                                    intensity of disasters, sustainable living is imperative.
                                                                                    There is an urgent need to stop indiscriminate
                                                                                    development, which exacerbates vulnerabilities
                                                                                    in communities.

                                                                                80 SaaRC: a Regional Disaster perspective
                                                                                    O P Mishra and M Ghatak
                                                                                    The SAARC region, one of the global disaster hotspots,
                                                                                    is prone to transboundary disasters. Analysis of available
                                                                                    dataset shows that majority of the countries have been
                                                                                    able to perform better in the terms of World Risk Index
                                                                                    by improving their adaptive and coping capacities even
                                                                                    though the exposure and vulnerabilities are higher.
PHOtO COuRteSy: AijAz RAHi

                                                                                           IN CONVERSaTION WITH GVV Sarma
                                                                                           Member Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority
                                                                                           20 Multi Hazard Disaster Risk Assessment: A Step
                                                                                                towards Disaster Resilience

                                                                                           IN CONVERSaTION WITH m mohapatra
                                                                                           Director General, India Meteorological Department
                                                                                           62 Predicting Weather-Related Disasters:
                                                                                                towards Accuracy

                                                                                In BrIef
                                                                                3 Letters; 4 Editor’s Note; 25 Term Power; 65 Term Power
                                                                                Rating; 88 Books & Website

           Expert Panel
                             Rasik Ravindra            Sachidanand Sinha               B Meenakumari                                 Prithvish Nag
                             Geologist and             Professor, CSRD,                Former Chairperson,                           Former Vice Chancellor,
                             Secretary General,        Jawaharlal Nehru                National Biodiversity                         MG Kashi Vidyapeeth,
                             36 IGC, New Delhi.        University, New Delhi.          Authority, Chennai.                           Varanasi.

                             Ajit Tyagi                K J Ramesh                      Saraswati Raju                                 B Sengupta
                             Air Vice Marshal (Retd)   Former Director                 Former Professor, CSRD,                        Former Member Secretary,
                             Former DG, IMD,           General, IMD,                   Jawaharlal Nehru                               Central Pollution Control
                             New Delhi.                New Delhi.                      University, New Delhi.                         Board, New Delhi.
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
Vol. 19, Issue 27, No. 138. 2019 titled ‘Migration and Development: The
                                                                       Role of Migration in the Economic Growth of India’ was an enlightening
                                                                       read. It highlighted the migration networks and patterns of the Indian
                                                                       population on both international and domestic scale and how it is
GeoGraphy and you                                                      affected by the socio economic and climatic dynamics. I previously
                                                                       thought that women were underrepresented in our tech sector but after
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                                                                                                                                    GeoGraphy and you  2020                            3
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
Editor’s note
                                                               Sulagna Chattopadhyay
                                                                        Founder-Editor,
                                                        Geography and You, New Delhi.
                                                          editor@ geographyandyou.com

                                                                         Building from experience: Community
                                                                                         perceptions and gaps
                                                            I recently visited a village in the Champaran district
                                                               of Bihar in the midst of a cold wave and fell ill. The
                                                      houses made of brick and mortar have large roshandans
                                                            or a ventilators near the ceiling, which works well in
                                                            the gruelling Indian summer allowing hot air in the
                                                          room to escape but leave homes vulnerable in winters.
                                                               The brevity of Indian winters leads many to ignore
                                                               its malevolence, choosing to be exposed to the cold
                                                              air sinking through the roshandans into the rooms.
                                                      Although, in many regions the roshandans are shut off in
                                                        winter with panes of glass the lesser informed or poorer
                                                            households in Bihar choose to huddle and light a fire
                                                         in the room to ward off the cold. Lighting a fire leads to
                                                            heavy indoor pollution and in many instances results
                                                        in carbon-monoxide poisoning. This strange imbalance
                                                      between building architecture of the ancient and modern
                                                          brings into focus the lack of direction within rural and
                                                                 urban communities in terms of disaster proofing.
                                                          Each disaster needs to be assessed keeping traditional
                                                       building norms in sight, educating from the bottom-up.
                                                      Masons to the top officials of the state can perhaps evolve
                                                              a building plan for a region, keeping local practices
                                                                in mind. It is imperative that disaster resilience is
                                                           built upwards from the unit level with a multi-hazard
                                                          perspective—optimum height of the plinth to combat
                                                          floods, reinforced structures for earthquake proofing,
                                                                        cold and heat wave proofing among others.
                                                        This issue of G’nY discusses disaster resilience in India,
                                                          at the household, community and at the country level.
                                                           A paradigm shift in India’s disaster preparedness has
                                                              resulted in better outcomes, especially for cyclones.
                                                      Despite the reduction in lives lost in large scale disasters,
                                                               there is little progress as far as loss to livelihoods is
                                                      concerned. Building disaster resilience however, will aid
                                                      livelihood proofing along with saving lives, to usher in a
                                                                                         climate adapted tomorrow.

4   2019  GeoGraphy and you vol 19, issue 25 & 26 no. 136 & 137
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
Guest Editor’s note
                     K J Ramesh
                     Former Director General, India Meteorological
                     Department, Government of India.
                     kjramesh2607@gmail.com

A vicious cycle of people, property and
potential damage
It is alarming that climate and environmental risks have dominated
the results of World Economic Forum’s (WEFs) annual Global Risks
Perception Survey (GRPS). In fact, these risks accounted for three
of the top five risks by likelihood—extreme weather events; failure
of climate change adaptation and mitigation; natural disasters and
four by impact—water crises. Although extreme weather was the
risk of greatest concern, the survey highlighted the worries about
environmental policy failure due to inaction on ground. The results
of climate inaction are becoming increasingly clear. The accelerating
pace of biodiversity loss is of particular concern. Species abundance
has dropped by 60 per cent since 1970. In the human food chain,
biodiversity loss is affecting health and socioeconomic development,
with implications for well-being, agriculture and fish productivity
etc. Rapidly growing cities and ongoing effects of climate change are
making more people vulnerable to accelerated rising sea levels in the
recent past. Two-thirds of the global population is expected to live in
cities by 2050 due to recent urbanisation trends. Already an estimated
800 million people live in more than 570 coastal cities vulnerable to
a sea-level rise of 0.5 m by 2050. In a vicious circle, urbanisation not
only concentrates people and property in areas of potential damage
it also causes disruption by putting pressure on natural and socio-
economic resources. For instance natural sources of resilience such
as coastal mangroves are destroyed increasing strain on surface and
groundwater reserves. Intensifying impacts will render an increasing
amount of land uninhabitable. Prioritised strategic actions such as
appropriately adapting to various coastal hazards through grounding
structural engineering options to minimise flooding and inundation;
strengthening natural defenses such as shelter belt plantations,
geomorphological coastal features, etc.; and people-centric actions
ensuring risk proofing of households and businesses so as to ensure
multi-hazard resilience across communities.
   India is according high priority to the implementation of disaster
risk reduction and climate resilience through building appropriate
early warning systems linked to emergency actions—linking
weather, climate, water, air quality and environment to help ensure
sustainability of natural resources.

                                                                           GeoGraphy and you  2019   5
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
di s a s t er r esil ience

                        By Anil K Gupta

Disaster
       Resilience
            Journey to
         SuStainable india
              – 2030
     Planning and implementing disaster risk reduction
    requires integration pathways and appropriate tools.
     The transition from Hyogo Framework for Action to
     the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
       has brought focus on specific goals, integrating
         climate change adaptation and environment-
       disaster linkages—mainstreaming it across all
         developmental sectors. This paper examines
                                                              PHoTo CouRTeSy: NAwAl PRAkASH, NDMA

        emerging issues of research and strategies for
     disaster risk framework strengthening and network
      development to achieve the designated goals by
     2030, as also envisaged under the Prime Minister’s
       10 Point Agenda on Disaster Risk Management.

6    2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
Regular risk assessment
                and preparedness
                 drills will result in
            timely identification of
           vulnerabilities to make
           India disaster resilient.

The author is Professor and Programme Director; Policy, Environment and DRR issues—Centre for Excellence on
Climate Resilience; National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi. anilg.gov.in@gmail.com. The article
              should be cited as Gupta A. K. 2020. Disaster Resilience Journey to Sustainable India
                                   – 2030, Geography and You, 20(1-2): 6-11

                                                                              GeoGraphy and you  2020      7
Resilience Disaster - Geography and You
d
                 isaster Management vision –                  vulnerability’ as laid by Hyogo Framework for
                 new paradigm shift                           Action (HFA) has been attended inadequately
                   The Global Assessment Report               by countries (Estrella and Saalisma 2012). In
                   of UNDRR (2018) has presented              transition from HFA, the SFDRR has sought to
                   a new picture of disaster risk in          place greater attention on integrating climate
developing countries that warns of major risks                change adaptation, mainstreaming across sectors
from air pollution and biological hazards, besides            of development with relevant tools of planning
floods, drought, landslides and earthquakes.                  and implementation at national, sub-national and
Over 4 per cent of GDP loss is projected annually             local levels.
if disaster risk reduction is not put into practice.
The report estimated a USD 79.5 billion loss from             resilient development: Critical to
climate-related disasters in 20 years in India                sustainability
alone. Although the recent years see a substantial            There is a growing demand for integrating disaster
reduction in deaths due to disasters, there is an             risk analysis into programmes for promoting
increasing property, livelihood and resource                  community resilience and building sustainable
damage that has to be managed.                                social systems (Mileti 1999; Birkmann 2006). It
   Investing in disaster risk reduction for—                  is a widely accepted sentiment that secure and
sustainable and resilient infrastructure; ecosystem           resilient people will constitute sustainable and
services and environment management; climate                  healthy societies (Nirupama 2012). It requires
change adaptation; and, capacity building for                 developing flexible models of disaster risk
research, education and culture of safety the                 reduction strategy with integration of tools in
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction                  policy and programmes at national, sub-national,
(SFDRR 2015-2030) priority would be to seek                   district or local levels.
a planning agenda particularly at sub-national                   The transition from ‘risk management’ to
and local levels. The second paradigm shift                   ‘resilience’ as a central theme manifests policy
from disaster centric to hazard-vulnerability-                consideration of integrating disaster risk
environment centric, over the past decade is                  reduction within the overall framework of
inculcated in India as well. With several examples            sustainable development. It also needs to break the
and pilots at various levels, the paradigm needs              preoccupation with mega-disasters—tsunamis
strengthening and vertical and horizontal scaling.            and earthquakes—to deal with chronic shocks
                                                              from frequent floods, droughts, storms, etc. to
policy research Contexts                                      rapid urbanisation, air pollution, water crisis, and
Concrete measures for prevention and mitigation               food insecurity that keeps communities locked
to reduce disaster risk has been a key aspect of              in a cycle of crisis. Bringing humanitarian and
recent research. Disasters do not differentiate               development communities together to invest in
between developing and developed nations and                  long-term solutions that build resilience among
affect a significant number of people each year               the world’s most vulnerable is, therefore, critical.
(Nirupama 2009). However, the type and extent                    Implications of climate change impacts on
of consequences may vary widely. The sub-set                  hazards and vulnerabilities in disaster context
of hydro-meteorological and environmental                     have been discussed and recognised widely as has
disasters coupled with land-use complexities                  the need of integrating climate change adaptation
has emerged as a critical focus. Vulnerabilities              and disaster risk reduction in the past decade.
of the people, land-inhabitations, resources and              Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction approaches
infrastructure are governed and modified by the               have been enumerated with specific reference
availability of natural resources, bio-productivity,          to project cycle management (Trobe and Davis
technological know-how, people’s practices and                2005), sub-national development and land-use/
behaviour. Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction              physical planning (NIDM 2014), tools for use by
into environment and development framework                    developmental organisations and governance
at local and regional levels, therefore has to be             process (UNDP 2010). Current emphasis is on
a core strategy for sustainable development.                  researching and testing approaches, pathways
The issue of ‘addressing underlying causes of                 and tools of mainstreaming integration of climate

8    2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
change adaptation and disaster risk reduction into
developmental planning across different levels and
sectors (Schipper and Pelling 2006; IFRC-RCS 2013).

india’s lessons and Contexts of
Journey ahead                                                Disaster response
The Sendai Framework (2015-30) calls
for quantitative evaluation and reporting                       authority and
mechanisms, accountability, and integration.
It in fact, coincides with two strategic national              functions need
reviews of disaster management in India—Review
of Disaster Management Act 2005 (P K Mishra
                                                               a shift towards
Committee) and CAG Audit of Disaster
Management System Performance (2013). The
                                                              decentralisation
Bangkok declaration on Disaster Risk Reduction               and local capacity
(2014) and Special Report on Extreme Events
and Disasters (SREX) by the IPCC Report (2012)                   building for
calls for revamping the disaster management
system in India. The present system suffers from                self-reliance.
extreme centralisation particularly in disaster
response and relief. Besides, financial mechanism,
in particular the mitigation financing (through
flexi fund) calls for customisation of existing
decision tools including Strategic Environmental
Assessment/Environmental Impact Assessment
(SEA/EIA), auditing, feasibility and financial          ground level awareness and local capacity
clearances. System overhaul to avoid duplicacy          networks resulting in minimising loss of life.
of mandates in response, training/education,            However, the particular and general experience
research, data, and policy monitoring as also in        of these cyclones, added to those of Kosi flood
calling for effective inter-agency coordination at      2008, Uttarakhand flood 2013, Jammu and
national and sub-national level.                        Kashmir floods 2014, recurring droughts in
   Disaster response authority and functions need       Bundelkhand, Telangana, Maharashtra and
a shift towards decentralisation and local capacity     many other parts, reiterate on permanent or
building for self-reliance the understanding            lasting losses to livelihood resources including
of which could help stress risk mitigation.             ecosystem services—livestock, plantations/
Community based preparedness and raising a              trees, orchards, gardens, farm soils loaded with
voluntary disaster-response corp by involving           sand and silt, debris, water structures, storages,
ex-army personnel, independent experts /                machines, etc.
volunteers / practitioners, ex-cadets (of National     Sustainable Infrastructure: Disaster risks, with
Cadet Corps-NCC, National Service Scheme-               underlying factors intensified with the impact of
NSS and Nehru Yuva Kendras), scout guide                climate change, ecological degradation and lack
volunteers, colleges/schools, employee/merchant/        of proper governance, has resulted in greater
business associations, etc. would help strengthen       damage to infrastructure in key sectors—power,
local capacities.                                       transport, communication, agriculture, health,
                                                        education, and industrial production—thereby
india’s needs and priorities: Key                       hampering development. Damage to airports in
strategies                                              the aftermath of cyclone Hudhud and Chennai
 Livelihood Security: Handling of cyclone              flood, to hydro-power, transport, tourism and
 (Phailin 2013 Hudhud 2014 Phani 2019) has              agriculture after the Uttarakhand floods and
 been a success as the efforts, in the backdrop         multi-sector infrastructure including education,
 of 1999 super cyclone in Odisha, helped build          health, etc. post Nepal earthquake, has placed

                                                                            GeoGraphy and you  2020     9
infrastructure resilience (safety, redundancy,                 apex institutions presenting serious gaps and
  functional continuity) at the forefront in disaster            challenges, that call for convergence. Therefore,
  mitigation and preparedness.                                   a consortium strategy may be adopted. The
 Synergising the Sendai Framework with                          disaster management authority at the national/
  Paris Agreement and SDGs: Environment                          sub-national levels need to be empowered and
  and disasters are inextricably linked and                      equipped not only for policy recommendation/
  important in achieving the goals of sustainable                monitoring but also as 24x7 operational disaster
  development (SDGs). Therefore, a convergence                   response headquarter.
  between disaster risk reduction, climate actions              Response: As experiences in the major disasters
  and the SDGs is imperative for planning line                   in the recent past, response by the National
  departments actions and budgets. Relating                      Disaster Response Force, though useful,
  to Environmental Protection Act 1986 and                       has been highly expensive. It has therefore,
  Disaster Management Act 2005, the district and                 heavily added to the cost of disaster impacts.
  local plans need to categorically draw ‘mitigation             Disaster response needs to be decentralised-
  plans’ with district/local level ‘environmental                -and an incident response system (IRS) may
  actions plans’ as an adaptation strategy based on              be customised and simplified to fit local
  hazard-risk vulnerability contexts, eventually                 communities, building coordinated emergency
  contributing to resilience building.                           response. Recent forest-fires in Uttarakhand
 Financial Strategies: Well-known financial                     have revealed the sifgnificant response costs
  mechanisms in India for disaster response                      due to lack of community involvement in
  and relief—National Disaster Response Force-                   preparedness.
  NDRF, State Disaster Response Fund-SDRF,                      Capacity building: Despite progress,
  National Calamity Relief Fund-NCRF, Calamity                   institutional strengthening for education/
  Contingency Fund-CCF, are largely in place                     training, research, extension and independent
  to address damages (and to little extent the                   policy review/consulting in disaster
  losses) and to assist partly in reconstruction/                management has been lacking in India. With
  repairs. However, the paradigm shift to                        only one operational National Institute of
  disaster risk reduction needs a strong focus                   Disaster Management (NIDM) (with another
  in mainstreaming it with implementable                         upcoming at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh) it
  guidelines and capacities for operationalising                 is perhaps time such institutes are established
  financing investments rather than merely                       at zonal levels, to host expert and capacity
  funding response and relief expenses. Insurance                consortium with nationally established
  mechanisms need to be integrated with                          institutes in the state—All India Institute of
  provident fund, saving bank accounts and/                      Medical Sciences-AIIMS, Indian Institutes
  or basic amenities (electricity, water, etc) to                of Management-IIMs,Indian Institutes of
  encourage people adopt such measures.                          Technology-IITs, Indian Institutes of Science
                                                                 Education and Research-IISERs, etc. Disaster
institutional Framework – needs                                  risk reduction curriculum (including climate
and opportunities                                                risk management). needs to be integrated with
 Governance: It is high time that a systematic                  professional education and interdisciplinary
 study to operationalise the recommendations                     programmes, viz. management/business
 of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)                        continuity, environment/natural resources,
 Reports on Disaster Management Performance                      health/medicine, and engineering.
 and Mishra Committee Report (Disaster                          Role of Ministries and International Agencies:
 Management Act Review) is carried out in                        Ministries at all levels need to mainstream
 the light of recent developments. Key aspects                   disaster risk reduction into their governance
 of environmental safeguards (Paris Climate                      and developmental structure, by creating a
 Agreements, Sustainable Development Goals,                      specialised cell and integrating strategies into
 United Nations Convention to Combat                             working plans guided by the NITI Aayog.
 Desertification, etc.) and disaster mitigation                  Example set by countries like Myanmar,
 (Sendai Framework) are dealt with by different                  Philippines, Sri Lanka, etc, the consortium

10    2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
of international agencies including United           enable a consolidated national capacity in the
 Nations-UN, Deutsche Gesellschaft für                form of an Indian Institute of Sustainability and
 Internationale Zusammenarbeit-GIZ, Swedish           Resilience (IISAR). IISAR may be mandated to
 International Development Cooperation                support capacity building, policy monitoring
 Agency-SIDA, Department for International            and international cooperation management
 Development-DFID, etc. with the government,          for professional advances and promotion of
 academia and NGOs can work well for                  fundamental learning and innovations at
 inculcating the culture of safety and prevention.    international level, more particularly in Asia and
 Key ministries such as the environment and           Africa, besides catering to the needs at national
 forests, water, agriculture, health, food, power,    and sub-national levels.
 industry and railways may establish specialised
 institutions/centres for disaster resilience         references
 similar to initiatives by the Ministry of Rural      Birkmann J. 2006. Measuring Vulnerability to Natural
 Development at National Institute of Rural               Hazards: Towards Disaster Resilient Societies, New
 Development (NIRD).                                      York: United Nations University.
                                                      Chakrabarti P.G.D. and Gupta A.K. 2009. Flood Risk
Making the sendai Framework for                           and Management Challenges in Cities – Indian
disaster risk reduction operational                       Case Studies Project, Disaster and Development,
The Sendai Framework builds on both the                   3(1): 1-14.
successes and shortcomings of progress in             Estrella M. and N. Saalismaa. 2012. Ecosystem
strengthening disaster resilience over the past           Management for Disaster Risk Reduction A.K.
ten years under the overarching direction of the          Gupta and S.S. Nair (eds.), Ecosystem Approach
previous global framework. SFDRR specifies goals          to Disaster Risk Reduction, New Delhi: National
for reducing mortality, minimising economic               Institute of Disaster Management.
and infrastructure losses and getting countries       IFRC&RCS (International Federation of Red Cross
to commit to disaster risk reduction strategies.          and Red Crescent Societies) 2013.A Guide to
It also emphasises the role of international              Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation and
cooperation and global partnership. However, the          Disaster Risk Reduction, CH-1211 Geneva 19:
operationalisation and effectiveness of such global       Switzerland.
policies at national, sub-national and local levels   Mileti D. S. 1999. Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of
are found to be uneven from country to country            Natural Hazards in the United States. Washington,
and within states.                                        D.C. : Joseph Henry Press.
   The vision and mission of India’s present          NIDM (National Institute of Disaster Management).
government looks to benefit and serve                     2014. Annual Report 2013-14. National Institute of
humanity—particularly the developing nations              Disaster Management, New Delhi: India. Available
in Asia and Africa. This is relevant for the              at: https://bit.ly/39rn1Vm
disaster risk reduction sector as well. India’s       Nirupama N. 2009. Socio-Economic Implications
capacities in disaster risk reduction services–           Based on Interviews with Fishermen Following the
training/education and advisory may be of                 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Natural Hazards, 48(1):
direct contribution in making the world a                 1-9.
safer place with sustainable livelihood and           Nirupama N. 2012. Risk and Vulnerability Assessment:
infrastructure systems.                                   A Comprehensive Approach. International Journal
                                                          of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, 3(2):
Way Forward                                               103-114.
With an excellent network of professional and         Schipper L. and M. Pelling. 2006. Disaster Risk,
research institutions in coordination with                Climate Change and International Development:
national disaster governance under the National           Scope for, and Challenges to, Integration.
Disaster Management Authority (NDMA),                     Disasters,30(1): 19-38.
National Executive Committee (NEC) on                 Trobe L. S. and I. Davis 2005. Mainstreaming
Disaster Management and NITI Aayog, along                 Disaster Risk Reduction: A Tool for Development
with the (proposed) network of NIDMs may                  Organisations, Middlesex: Tearfund.

                                                                             GeoGraphy and you  2020        11
di s a s t er r esil ience
                                                                By Chandan Ghosh

                                       Disaster
                                       resilient
                                   Infrastructures
                                        in inDia

                                                                     India's urban and semi-urban areas are
                                                                     choked with unplanned structures built
                                                                    haphazardly over the years. These areas
                                                                                                                Photo Courtesy: Vinay Darekar

                                                                         are extremely vulnerable to various
                                                                        disasters and many cities like Delhi,
                                                                       Mumbai are like ticking time bombs.

12     2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
Disasters have been inflicting heavy damage in terms of deaths, injuries, destruction of our habitat
 and economic activity. While over the last two decades india has much to share about its successful
response in terms of minimising life loss—infrastructure damage however, have remained very high.
the economic impact of these extreme events are required to be evaluated, particularly in the light of
 growing urban and coastal establishments of the country. Citing case studies of vulnerable built up
             facilities, this article presents disaster resilient infrastructure issues in india.

  The author is a Professor of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, J&K, India. chandan.ghosh@
   iitjammu.ac.in. The article should be cited as Ghosh C., 2020. Disaster Resilient Infrastructures in India,
                                        Geography and You, 20(1-2): 12-19

                                                                                GeoGraphy and you  2020         13
N
                                                                                atural disasters strike countries,
                                                                                both developed and developing,
                                                                                causing enormous destruction
                                                                                and creating human sufferings
                                                                                and producing negative
                                                              impacts on national economies. Due to diverse
                                                              geo-climatic conditions prevalent in different
                                                              parts, various types of disasters such as floods,
                                                              droughts, earthquakes, cyclones, landslides,
                                                              volcanoes, etc. afflict vulnerable areas. India
                                                              is considered one of the world's most disaster
                                                              prone countries. India's built-infrastructure
                                                              is unfortified to combat disasters such as
                                                              earthquakes, floods, cloudbursts, hailstorms,
                                                              lightning and even intentional disasters such
                                                              as terrorism, bomb blasts, cyber attacks and
                                                              fire. Unplanned infrastructure growth in the
                                                              unorganised sector for the last two decades
                                                              remains more or less unabated. The existing
                                                              urban infrastructure, particularly in Class-I
                                                              cities in India, can be harmed during future
                                                              disastrous events. As the rate and severity of
                                                              disasters increase, so does the possibility that
                                                              disruption of critical infrastructure could result
                                                              in widespread effects. Such impacts are more
                                                              evident as the vulnerability reduction measures
                                                              are overshadowed by increasing lacuna in quality
                                                              construction supervision and non implementation
                                                              of National Building Code (2016).
                                                                 Disaster risk management is viewed as a
                                                              continuum that can be divided into two major
                                                              phases—pre-disaster phase (prevention,
                                                              mitigation and preparedness) and post-
                                                              disaster phase (response, rehabilitation and
                                                              reconstruction). Disaster resilience needs to
                                                              account for temporal and spatial changes in
                                                              hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, particularly
                                                              in rapidly urbanising areas or where climate
                                                              change impacts are becoming alarmingly
                                                              untenable. Efforts towards infrastructure
                                                              development continue to focus on the key
                                                              areas of physical and social infrastructure.
                                                              The effective functioning of the government
                                                              during any disaster event lies in collaborating
                                                              with other line departments, stakeholders and
                                                              agencies and lifeline facility managers to enhance
                                                              the resilience against all impending hazards.
                                                              India, while stepping up public investment in
                                                              infrastructure, has been actively engaged in
                                                              involving private and corporate sectors to meet
                                                              the growing demand.

14   2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
Fig. 1: Country wise economic losses due to extreme event, indicating insured and uninsured assets
                                                                           Total economic loss USD MM
                                                      5000 4571 2000 21591 10024 5000 3700 1660 136 2000 36406 4535
                                                100                                                                100

               Total economic loss (Per Cent)   80

                                                60
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      47
                                                40                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                40

                                                20
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              7                              8
                                                                                                                                                                                    5                                            5                                      6                           6
                                                                                  0.3                                   2                 4
                                                  0
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Uninsured

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Honduras (Hurricane Mitch, 1998)
                                                      Bangladesh (Floods, 1998)

                                                                                        India (Earthquake Bhuj, 2001)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Poland (Floods, 1997)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Puerto Rico (Hurricane Hugo, 1989)
                                                                                                                            San Salvador, 1986)
                                                                                                                                                  Turkey (Earthquake Izmit, 1999)

                                                                                                                                                                                        Mexico (Earthquake, Mexico City, 1985)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Indonesia (Floods, 1996)
                                                                                                                        El Salvador (Earthquake

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Columbia (Earthquake Armenia, 1999)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       USA (Earthquake Northridge, 1992)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             France (Storm Lothar, 1999)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Insured

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           MM=1000000
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Source: Swiss Re
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           CatNet database,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           AXCO database, 2004

  India’s software part of physical                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      and 76 per cent of people affected. Globally,
infrastructure—telecom, tech services, air and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Indonesia recorded nearly half the total deaths
port services—which are assured to serve the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             (47 per cent), while India recorded the highest
society during normal period as well as the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              number of people affected (35 per cent) (Below
hardware component—road, urban transport,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                and Wallemacq 2018).
rail, power, housing, etc has been facing the brunt                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Geo-referencing for disasters since 2000 finds
of cyclonic storms. Even then, it is the hardware                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        that in low-income disaster-affected countries an
component that perhaps deserves utmost                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   average of 130 people died per million compared
attention. This also indirectly indicates the high                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       to just 18 in high-income countries. This means
investment potential in roadways, railways,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              that people exposed to natural hazards in the
bullet train, freight corridor, power and the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            poorest nations were more than seven times
associated components. Fig. 1 shows the insured                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          more likely to die than equivalent populations
and uninsured economic losses for countries,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             in the richest nations. Such data demonstrate
including India. Fig. 2 shows how century old                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            that while absolute economic losses might be
Temple like regular structures collapsed during                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          concentrated in high-income countries, the
Bhuj (2001) earthquake as the slender stone pillar                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       human cost of disasters falls overwhelmingly
in the middle portion were not sufficient to resist                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      on low and lower-middle income countries: The
horizontal shaking due to earthquake. Fig. 3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             vulnerability to risk and degrees of suffering are
shows the impact of Bhuj (2001) earthquake on                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            determined by levels of economic development,
buildings having soft storey which, collapsed vis-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       rather than simple exposure to natural hazards
à-vis use of cross bracing as retrofitting measures                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      per se (Wallemacq 2018). Accordingly the
to safeguard such buildings. In 2018, there were                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         report also mentions that—while the majority
315 natural disaster events recorded with 11,804                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         of fatalities were due to geophysical events,
deaths, over 68 million people affected, and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             mostly earthquakes and tsunamis, 91 per cent
USD 131.7 billion 1 in economic losses across the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        of all disasters were caused by floods, storms,
world. The burden was not shared equally as Asia                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         droughts, heat waves and other extreme weather
suffered the highest impact and accounted for 45                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         events. From 1998 to 2017, disaster-hit countries
per cent of disaster events, 80 per cent of deaths,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      experienced direct economic losses valued at

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           GeoGraphy and you  2020                              15
USD 2,908 billion of which climate-related
                                                               disasters caused USD 2,245 billion or 77 per
                                                               cent of the total. Overall, reported losses from
                                                               extreme weather events rose by 151 per cent
                                                               during the time period.
                                                                 Primary responsibility for protecting built
                                                               infrastructure rests with the private and public
                                                               sector owners and operators. In many cases,
                                                               they have already achieved progress. National,
                                                               state and district levels of administration are
                                                               also working to protect their own critical
                                                               infrastructure. The interconnected nature
                                                               of critical infrastructure, however, demands
                                                               an integrated approach across all levels of
                                                               government and private sector. These efforts
                                                               need to be pulled together into a collaborative
                                                               approach that will form the basis of an integrated
                                                               action plan to enhance the resiliency of
                                                               built-infrastructure across India. In addition,
                                                               early warning communication is an essential
                                                               component of managing risk and translating it
                                                               into understandable and useful information to
                                                               the society.

                                                               What is public Works infrastructure?
                                                               The US National Research Council panel refers
                                                               to a comprehension of infrastructure that
                                                               spans not only public works facilities, but also
                                                               operating procedures, management practices
                                                               and development policies that interact together
       From 1998 to 2017,                                      with societal demand and the physical world
                                                               to facilitate the transport of people and goods,
     disaster-hit countries                                    provision of water for drinking and a variety
                                                               of other uses, safe disposal of society's waste
       experienced direct                                      products, provision of energy where it is needed,
        economic losses                                        and transmission of information within and
                                                               between communities.
      valued at USD 2,908                                      Built-infrastructure includes the
                                                               following sectors:
         billion of which                                       Energy and utilities—electrical power, natural
                                                                 gas, oil production and transmission systems;
         climate-related                                        Information and communications
                                                                 technology—telecommunications,
     disasters caused USD                                        broadcasting systems, software, hardware and
                                                                 networks including the Internet;
     2,245 billion or 77 per                                    Finance—banking, securities and investment;

        cent of the total.                                      Health—hospitals, health care and
                                                                                                                    Photo Courtesy: author

                                                                 blood supply facilities, laboratories and
                                                                 pharmaceuticals;
                                                                Food—safety, distribution, agriculture and
                                                                 food industry;

16    2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
Soft storey failure in the
                                                                                         century old Cenotaph
                                                                                           before and after the
                                                                                        Bhuj 2001 earthquake

 Water—drinking water and wastewater                 more integrated and holistic definition suggests
  management;                                         that resilience is the ability to withstand (absorb)
 Transportation—air, rail, marine and surface;       shocks and stresses, as well as the ability to adapt to
 Safety—first responders, emergency services         dynamic conditions and put in place mechanisms
  and dams;                                           that enable longer term, systemic responses to the
 Government—services, facilities, information        underlying causes of vulnerability. Resilience is
  networks, assets and national sites and             the capacity that ensures adverse stressors and
  monuments; and,                                     shocks do not have long lasting unfavourable
 Manufacturing—defense industrial base,              development consequences.
  chemical industry.                                    A resilience structure integrates livelihoods,
                                                      disaster risk reduction and climate change
disaster resilience                                   adaptation approaches into a single assessment
Resilience is more than the ability of a system       framework. Discussions on resilience have
to bounce back to its pre-disaster state. Rather, a   evolved from characteristics based or outcome

                                                                            GeoGraphy and you  2020            17
1                                                            2

 3                                                            4

                  1. Soft storey collapses during Bhuj-2001 earthquake; 2. Parking facility
                  with cross bracing to resist horizontal force due to earthquake in ZoneV,
                  Guwahati, Assam; 3. Apartment building in Guwahati city without cross
                   bracing at the ground floor; 4. Soft storey collapse due to earthquake;
                       5. Impact of March 11, 2011, Japan earthquake on roads and its
                     reconstruction in just 6 days; 6. Impact of cyclone Fani, 2019 on the
                      Bhubaneswar airport, highlighting severe nonstructural damages

 5                                                                                     6
                                                                                              Photo Courtesy: author

18   2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
based approaches to a focus on capacities.            design, fire protection, building and plumbing
Building the resilience of individuals,               services, building materials and construction
households, communities, or higher level              practices (and construction safety) and for
systems to deal with shocks and stresses              proper protection, upkeep and maintenance of
requires improving absorptive, adaptive, and          water bodies by modifying the departmental
transformative capacities, which are distinct yet     construction codes /specifications /manuals
interrelated and mutually reinforcing.                of government construction departments.
Though in normal road construction practices          Hazardous event specific long-term monitoring
no such earthquake forces are incorporated in         and forecasting, real-time monitoring and
design as yet, Fig.4 shows an example of fast         communication and short-term prediction
recovery during great Pacific Ocean Earthquake        mechanism disseminated through line
Tsunami (March 11, 2011) in Japan. In Fig.            departments and IoT based mobile Apps have
5, impact of Fani (2019) cyclone to airport           to be introduced. Furthermore, all building
infrastructure, which is otherwise structurally       development and regulating agencies with the
resilient but high wind speed (200km/hr) caused       right level of professional human resources to
non-structural damages. Therefore, in order to        deal with proactive responses needed with the
cater such impact of high winds, airports need to     building professionals and builders need to be
facilitate wind forces passing through the airport    strengthened. Techno-legal and techno-financial
establishments for which computer simulation          regimes while approving constructions are to
using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)              be devised, enacted and enforced uniformly so
are useful.                                           that each individual becomes an agent of change,
                                                      adopting disaster resilient measures integrated
resiliency of infrastructure                          with the nation’s governance. Latest model
Strengthening the resiliency of critical              building code use needs to be assured, with
infrastructure can be described as actions and        appropriate importance factor, ground motion
programmes that:                                      characteristics defined by microzonation and
 Assess and prioritise risks based on defined        other mapping survey tools. Designing of the
  building typology;                                  facility in a manner that it is able to function on
 Conduct rapid visual screening for checking         its own for at least four days. This would require
  building health status;                             storage of sufficient fuel for emergency standby
 Take mitigative measures to reduce the              power supply systems, reserve water supply and
  potential for disruptions;                          provisions for waste water storage. Ensuring
 Conduct exercises to assess measures and            that access to the site will not be impaired by
  identify strengths and areas of improvement;        earthquake damage. An onsite peer review
 Refine and upgrade critical infrastructure          and/or third party check of the structural and
  plans in all sectors.                               architectural designs during the implementation
                                                      process must be mandated. A comprehensive
Way Forward                                           system to monitor construction quality needs to
In order to make built-infrastructures disaster       be put in place to track significant change orders
resilient all state governments and municipal/        that might imply subtle reductions in structural
local bodies (urban and rural), development           or non-structural seismic performance.
authorities, special and new town development
agencies, etc. need to modify, revise, and            references
revamp the master plan, existing building             Wallemacq P, 2018. Economic Losses, Poverty
bye laws; development control rules (DCR);                and Disasters 1998-2017, UNISDR.
planning standards; town planning rules;                  Available at https://www.researchgate.net/
special regulations for fire, structural, health,         publication/331642958_Economic_Losses_
construction, electric and life safety, in line           Poverty_and_Disasters_1998-2017
with the NBC 2016 by suitably adapting it with        Below R. , P. Wallemacq 2018. Natural disasters -Lower
local variation as may be needed. The NBC 2016            mortality, higher cost. USAID and UCL. Available at
needs to be adopted as the basis for all structural       https://cred.be/sites/default/files/adsr_2017.pdf

                                                                            GeoGraphy and you  2020       19
In con v er s at Ion

Multi Hazard Disaster
Risk Assessment:
A Step Towards
Disaster Resilience
GVV Sarma, Member Secretary, National Disaster
Management Authority, talks to G’nY about building
multi-disaster resilient infrastructure through
comprehensive and integrated guidelines by involving
entire geographic and socio-economic ecosystems.

G’nY. What is the multi-hazard          technology-driven strategy through     in isolation may result in a situation
disaster risk reduction approach?       a culture of prevention, mitigation,   where mitigation measures proposed
How is it different from other          preparedness and response. Thus,       as a solution for one risk may create
approaches used in disaster risk        since the beginning, we have focused   vulnerability for another hazard.
reduction?                              our approach towards multi-hazard         National Disaster Management Plan,
The national vision as enshrined        disaster risk reduction.               2016 also highlights the multi-hazard
in the National Policy on Disaster         Multi-hazard disaster risk          approach at all stages of disaster risk
Management, 2009 is to build a          reduction approach is to assess        reduction. It emphasises upon risk
safe and disaster resilient India by    a composite risk from all hazards      assessment to be carried out with a
developing a holistic, proactive,       so that integrated planning can be     multi-hazard concept leading to fool-
multi-disaster oriented and             undertaken. Looking at hazards         proof land use planning, promoting skill

20     2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
Local governments,
                 international and
          regional organisations,
                non-governmental
                organisations and
             communities may be
              engaged, to develop
            effective strategies—
        tailored to local contexts
                  and the needs of
         populations—to reduce
            disaster-related risks.

GeoGraphy and you  2020              21
development for multi-hazard resistant         G’nY. In the South Asian context, what       possible and efficient. South Asian
construction, strengthening ability            changes can multi-hazard disaster            regions face a range of common natural
of communities to manage and cope              risk reduction approach herald in a          hazards, including cyclones, droughts,
with disasters based on a multi-hazard         regional or community level?                 earthquakes, floods, landslides and
approach and also on ensuring that             Regional disaster risk reduction is          tsunamis. Demographic changes,
multi-hazard resistant features are            one of the essential tools to minimise       rapid urbanisation, environmental
incorporated in planning and execution         losses caused by natural hazards             degradation and climate fluctuations
of social housing schemes.                     across country borders. Due to               have further increased people’s
                                               geological, social, cultural and political   exposure to natural hazards, resulting
G’nY. How can the complexities that            resemblance, different countries             in frequent and severe disasters
arise from multi-hazard assessment             from one region often share similar          and compounding the impact of
be resolved at a regional scale? Can           characteristics of disaster risks, which     complex emergencies. In addition,
threats be weighted and ranked?                make regional disaster risk reduction        declining socio-economic conditions
Multi-hazard risk assessment (MHRA)                                                         of some populations have increased
is a way to understand the hazards,                                                         vulnerabilities to hazards in the region.
vulnerability (both intrinsic and extrinsic)                                                   Governments in south Asia are
and risks arising from the geographic                                                       investing in disaster risk reduction
location and socio-economic backdrop.                                                       and improving their countries’
Complexities will arise in understanding                                                    response capacities from the
and comprehending these multi-layered,                                                      community to the national level. Local
location-based information of different                                                     governments, international and regional
themes. However, resolving this                                                             organisations, non-governmental
information for different stakeholders                                                      organisations and communities may
is also carried out along with the                                                          be engaged, to develop effective
assessment itself. Risk communication                                                       strategies—tailored to local contexts
and dissemination is an activity                                                            and the needs of populations—to
undertaken with each stakeholder                  Due to rapid                              reduce disaster-related risks.
department along with the final end                                                            At the regional level, multi hazard
users—the people and the civil society.
                                                  urbanisation and                          disaster risk reduction approach would
By involving all stakeholders from the            scarcity of land, poor                    bring several changes. First, it would
initial stages of this assessment will help                                                 improve preparedness, mitigate severe
reducing or demystifying complexities.
                                                  people are pushed to                      impacts of disasters and strengthen
   No, the risks cannot be weighed                settle in vulnerable                      disaster response mechanisms at the
and ranked in general sense. However,                                                       regional level. Second, the regional
weighting and ranking is carried out              areas. This can be                        disaster management system can
in order to prioritise multitude of               avoided through a                         be strengthened to reduce risks and
hazards, vulnerabilities and risks when                                                     to improve recovery management
the available resources and funds are             multi-pronged approach                    at all levels. Then, support can be
limited. This is a way of incorporating           by taking into account                    sought in hazard identification,
the human element into the system                                                           analysis of existing capacities,
before we take steps to allocate financial        the physical, social and                  monitoring, early warning and early
resources. For example, if we need to                                                       action through partnerships and
                                                  economical aspects of
find a disaster risk reduction activity and                                                 joint programming. Fourth, new
allocate limited funds, we need to find           communities.                              programmes, policies, institutional
out an activity which will influence the                                                    arrangement legislation, human
lives of more beneficiaries or an activity                                                  resource and capacity developments
whose benefits will last longer, etc.                                                       can be executed in view of pre-planning

22      2020  GeoGraphy and you vol 20, issue 1-2 no. 139-140
and risk reduction. Also, regional             There are two levels of risk             prevention, preparedness, response,
platforms, forums and coordination          assessments—national and local. The         relief and mitigation.
mechanisms can be established among         first is a strategic risk assessment that      The various stakeholders who could
various stakeholders for exchange of        supports the design of national disaster    be part of risk reduction planning are
knowledge, information and expertise.       risk management strategies, policy and      government officials who work for the
Finally, development of common hazard       regulations, disaster risk management       town or city, such as local geologists,
risk management plans amongst the           programming and budget allocation.          engineers, land-use planners, etc.;
affected countries at regional level can    The second—local risk assessment            academic and research institutions
be supported such as integrating a          is an operational risk assessment for       that can provide technical expertise;
coastal risk mitigation plan.               disaster risk reduction action planning,    low-cost staff/ volunteers / NGOs /
    At the community level, it is           contingency planning, pre-disaster          civil society who can provide up-to-
necessary to empower local authorities      recovery planning and urban planning.       date data on the locality and training
and communities to reduce risks                                                         resources; local and international non-
including through resource incentive                                                    governmental organisations can offer
and decision making responsibilities.                                                   expertise, as well as local knowledge
It is important to reduce vulnerabilities                                               particularly if they have locally worked
and increase capacities of vulnerable                                                   for a long period; and community-based
communities to cope with, prevent,                                                      organisations including religious,
                                               Senior members of
or minimise loss and damage to life,                                                    gender and youth-based groups
property, and the environment with a           society can offer                        around particular interests, such as
view to hasten recovery. Community                                                      environment and social improvement.
participation in pre planning, search
                                               invaluable information                      Multi-stakeholder workshops and
and rescue, relief, response and post-         about past events and                    other consultations forums are also
disaster recovery needs to be enhanced                                                  some ways of getting inputs from
through prioritising the most vulnerable
                                               how good practices                       stakeholders. Disaster risk reduction
groups and localities.                         evolved in the area.                     planning is a priority-setting and
                                                                                        partnership-building exercise to
G’nY. How does the approach hope                                                        coordinate the efforts of multiple
to integrate multi-stakeholder                                                          agencies and levels of government and
participation in risk assessment?                                                       society. This means the process needs
Building a resilient society with                                                       to be inclusive and participatory, and
appropriate coping mechanisms is the                                                    the local planning authority
basic principle behind any disaster risk       The disaster risk reduction process      would benefit from identifying and
reduction process. Risk assessment          systematically involves different           engaging stakeholders in the risk
allows for the determination of the         stakeholders in risk reduction planning     assessment process.
acceptable level of risk, defined as        including local government and other           As mentioned earlier, the process
the level of losses that is acceptable      competent authorities like district         of MHRA needs a multi-stakeholder
without destroying lives, national          disaster management authorities, state      participation, right from the first
economy or personal finances. Once          disaster management authorities; NGO        stage-identifying the hazards. The
the current and acceptable levels of risk   networks; volunteer groups; financing       understanding of MHRA cannot be a
are determined, disaster risk reduction     institutions; private/business; media;      top down and a classroom oriented
plans and strategies could be revised       Red Cross society; hospitals and fire       process, but a co-learning experience.
or developed so that they have the          fighting and other services; academic       When the stakeholders are involved
measurable goal of reducing the current     community; and, individual households.      from the first stage, they understand,
risk to acceptable levels. Risk reduction   Timeliness is the essence with each         own and feel the process and accept the
involves—hazard, vulnerability and          stakeholder having their responsibilities   outcomes and outputs.
capacity assessment.                        in different phases—such as disaster           Identifying the stakeholders is

                                                                                          GeoGraphy and you  2020           23
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