strengthening cmdrr in leh - preventionweb...agenda round table risks in high altitudes: how to...

southasiadisasters.net June 20122

Ladakh Autonomous HillDevelopment Council (LAHDC)

would like to adopt an approach inwhich community is at the centre andinvolved in all the stages of theirrecovery and development. TheNational Disaster ManagementAuthority (NDMA) has outlinedgood guidelines on CommunityBased Disaster Management. Theother good practice on the ground inLeh is Community Managed DisasterRisk Reduction (CMDRR). Theflashfloods of 2010 have highlightedthe need for effective Disaster RiskReduction and Management (DRRM)strategies in place in order to be ableto deal with all types of disasters.LAHDC Leh recognises the role offamily, neighborhood andcommunity as the first to respond ina disaster management structure. Itwould, therefore, strive to promote aDRRM plan for each neighborhoodand community in both rural andurban setup (with village Panchayatand Municipality in the lead andvarious grass-root institutions as keystakeholders). At the same timeadequate backup and support systemswill be developed / strengthened atBlock and District levels. This willinclude strengthening of existingDistrict Committee on DRRM (tomake it more effective andrepresentative) as well asidentification of a 'Nodal Agency' andcreation of a District 'Resource Team'.

Programme:

• Strengthening management andprogram development work(reinforcing analysis, team work,sharing and learning).

• Conducting a comprehensiveHazard, Vulnerability andCapacity Assessment (HVCA)exercise leading to formulationof village/town level DRRMplans and DRRM framework at

Block and District level (underrisk reduction, preparedness,mitigation).

• Developing (and constantlyupdating) the strategy (includinginstitutional arrangements) forDRRM in the District under (a)Preparedness, (b) Rescueoperations, (c) Immediate ReliefMeasures and (d) Rehabilitation,to be put in place at Village /Town, Block HQ and District level.

• Putting in place DRRMmechanisms and contingencyplans at village/ town, Block HQand District level with thefollowing features:♦ Arrangements for constituting

'Rescue Teams' (Task Groups -to be formed at call) with (a)appropriate combination ofskills required (b) quick accessto essential equipments, tools,materials and transportfacility, (c) ability to getmobilised within specifiedtimeframe and (d) capacity,mandate and facilities to liaise/ coordinate with vitalservices - Hospital, FireServices, Police, Army, NGOs,sectoral agencies etc. (e)coordinating relief work andwith various agencies andgroups of people (f) ensuringconvergence of efforts withminimum gaps / duplication.

♦ An up to date inventory of keyresource institutions andpersons (and contact details)with arrangements for quickaccess and use.

♦ Arrangement for establishing'Control Rooms' (within shortnotice) with all key facilities(e.g., helpline, access tovehicles, etc.) and for widerpublicity about its existencethrough various means(including media).

• A stock of key items of rescueand relief (based on inventorydeveloped on advance) witharrangements for maintainingand updating it within aprescribed timeframe.

• Capacity Building, training,Information and EducationCommunication (IEC) andCommunity Organisation atvarious levels.

• Provision for Contingency fundfor ensuring preparedness andresponse under DRRM at variouslevels.

• Capacity Building of 'TaskGroup' and 'Resource Team' atvarious levels (including drillsand field testing).

• Liaisoning with resourceinstitutions, sectoral agencies,government schemes, media, etc.for accessing technical andfinancial support.

• Maintaining the 'ResourceTeams' at various levels.

• Establishing mechanisms forongoing monitoring and review ofDRRM structure at various levels.

People of Leh district see role ofgovernment and non-governmentagencies crucial as now is the timethey need to extend their expertiseand experience in the long term togive support for communityinvolved recovery. This is expectedto bring social, economic andecological growth in Leh.

– Rigzin Spalbar,Chief Executive Councilor, LAHDC

THEMATIC

Reducing Disaster Risks inLadakh

Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive

Councilor, LAHDC, Leh.

southasiadisasters.netJune 2012 3

FOREWORD

Strengthening CMDRR in Leh

Leh, north most part of India, isknown for its scenic beauty and

tourism attraction. Still, Leh remainone of the finest attractions fortourists from all over the world. Onthe other side, this part of India is ofstrategic importance for the countryas it shares borders with China andPakistan. So, this part of the countryremains a region of strategicimportance.

In August 2010, Leh faced anunprecedented cloudburst leavingmany people lost their lives, hugeloss to agriculture and ecology.Neither the people of this region northe country expected this disaster tohappen in such a peaceful highaltitude region. Where the economyof this region depends uponagriculture and tourism, it affectedboth in a big way.

Although civil society organisationsand government agencies didprovide initial assistance and thenrehabilitation, however that was notsufficient considering the fragilenature of Leh. And considering the

recent disasters in the country andother parts of the globe, it is anestablished fact that there will bemore "unpredictable" hazards in thefuture. So, it is important for thegovernment as well as thecommunity to be more prepared andcapacitated to face any further futuredisasters.

Cordaid, along with its partners inIndia is facilitating the process of"Community Managed Disaster RiskReduction" (CMDRR). This is theprocess, which assesses the risks atcommunity level, understands thehazards, identifies vulnerablelocations and communities as well asmap the existing capacities atcommunity level locations, such asLeh/Ladakh, become extremely un-accessible during the disaster. It is,utmost important to prepare thecommunity in advance so that theycan survive till any external helpreaches.

To achieve the above, it is importantto engage all stakeholders in theassessment and planning process. In

the case of Leh, it is most crucial toengage local governance mainly CEC(district level) and Gamba's at villagelevel. Considering the difficultgeographical locations and spread outvillages, this is not an easy task toachieve. Along with these localrepresentative institutions, it will beimportant to engage Nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs),villagers, women, children, youth,schools, hospitals, academicinstitutions and other groups/influential people who are ofstrategic importance.

One aspect, which has not been sharedyet, is the window of workingmonths in Leh. The actual workingmonths in the field are not more thansix months, which makes the taskdifficult. Second, high altitude alsolimits your capacities to perform.Considering the above difficultiesand challenges of Leh, one canunderstand the dire need of CMDRRwhere it is important to prepare thecommunities and reduce the risk ofpotential disaster.

Agencies like All India DisasterMitigation Institute (AIDMI) and theirteam being present in the fielddirectly and through partners in thesedifficult conditions trying to achieveCMDRR is commendable. We are surethe efforts of AIDMI, which they arealready doing along with the LocalGovernment; Ladakh AutonomousHill Development Council, Leh;National Disaster ManagementAuthority (NDMA) and NationalInstitute of Disaster Management(NIDM) will help them to achieve thesame. We wish them all the successin their work.

Marlou Geurts and

Munish Kaushik, CordaidInvolvement of the most vulnerable groups in recovery lays foundation of CMDRR.

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AGENDA ROUND TABLE

Risks in High Altitudes: How to Think About Action?

Sudden and heavy rains caused bya cloudburst on August 5-6, 2010

in Ladakh, which killed 257 peopleand damaged 1,448 households1,surprised many agencies. Ladakh isan unusual place for a cloudburstbecause it is a cold desert regionwhere average rain fall is low2.Although, experts suggest thatcloudbursts cannot be directly linkedwith climate change, the number ofextreme events such as cloudburstswould increase with a rising globaltemperature3. How well do weunderstand risks in high altitudeareas? How to think about action?

While no one has clear answers, morethinking and deliberations on thesubject is necessary, especially whenwe know that humanitarianresponses are extremely difficult inthese areas and mitigative actions arealmost nonexistent. Water outburstsfrom high altitude glacial lakes maynot be and should not be seen as aremote possibility anymore. Also,limited, but whatever body ofknowledge we have on the topic ismostly scientific in nature and mostlynot suitable for decision making anddesigning humanitarian responses.Even for climate sciences, protectionand preservation of high altitudeareas is important as they act as oneof the greatest storehouses of historicdata and information to study,measure and predict changes inclimate.

Rarely, we hear somebody talk aboutrisks in high altitude areas in nationaland international conferences. Nordoes anyone adequately inform ortrain humanitarian professionals towork with communities and marketsin high altitudes. Being extremelyimportant to national security, rapidaccess and action in many highaltitude areas is not always possible.Thus, any response in high altitudeareas without adequate knowledge oflocal context and robust preparednessis likely to be ineffective.

Risk is universal. But risk is alsocontext specific. Specific tocommunity, area, structure,institution, and even local markets,

we find this in our work in Ladakh inIndia and we learn this from ourpartners in China, Pakistan andNepal. So how to start thinking aboutrisks in high altitudes? This questionis not only important for the localactors in high altitudes but also forthe Post 2015 policy framework forISDR to the UN system and thevarious national platforms. Also ascitizens, along with communities inhigh altitude areas we as consumersbenefiting from products and servicesfrom them need to demand greatersafety of our high altitude areas if wewant to keep our image of highaltitude areas intact as a safe havenfor tourism and purity.

1 Disaster Update, www.nidm.gov.in Issue No.2193 Date: 26.6.11, http://ndma.gov.in/ndma/latestdisasterupdates/26-06-11.pdf

2 http://currentaffairsappsc.blogspot.in/2010/08/leh-cloudburst.html3 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/global-warming/No-concrete-proof-to-pin-Leh-cloudburst-on-

global-warming-Experts/articleshow/6331318.cms

Women – a vital force of quick community managed recovery.


One clear indication is that we needto think more about market basedsolutions for reducing risks in highaltitude areas and communities. Thismay not be for all areas and allcommunities or all solutions butcertainly there is a case to think moreand more in terms of markets now.Direct dialogue with businesses andbusiness interests in high altitudeareas will be timely in 2012.

The market based solution may startfrom what the most recentIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange report titled "Managing theRisks of Extreme Events and Disastersto Advance Climate ChangeAdaptation" (SREX)say about climaterisks in high altitudes as well as thesolutions it offers. A round table onthis in Nepal or Bhutan by the UNDPor UNEP in partnership with aninstitution in these countries orsimilar scientific agency will be mosttimely.

The above two next logical stepsseems to be focused on agricultureand, therefore, food security. Not onlyagriculture is becomingunsustainable, due to disasters andmarket focus, but also the foodsecurity of the farmers themselvesand the community they live in. Theareas where agriculture is survivingand with direct measures faces issuesof "inclusive business". A time boundscoping study by FAO in selectedhigh altitude areas on risk faced byagriculture will be timely. The WFPmay want to explore possibilities ofintroducing an innovative index-based micro-insurance programmefor select crops or high valueagriculture products and developsustainable delivery channel for foodsupply in food deficit high altitudeareas.

What does risk protected marketbased solutions take into account? Letwe start with some ideas. Theyinclude value chain development,creating multi-actor platforms,strengthening business serviceproviders, as well as value chainfinancing. Such solutions canstrengthen highland-lowlandlinkages to improve communityaccess to improved services inagriculture, horticulture, dairying,forestry, medicine, art and culture,tourism and in numbers of otherareas. Many more ideas can be addedin consultation with localcommunities. Such initiatives can bepiloted in key high altitude cities andtowns.

Last, not as an end but as a beginning,let us focus on investments. In spiteof having rich natural resources, highaltitude areas remain cutoff from themainstream development both interms of technology and markets,including power to influence policies.Most markets in high altitude areas

Linkage of rural livelihood with market adds pace to economic recovery.

are still closed markets and rarelytrade outside. Also, occupationaldiversity and alternative sources ofincome in most high altitude areasare found to be very limited. In orderto support high altitude areas to adaptto climate change reduce risk tonatural disasters and make progressin other socio-economic indicators,investments are needed in sectoraland financial returns in investmentmapping, in business readiness, indeal structuring, and in qualityassurance.

Key information and insights sharedabove is one way to think about andaddress challenges posed by highaltitude risks and in coming years forPost 2015 Hyogo Framework forAction policies. Similarly otherimportant areas such as water,sanitation, education, or energy canbe taken up to find ways to thinkabout them in coming years.

– Mihir R. Bhatt,All India Disaster Mitigation Institute


Nobody wants disasters tohappen. We also cannot prevent

hazards from taking place, but we candefinitely prevent hazards frombecoming disasters by building thecapacity of the community and thefirst responders, thus, reducing theprevailing risks. If it happens in/neara mountainous terrain, in highaltitude, like Leh, Shimla, Nainital,Gangtok, etc, the impact could bemany-fold. Despite best intentions ofthe policy/decision makers, thingsmay go wrong.

The most recent glaring example isthe response of National DisasterResponse Force (NDRF) teams afterthe Sikkim Earthquake lastSeptember. The earthquake ofmagnitude 6.9 on the Richter scaleoccurred at about 6 PM on 18 September2011, near Mangan, in North Districtof Sikkim. NDRF Battalions weredespatched by air to the nearestairport Bagdogra at about 2300 hrsthe same night. But due to the badweather conditions and more than 30landslides between Siliguri and

Gangtok, the teams could not proceedfrom Bagdogra in the afternoon of19th September, until the NationalHighway (NH) 31 was cleared by theBorder Road Organisation. Thebiggest lesson learnt from the Sikkimearthquake was that community, localauthorities at village, sub divisionand district levels should be self-sufficient to sustain and manage thedisasters, on their own till theresponse from the state, centre andneighbouring states could arrive.

The peculiar conditions prevailing inthe mountainous regions whichcause additional damages anddifficulties in rescue and providingrelief during and after such disastersare given below:a) The road communications are

limited. Due to disasters, likeearthquake and cloudbursts,landslides are caused damagingthe arteries. It takes considerabletime to restore them due toliquefaction and soil conditions.The disruption thus caused delayto rescue and relief work.

b) The communications, especiallyline and mobile networks,normally fail even the alternateones, like the wirelesscommunications, take time toestablish unless they have beenplanned earlier. Compatibilitybetween the various radio sets isanother factor which affectsrestoration of communications.

c) The first responders are notacclimatised when they arrive atthe disaster site/s and some ofthem may become casualtiesthemselves to diseases, likepulmonary oedema, causingdeath.

d) The community being the firstresponder in any disaster,especially in hilly areas, have tobe self contained as the firstresponders may not be able toreach the disaster site/s withinthe requisite time.

e) The education standards in thehill region are low due to thepoor quality of faculty members,thus, affecting the generalawareness among the

TITLE

Disaster Risk Reduction in High MountainousRegions

High altitude regions borne quick and long-term impacts of a disaster.

LEARNING FROM PILOT

Disaster Risk Reduction in High MountainousRegions


community on disaster riskreduction measures.

f) The weather plays a major rolein rescue work and delivery ofrelief work. Adverse weatherconditions can impede the rescueand relief work.

g) Adequate reserves of food andfuel have to be created and keptat district, tehsil/taluka and evenat village level, to sustain theeffect of disaster as well asweather conditions.

h) The villages in hills have fewhouses and these are also spreadover. The task of assessing thedamages and providing rescueand relief work becomesdifficult.

Having understood the peculiaritiesof disasters in high mountainousareas, some of the disaster riskreduction measures which arerecommended to be undertaken atvarious levels under Indianconditions, are given below:a) Sensitising and building the

capacity of the community toperceived disasters. Training thecommunity is easier said thandone, due to the varied nature oftheir jobs and working

conditions. Motivatedvolunteers among them shouldbe selected and given basictraining on rescue and first aid.Besides giving training, thevillage panchayat or volunteerclubs should be provided limitedinescapable DM equipment tomake effective disastermanagement teams. Besides,each village must make their DMplan, which should be evaluatedperiodically through mockdrills.

b) Early warning system, to warnthe community of theimpending disaster, should beevolved, practiced andcommunity made aware of itspresence.

c) Local indigenous practices, likeconstruction of houses,providing rescue and relief,home remedy medicines, etcshould be sustained anddovetailed into the modern DMtechniques/practices.

d) The management of disasters atofficial level (district/subdistrict/tehsil/village) should becarried out as per the IncidentResponse System guidelinesissued by the NDMA, for better

command, control andcoordination.

e) More number of helipads shouldbe built in hilly areas, especiallyin remote places. These could belocated in school play grounds,parade grounds, plain grazingareas, etc. These helipads shouldbe registered after trial landings.

f) Disaster response teams shouldbe created at district and statelevels and these should be placedat more vulnerable areas, so thatthey are able to reach the disastersite/s in a short time period.

g) Encouraging the community toinvest in insurance which cantransfer the risk from the state tothe insurance companies, wouldalso help the community toreceive full payment for thelosses suffered by it due todisaster.

h) One time review of all the housesand infrastructures in hilly areasto check their viability to sustainthe perceived disasters.

i) More number of arteries, bothvertically and horizontally,needs to be created in hilly areas,for movement of response andrelief teams.

Communities in the high altitudeareas are more vulnerable to disastersthan in the plains, due to theirtopographic location and inability ofthe first responders to reach disasterlocations in time. The communityhas to be made self sufficient in theseareas to face the perceived disastersand for that their capacities have tobe built.

"A Prepared community is a safecommunity".

– Brig. (Dr.) B.K. Khanna,Senior Specialist in National Disaster

Management Authority, Ministry of HomeAffairs, Govt. of India.

andNina Khanna, Ph.D.

Research Scholar in Disaster ManagementLocal need based response programme is foundation of CMDRR.


At the end of April, 2012twelve Members of the

European Parliament visitedNew Delhi and Chennai asmembers of the EuropeanParliament's delegation forrelations with India, which IChair. We met Members ofParliament from the Lok Sabhaand the Rajya Sabha, and werebriefed about Tamil refugeecamps and visited a Nokia plantnear Chennai to list but a fewof many visits and meetings.

One of the common challengeswe discussed with ourcounterparts was that of energyand climate change. India's percapita energy consumption isof course a fraction of the EU'sand 400 million Indians still donot have access to electricity.Both the EU and India are facingenergy security and supplyconcerns, however, and we leftconvinced of the benefits ofreal EU-India cooperation in thedevelopment of clean energy.

One of the areas where we can worktogether would be in thedevelopment of solar energy,particularly concentrated solarthermal power. India has greateropportunities for solar and windpower development than almost anyother nation on earth.

Another area would be that of dealingwith black carbon or soot –particularly important in high-altitude areas due to their warmingeffect on Himalayan glaciers (sootcauses glaciers to absorb more

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ROUND TABLE

European Parliamentarians on a Visit toStrengthen Ties with its Indian Partners

sunlight and heat). Melting glacierscould have a terrible impact on Indianagriculture, and with more than halfof Indian jobs in the agricultural

sector, this is a risk India cannotrun.

Black carbon comes from old-style cook stoves, burning coal,diesel engines anddeforestation. If India did moreto conserve its forests, cleanedup its coal-fired power stations,mass replaced old biomass cookstoves with new models andreduced its reliance on dieselengines and back-upgenerators, it could deal with acause of hundreds of thousandsof premature deaths annuallydue to air pollution and (we arenow discovering) globalclimate change.

Much of India's black carbonproblem could be remedied byswitching from coal-firedpower generation torenewable and investing inproper electricity infrastructureto both transmit that power and

reduce reliance on dirty dieselgenerators when the grid fails. Indoing so it would avoid thousands ofpreventable deaths, protect itsagricultural sector and get rid of thisidea that CO2 cuts are an obstacle todevelopment. With limitless cleanpower that, with the right levels ofinvestment, will soon come down inprice, India can develop in a trulysustainable climate-friendly way.

– Sir Graham Watson,Liberal Democrat Member of European

Parliament for South West Englandand

Gibraltar President of the EuropeanLiberal Democrat and Reform Party

(ELDR) Chairman, Climate Parliament

Sir Graham Watson, MEP, sharing his views in

Tamil Nadu.

Melting glaciers could

have a terrible impact

on Indian agriculture,

and with more than

half of Indian jobs in

the agricultural sector,

this is a risk India

cannot run.


If someone from Ladakh asked SelfEmployed Women's Association

(SEWA) what is a key force of anyrecovery, SEWA experiences showsthat it is woman.

The districts where SEWA works inGujarat are constantly at the vortexof some kind of disaster or the other.Some small, some large. Some atindividual level many at communitylevel. All disasters do not attractmedia attention. The people of thisregion depend on agriculture andanimal husbandry for a living.However, the climatic conditions ofthe region render both the activitiesunsustainable for livelihood. Thisresults in large scale migrations fromthe region to nearby blocks or stateswhere conditions are better: morewater, fodder, fuel and work.

The earthquake that struck Gujarat inJanuary 2001 threatened to destroy allthat SEWA had worked for overdecades. SEWA is a membershipbased organisation with one millionpoor women workers as members.SEWA realised that its members, thatis its sisters, looked not for aid or forcharity but for work not only toprovide them income but also as akind relief and recuperation from theconstant stress of wondering abouttheir bleak future or about the fear ofyet another quake. They wantedwork not relief. Work would enablethem to start rebuilding their livesand livelihoods with dignity.Recovery can be at their own pace. Attheir level. Hence, SEWA beganthinking of ways and means throughwhich its sisters could get meaningfulemployment along with a roof overtheir heads.

For a large number of poor, self –employed women their home is theirwork place. Based on the immediatemajor need of its members for shelter,

LOCAL INITIATIVE

Women: A Key Force for Recovery

took up the shelter reconstructionprogramme called "Naya Ghar",which translates to mean "newhome". The "new" home was new inmany ways. The "home" was a homein many ways.

SEWA's experience of helping its 8000sisters rebuild homes proves thatthroughout the disaster recoverycycle women are the most active,creative, and determined in theirefforts to come out of loss. Thiscapacity is undermined. It is essentialto make livelihood recovery of thewomen central to disaster recoveryprocesses. For women, the twin sectorof shelter and livelihood are veryimportant. Not many humanitarianactions remember this. Not manydisaster risk reduction rememberthis. May be this can be rememberedin Leh where recovery is beingplanned after August 2010 cloudburst.

SEWA's approach was not that of justreconstruction of the damaged housesbut that of an integrated revival oflivelihoods and to turn it into alivelihood opportunity. The Gujaratearthquake 2001 had left members

homeless, destitute and without anysource of income or livelihood.Hence, rebuilding houses would notsuffice to prevent their migration insearch of livelihood opportunities.The only way then to ensure their stayand repair the fragile rural economywas to simultaneously, along withrebuilding of houses, provide orrevive or augment income generationopportunity right at the village level.SEWA realised that enabling its sistersto rebuild their own houses asmasons, carpenters and cement blockproducers would enable them notonly to earn an income but also topick up a skill that would prove to beof use later too. Also women weregiven crafts work on the basis of theirtraditional skills so that they do nothave to go out of the house and lookafter the children as well as and workfrom home. This provided the SEWAsisters with sustainable income. Thus,SEWA's approach was to rebuildcommunity assets, strengthen andstabilise existing and traditionallivelihoods as also develop newsources of livelihood. May be this isuseful to remember for recovery inLeh. – Reema Nanavaty, SEWA

Socio-economic recovery of women is essential element of CMDRR.


Who can better understand andmanage their risks, protect

their lives and livelihoods thancommunities themselves? It is criticalto recognise the primary role of thecommunity in disaster risk reduction.They have the knowledge, capacityand can take ownership andresponsibility to reduce theirvulnerability to disasters. Externalagencies that seek to build theresilience of communities need tokeep them at the centre of their workand build on their existing capacities.Thus, when well-intentioned externalagencies are gone, communities willstill be there, better informed andequipped to face disasters.Recognising this important fact, theInternational Federation of Red Cross(IFRC) and Red Crescent Societies inSouth Asia are working towardsensuring that the 'community' is atthe centre of its approach in alldisaster risk reduction programs.

South Asia is one of the most frequentand intensive natural hazard proneregions of the world. When combinedwith high population density, rapidand unplanned urbanisation,endemic poverty, overstretched basichealth systems, and climate changeinduced vulnerability; the disasterrelated risks of communities in theregion are further exaggerated. In thiscontext, the IFRC commissioned astudy of seven years ofprogramming, carried out by theconsultancy ARUP in 2011, whichsought to identify the characteristicsof a disaster resilient community. Thekey characteristics were identified inthe study as:

A community that…1. …is knowledgeable and healthy.

It has the ability to assess,manage and monitor its risks.

PRACTITIONER'S PERSPECTIVE FROM RED CROSS MOVEMENT

From Vulnerability to Resilience – Partneringwith Communities for Effective DRR

2. It can learn new skills and buildon past experiences

3. …is organised. It has the capacityto identify problems, establishpriorities and act.

4. …is connected. It hasrelationships with externalactors who provide a widersupportive environment, andsupply goods and services whenneeded.

5. …has infrastructure and services.It has strong housing, transport,power, water and sanitationsystems. It has the ability tomaintain, repair and renovatethem.

6. …has economic opportunities. Ithas a diverse range ofemployment opportunities,income and financial services. Itis flexible, resourceful and hasthe capacity to accept uncertaintyand respond (proactively) tochange.

7. …can manage its natural assets.It recognises their value and hasthe ability to protect, enhanceand maintain them.

The programs of the Red Cross andRed Crescent Societies in South Asiaare increasingly seeking to assistcommunities attain thesecharacteristics. The Vulnerability andCapacity Assessment (VCA) processis used to facilitate communities inidentifying and analysing thevulnerabilities that increase theirdisaster risk. Using this process,communities across South Asiancountries are establishing theirpriorities for reducing risks andtaking action, as well as advocatingwith their local governmentinstitutions for taking steps fordisaster risk reduction.

In the Lalmonirhat District ofBangladesh, one of the prioritiesidentified by the communities in theBangladesh Red Crescent Societyprogramme was the health problemscaused by a lack of adequate and safesanitation facilities in the community.The community was able to connect(characteristic 3) with key localgovernment stakeholders to raise theconcern and advocate for resources

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Sri Lanka Red Cross Society staff explaining the usage of the rain gauge to a

community member in Rathnapura, Sri Lanka.


to be made available. The Unionchairman subsequently ensured thatthe Union Parishad developmentplan included providing allhouseholds with sanitation facilitieswhich contributed to an improvedhealth situation. The Bangladesh RedCrescent Society further supportedthis initiative by spreading awarenessand information on safe hygienepractices.

In Sri Lanka's Nuwara Eliya,Rathnapura, Badulla and Mataledistricts, community membersidentified 'rainfall levels' as one ofthe key parameters that indicate therisk of disasters such as landslides.Hence, the Sri Lanka Red CrossSociety, the National BuildingResearch Organisation and theDisaster Management Centre (DMC)of the Sri Lankan government arehelping communities living inlandslide prone areas to monitorrainfall levels. Communities are

provided with rain gauges kept ataccessible locations within the villagewhich are monitored regularly bythe community. Communities arealso taught how to read and interpret(characteristic 1) the various waterlevels of these gauges and thenecessary early warning andevacuation actions to be taken. Thisorganisational capacity(characteristic 2) of the community isproving to be vital in reducing therisk of rainfall turning into a disaster.

In the Maharastra state of India,communities have seen theimportance of natural resourcemanagement (characteristic 6) formanaging human induced disasterrisk. Excavated soil from mining wascausing polluted dust to drift on thewind onto communities posing ahealth hazard. With the assistance ofthe Indian Red Cross Society, thecommunity decided to protect theirenvironment and health by planting

trees, including fruit bearing trees,around their villages. These trees notonly served to shield them from thedust, but also provided an alternatelivelihood, leading to enhancednutritional status. The Indian RedCross Society provided the saplings,the local government agriculturaldepartment provided the guidanceand the community did the rest,caring for the trees as they grew.

The Red Cross and Red CrescentSocieties in South Asia believe thatthe community's greatest resource forbuilding resilience is withinthemselves and that ways should befound to identify and support, notundermine. Changing minds,attitudes and ways of working iscrucial towards the strengthening ofresilient communities with all therelevant stakeholders working inpartnership and in synergy.

– Colin Fernandes,Disaster Risk Reduction Advisor,

South Asia, IFRC

Centre for SustainableDevelopment and Food

Security in Ladakh (CensfoodLadakh) was established in 2003 witha mission to work towardspromotion of policies, institutionsand capacities that strengthen thevoice and participation of the poorand marginalised in improving theirsocio-economic status. Theorganisation is currently workingintensively in Leh district of Jammuand Kashmir state with rural andurban communities affected in theyear 2010 flash floods.

Immediately after the flash floods of2010, a sectoral assessment wascarried out jointly with our year 2003partner AIDMI and this participatoryone-week long exercise was donewith ten of the worst affected andlargely isolated rural communities inthe Leh district. This included an

LOCAL PILOT INITIATIVE

Economic Recovery of Womenassessment of women led SHGs inPheyang and Sakti villages. Duringthe year 2011 intervention, livelihoodrestoration support had beenprovided through pilot reliefintervention to two women memberbased SHGs in Sakti villagecomprising of 21 women. The womenSHG members face limitation ofworking space to produce woolproducts as they have no properstructure and they have to switchfrom one to another SHG members'house. These women groupsapproached us and requested us tosolve their problem of space exclusivefor their livelihood – wool weavingand wool cloth making. CENSFOOD– in due course – held meetings withvillage Sarpanch and women led SHGleaders to learn the exact situationand needs; who will contribute andhow. The village Panchayat agreedin a meeting to provide a common

structure, which the Panchayat hasheld for alongtime, that needs majorrepairing work to use it as aLivelihood Resource Centre forwomen SHGs' collective livelihoodactivities. The village panchayt andwomen members of the SHGsvoluntarily offered to contribute, sothat they can spend more time in thisnew facility. CENSFOOD helpedwomen members and villagePanchayat of Sakti in finding a localengineer who can start repairing thestructure so that it becomes alivelihood resource centre for womenthroughout the year. The livelihoodresource centre will provide thewomen led SHG member an excellentopportunity to work collectively, feelfree, sharing and exchange of ideasand experience and by that enhancetheir business knowledge.

– Tsewang NorbooExecutive Director, CENSFOOD, Ladakh


NORTH-SOUTH AGENDA

Indo-Norwegian Cooperation on DisasterRisk Reduction

IIT Roorkey and Norwegianinstitutions NORSAR* and NGI*

have several years of cooperation inEarthquake Risk Reduction. In theyear 2010, they successfully completeda research project which contributedto a better understanding ofvulnerability (earthquake andlandslides) and risk (threatenedhuman lives and infrastructure). Byenhancing knowledge andexperience, it built up andstrengthened local capacities forpreventive actions towards anearthquake-safer environment.

The initial phase of the projectdeveloped capacity in both India andNorway. The later phase of the projectwas a more focused research on'Seismic Risk Reduction in theHimalayas', with Wadia Institute ofHimalayan Geology, Dehradun, alsojoining the team. Thorough seismichazard and risk analyses as well asstudies on ground motionamplification and slope stability wereconducted for selected target areas atthe foothills of the Himalayas in thestate of Uttarakhand. Through thisimproved understanding, it has beenpossible to communicate to cityofficials in Dehradun where thehighest risk in the city wasconcentrated. The project alsodeliberated upon how vulnerabilityand risk can be reduced in aneconomically defendable way.

The project was funded by theNorwegian Ministry of ForeignAffairs through the NorwegianEmbassy in New Delhi under a widerbilateral institutional cooperation

programme. Following the successfulimplementation of the project, theEmbassy, in January 2012, haslaunched another institutionalcooperation project targetingearthquake hazard and risk reductionon the Indian Subcontinent. While theproject intends to deepen and furtherdevelop understanding onHimalayan India, the activities arebeing extended to other parts of India,namely Peninsular India andNortheast India including the statesof Sikkim, West Bengal and Assam aswell as in Bhutan.

The collaboration on earthquakeresearch between Norwegian andIndian institutes goes back to 2002,when NORSAR and Indian Instituteof Technology Roorkee (IITR) startedworking together. The collaboration

* NORSAR and Norwegian Geo-technical Institute (NGI) are Norway based institutions. NORSAR is an independent geo-scientific research foundation specialising in software solutions and research activities within applied seismic and seismology.NGI is a leading international centre for research and consulting within the geosciences.

is expanding with more and moreinstitutions joining from both thecountries and the scope of researchgetting expanded.

The Norwegian Embassy carries outan institutional cooperationprogramme fostering researchcollaboration between centres ofexcellence in Norway and India, alsopromoting exchange of students andresearchers. The institutionalcooperation programme coversmany areas such as: political, socio-economic, higher education, industryand commerce, defence and securityaspects, energy, environment andclimate change, and culturalcooperation.

– Håvard Hugas, Counsellor and

Vivek Kumar, Senior Advisor,Royal Norwegian Embassy, New Delhi

Locally adaptable and participatory actions are key to CMDRR.


The ParticipatoryVulnerability and Capacity

Analysis (PVCA) is a processwith communities and otherstakeholders for assessment ofboth their vulnerability andcapacity in addition of buildscapacity and motivates involvedcommunities and stakeholdersfor disaster response and riskreduction with local contexts. Itis a lateral learning exercisebetween local communities, DRRpractitioners and involvedagencies. PVCA is assisting DRRpractitioners and communities toanalyse people's vulnerability,understand capacities, draw up actionplans, mobilise resources and enactappropriate policies, laws andstrategies to reduce local risks.

PVCA should never be an extractiveexercise. Children must know howand for what purpose their opinionsare being used. It is possible to trainchildren on DRR without using thePVCA process by having trainingfacilitators pre-identify the commonvulnerabilities and capacities thatchildren in those communities faceat a regular basis, and listing themeasures that children and theirfamilies can take to reduce risks.However, this does not support aparticipatory approach to DRR and,most importantly, it does not supportthe feeling of ownership,participation in implementation andsustainability issues after outsideagencies withdraw.

Engagement of children in DRRactivities is one of the most importanttasks. The following is an example ofchildren's participation in discussionat hilly areas. Children identified the

CHILDREN AND DRR

Children and Participatory Vulnerability andCapacity Assessment at High Altitude

following places as disaster proneareas in their schools and communityin the hilly areas of Ladakh:• No speed breakers on the road

near the school• Broken railing of the bridge near

the school• No sign board to indicate that

there is a school ahead• Few feet of deep sewer ditch near

the play ground• A stream by the side of the

playground which children haveto often cross

• School and several parts of thevillage are exposed to naturalhazards like landslides, rockfalls, and floods

The child centered PVCA is unique -it is for, by, and with children. It isalso unique for the very high altitudeassessment. Children's localknowledge systems can contributegreatly in the various stages ofdisaster risk reduction from riskassessment to implementation andchildren as DRR promoters withcommunities living in isolated hillyareas.

The role of a facilitating agencyin action planning is veryimportant and challenging at thesame time. The outside agencymust balance between being theprovider of financial, material,technical and organizationalsupport and serving as afacilitator that supports child-centered communityempowerment and mobilisation,rather than directing the childrenor the community. SustainableDRR programmes are bestestablished when agencies workto build the capacity of localgroups and organisations to a

level where they can generate theirown resources according to hill areacontext, lead their own risk reductionactivities and access their entitlementsfrom local governments. Theparticipation of local institutions likePRI, school is very important foreffective PVCA and for concreteresults that planed based on thePVCA. The systematic and properPVCA is leading towards village anddistrict level disaster managementplan and creating concrete action planfor risk reduction and communitydevelopment.

– Vishal Pathak, AIDMI

References:1. A. Sibghatullah, R. Karkara,

Promoting Children Friendly andChild Centered Disaster RiskReduction (2006), Discussion Paper,Save the Children, Sri Lanka.

2. Participatory Vulnerability andCapacity Assessment (2010),Training Module, AIDMI.

3. Building Youth Leadership inDisaster Risk Reduction (2009),southasiadisasters.net, Issue no. 71,AIDMI.

4. Child-Centered DRR Tool Kit (2010),Plan International.

Children in hilly areas are more vulnerable to

disasters.


It is unusual to find the words,socially or environmentally

friendly and financially viabletogether; therefore any conceptwhich ties 'financial viability' to build'resilience of societies' must be anatypical marriage. However, here weprecisely take upon such a task.

The growing uncertainties ofenvironmental issues: climatechange, extreme weather eventsaccentuated by the growing naturalresource exploitation anddegradations and the lack of adequategovernance – expose markets,financial and social structure to thepossibility of failure or completecollapse. These hazards (slow orrapid, natural or man-made, et al)create "hot spots" or high crisis areas.Given this, we cannot ignore that theglobal commons could be a source offuture conflict and permanenthumanitarian crisis1.

In this context, the concept of"resilience of a socio ecologicalsystem (SES)" was developedparticularly by Holling, and this cangive us some valuable points tonourish a new approach for hazardrisk management.

"Resilience" is defined as the abilityof a system, community or societyexposed to hazards to resist, absorb,accommodate and recover from theeffects of hazards in a timely andefficient manner. The resilience can

be bolstered through the preservationand restoration of its essential basicstructures and functions2. Thisdefinition suggests that the"resilience" of SES is always theinternal capacity in face an exogenousdisturbance and involve three othersconcepts: disaster risk reduction,sustainable development andadaptation.

The most important gap is the lack ofsustainability of humanitarian anddevelopment strategies or more specificallya framework for intervention.Unfortunately, according to the 2004worldwide report on disasters byRed Cross, current studies tend tofocus more on vulnerability factors

than on strategies to strengthen"resilience" capacity.

The second gap is the lack of qualityinformation. The challenge is now toidentify the specific information oneach field on SES, the businessopportunities and structure policiesfor socio-environmental projectssuch that they could be financiallyviable. The involvement of theprivate sector in SES management isof paramount importance. The reasonis that the private sector is neverrestricted to one idea and differententrepreneurs will try out variousmethods to address hazards, in theend the best idea will prevail. Oneimportant aspect to keep in mind will

FINANCIAL RECOVERY

"Financial Gradients" for "ResilientSocieties": An atypical Wedding

Be

nga

l, J

an

ua

ry 2

01

0.

6 months after Aila cyclone, the land stay wash and the saline water burn all

terrestrial ecosystem on her passage while contaminating water source.

1 The number of people suffering from chronic hunger has increased from under 800 million in 1996 to over a billion now'.Managing Climatic Risks to Combat Land Degradation and Enhance Food security: Key Information Needs P.K. Aggarwala,W.E. Baetheganb, P. Cooperc, R. Gommesd, B. Leee, H. Meinkef, L.S. Rathoreg and M.V.K. Sivakumarh.

Because it is time to remove the divide between finance and collective interestto cope with hazards and create 'resilience of societies'.


be that the private sector need notnecessarily imply large corporations,but can be thought of to include smalllocal entrepreneurs with goodknowledge of the locality and itscustoms of the private sector. Havingsaid this, large companies cansynergize with the local communityto promote resilience, which will bein the interest of large companies too.Growing numbers of people areadvocating the role of the privatesector in this area as a method of apolycentric approach to addresshazards risk reduction and long termresilience, while removing abjecthumanitarian crisis in the short term.The notion of financial viability hascome in as the most effectivemonitoring mechanism as espousedin a concept known as 'FinancialGradients'.

"The resilient systems andorganizations are the ones thatquickly acquire information on theirenvironment and as quickly modifytheir behavior and structure, in spiteof chaotic circumstances. Theycommunicate easily and freely withothers and widely mobilise networks

of expertise and material support"(Perrow 1999).

"Resilience Centre" (RC)

The 'Resilience Centre' is a conceptdeveloped to tackle the complexquestions of 'resilience' in face ofenvironmental crises linked toseveral factors affecting our life onthe planet. 'Financial Gradients'approach will be put in practicewithin a new quality hazards riskmanagement framework. The qualityof the process, product and structureto improve the 'resilience' of SES willbe the heart of this new financial andsocial approach.

An RC would be a physical locationsituated within a district, a sub-district or even a village. In the firststage, an RC will disseminaterelevant information to public andprivate actors on the management ofresources in that area. Theinformation stage will help bring outan informed consensus in that area.In the second stage, an RC willsupport a project arrived at byconsensus and implement it. Finally,in a few years an RC might even be

18 months after Aila cyclone, people stay dependant of "cash for work" program. Without

certitude that the embankment they build will resist to the tidal force or the next cyclone.

Be

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l, D

ece

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20

10

.

in a position to give out'resilience' or 'development'certificates much in the linesof Renewable Energy orEnergy saving certificates.

Currently, it remains difficultto get the attention of thegeneral public and ofgovernments on the urgencyof reinforcing 'resilience' ofsocio-ecological systems.Several reasons for this can beput forward: budgetconstraints, the lack offinancial mechanisms andtechnological resources, theimportance of otheremergency issues not relateddirectly to hazard, the

uncertainty about the path to followand the weakness of thegovernmental agencies which lead tothe paralysis of the strategicimplementation. But we notice thatwhen a company is located in a regionwhere 'resilience' is strong, thenegative impacts of present orpotential hazards on profit andeconomic activities are reduced.Investing in preservation andprotection will increase socio-ecoenvironmental profits as well as realfinancial profits.

In short, the idea here is to have apolycentric approach to capacitybuilding for resilience; while at thesame time reducing fiscal dependenceand increasing economic activity.There is also a huge potential ofemployment generation at eachresilience centre as well.

There is a huge need for "ResilienceCentres", and it is hoped that allstakeholders attend this 'atypicalwedding'.

– Arnab Bose,Centre for Global Environment

Research, TERI, New Delhiand

Camille Raillon,PhD student from France

2 Definition from the International Strategy for Disaster Prevention, of the UnitedNations, available at:http://www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html


FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT OF RECOVERY

Cash Transfer Programming

While the majority ofhumanitarian aid to victims of

a disaster is provided in-kind, thereis an increasing tendency tosupplement or replace some of thisassistance by the provision of cash orvouchers to the most affected andexcluded among the victims. CashTransfer Programming is not a sectorbut an instrument that can be used incertain circumstances to meet theobjectives of a sector such ascommunity managed disaster riskreduction. For instance, a foodsecurity humanitarian response couldprovide cash instead of food or ashelter intervention providevouchers to buy shelter materialinstead of providing the materials orvictims could be provided cash dolefor purchasing tools of livelihoodtowards community managedeconomic recovery.

There is a growing body of evidenceof the benefits of cash and vouchers,

so the conversation around CashTransfer Programming has movedfrom whether it is a suitable meansto meet the needs of people affectedby humanitarian crises to how it canbest be used to meet these needs orcan it be used widely for communitymanaged risk reduction tool.

Cash assistance is not a panacea: it'snot always feasible or appropriateand not in-kind distributions can bereplaced by the provision of cash or

vouchers. Whether cash can be usedwill depend on factors such as the stateof local markets and the local context.However, when cash is appropriateit can have many advantages over anin-kind response. Cash can be muchfaster than an in-kind distribution, asit's logistically simpler. Cash is nearlyalways cheaper and easier totransport than in kind assistance,reducing the operational costs and soleading to a more cost effectiveresponse which increases thepercentage of funding spent ondirectly meeting the needs of theaffected population. It also providesopportunities to the victims inmanage their risks on their own.Perhaps one of the greatestadvantages of cash is that it's moreflexible to the varying needs offamilies affected by a humanitariancrisis and so provides a greater choiceand dignity for the populationbenefiting from a humanitarianresponse. Cash assistance alsoencourages productivity, stimulatesmarkets and can have strongmultiplier effects on the localeconomy.

Humanitarian agencies like Save theChildren have successfully used CashTransfer Programming in recenthumanitarian crises in India,including the HumanitarianResponse to Cyclone Thane in TamilNadu, or the Humanitarian responseto the 2011 Odisha Floods. Theexperiences of these agencies suggestcash should be strongly consideredas response mechanism to assist therecovery of Leh.

– Juan Scouller,Save the Children

More information and resources on CashTransfer Programming can be obtained

from the Cash Learning Partnership(CALP, http://www.cashlearning.org).

Cash Transfer

Programming is not a

sector, but an instrument

that can be used in certain

circumstances to meet the

objectives of a sector such

as community managed

disaster risk reduction.

Cash for work is an important component of post disaster immediate response.


SCHOOL SAFETY

Towards Green School Safety in HighAltitude Regions

Apart from being a high altituderegion, Ladakh is also a dry and

arid – so called "cold desert in highaltitude". With spread of science andtechnology, people of Ladakh arenow more exposed to electronicdevices, and like in any other part ofthe world, it has eventually becomevery much part of their routine life.With spread of such technologicalawareness, people of Ladakh havealso learned the important ofeducation. For the past few years thelocal administration has put in a lotof effort in making the educationsystem strong. Ladakh have ascattered but strong educationsystem. The unique aspect of theeducation system in Ladakh regionis that monasteries and schools bothare formalised and recognised asinstitutes for education.

Several schools and monasteries havebeen damaged in the flash floods andthey need both structural and non-structural mitigation measures toensure safer environment foreducation. CENSFOOD – a localpartner of AIDMI in Ladakh – hasalready approached 10 schoolsduring pre-winter 2011 needs

assessment. Several schools haveapproached CENSFOOD to requestmitigation measures in theirrespective schools. During the jointphase - I immediate intervention tothe year 2010 flash floods, three ofthese assessed schools have alreadybeen covered for structural mitigationmeasures. One of the encouragingparts of this pilot initiative has beenthat schools still use conventionalroof which consist of locally availablesand and a species of grass. Thiscombination helps them maintaintemperature in the class rooms andalso functions a water proofingsolution. Natural resources are stilladapted in the modern era towardsmaking schools resilient to local risks.

It may be lack of natural resources, itmay be lack of funds, it may benegligence, but people of Ladakhhave strong bonding to its society andlocal ecology. No development hasbeen taken on at the cost ofdeteriorating local ecology. Peopleand administration must be aware ofconsequences of growth at the cost oflosing local ecology. This practicealso passes on a good message to thenext generation and citizens of

tomorrow about procuring localecology, and of the advantages ofbeing close to Mother Nature in ahigh altitude arid region. Not justclassrooms and schools but greenclasses and schools; not just classroomeducation, but lessons for life; not justpersonal development but greendevelopment including the society.

These initiatives are small.Communities are as sensitive towardslocal ecology as the ecology itself is.When a school is chosen by localstakeholders for mitigation measuresguardians, local engineers, localcommunity, village leaders all helpthe local skilled-unskilled workers inmaking the school stronger andgreener than before. The localadministration also promotes thispractice and provides necessarysupport in making schools greener andsensitive towards culture of safety andecology of Ladakh creating sustainablegrowth and uninterrupted educationfor children. This attitude is good forother high altitude regions. Thispractice can set examples for inclusiveand green approach towards makingeducation and schools safer in highaltitude places. – Sanchit Oza, AIDMI

Schools are important venues to show-case locally adaptable eco-friendly initiatives.


LIVELIHOOD RECOVERY

Green Livelihoods: Reviving Ecology andEconomy for Local Recovery

Introduction:

The sustainable livelihoodsapproach is a way to improveunderstanding of the livelihoods ofdisaster affected people. It draws onthe main factors that affect poorpeople's livelihoods and the typicalrelationships between these factors.It can be used in planning newdevelopment activities and inassessing the contribution thatexisting activities have made tosustaining livelihoods.

The Sustainable Livelihoodframework places people,particularly rural poor people, at thecentre of a web of inter-relatedinfluences that affect how thesepeople create a livelihood forthemselves and their households.Closest to the people at the centre ofthe framework are the resources andlivelihood assets that they have accessto and use. These can include naturalresources, technologies, their skills,knowledge and capacity, their health,access to education, sources of credit,or their networks of social support.The extent of their access to theseassets is strongly influenced by theirvulnerability context, which takesaccount of trends (for example,economic, political, technological),shocks (for example,epidemics, natural disasters,civil strife) and seasonality (forexample, prices, production,employment opportunities).Access is also influenced by theprevailing social, institutionaland political environment,which affects the ways in whichpeople combine and use theirassets to achieve their goals.1

Background:

A series of cloud burstsoccurred in August-2010 for

the first time in the noted history ofthe Leh district. Successive cloudbursts caused tons of loose soil, rockand stones along with rainwater toinundate the valley and low lyingareas. Around 15 to 20 feet of debrisand water accumulated in theseregions; causing heavy damage anddestruction and impact on lives,property and infrastructure. Over 240deaths have been recorded, morethan 70 people were missing andthousands were displaced. Leh is aquaint little town located 11,500 feetabove sea level and 424 kms awayfrom Srinagar, the summer capital ofJammu and Kashmir. The damage tocommunity infrastructure has beenextensive.

Ecology Based Livelihood Restoration

Efforts:Building on the success of pilot reliefintervention to provide support toflash flood August-2010 affectedcommunities of Leh, AIDMI hasremained in constant coordinationwith local partner CENSFOOD andlocal administration LAHDC toprovide affected and marginalisedcommunities a secure and sustainablelivelihood, with use of theirtraditional skill in income generationactivities. The Local partner

CENSFOOD has received requestfrom village leader of Gya to provideecology based livelihood support forrestoration of canal, which washeavily damaged in flash floods ofyear 2010. The catchment area of thecanal became dry due to non receiptof water flow. Till the date neithergovernment nor any agencies havefocused on the restoration of thedamaged canal. The canal was usefulin firewood collection for Gya andsurrounding villages' local women.The Gya village is situated in a remotearea and approximately 95 Km awayfrom district headquarter - Leh. Thevillage community waited for morethan one year for their canal to berestored so that they could easilymeet their basic necessities offirewood and water.

The women of Gya and surroundingvillages have to go far away inextreme winter and have to pay highcost for fire wood. Once the canalrestoration work would becompleted at the end of June 2012, thedry catchment area will get wateragain, village community of Gya andsurrounding villages' women willget sufficient firewood soon, localcommunity can do agriculture workfrom this spring season, animal

husbandry, wool collection,improve environment andincreased oxygen level forthe long term are some ofthe features that Gya villagehead, community and localengineer have identified.The secured and sustainableecology base livelihoodsupport will provide themwith the opportunity tomake their traditionallivelihoods sustainable andhelp in reduction of theireconomic vulnerability.

– Kalpesh Prajapati, AIDMI1 www.ifad.org/sla/index.htmEcology based livelihood is backbone of rural and

sustainable livelihood.


ECONOMY AND RECOVERY

Giving Money, Helping Communities

Hundreds of non-governmentalorganisations around the

Commonwealth benefit from ourresponsive grants. Our grantsprogramme is committed to givingone million GB Pounds in total. Wesupport activities such as shorttraining courses, workshops,conferences, festivals, study visits orvoter education activities.

As the Commonwealth Foundationembarks on a re-launch and a newstrategic planning process, we arealso undergoing an overhaul of ourgrants programme to bring it moreinline with the objectives of theorganisation. A more streamlinedprocess will have more impact whereit's needed, a goal we should all bestriving towards.

Grant giving in disaster hit regionsis a commonality but not in the wayone might expect. For instance afterthe devastating tsunami in December2004, nearly 230,000 people lost theirlives and many more their homes andlivelihoods. Many survivors alongthe coasts of India and Sri Lanka usedto fish to earn their living. But asecond, less publicised but equallydevastating catastrophe was tofollow. The disruption from thetsunami was used as an opportunityto move local people off the land theyrelied on for survival to make wayfor luxury tourism.

Thyagarajan, a fisherman fromKerala, India explains: "The landwhich I owned had lots of coconut,and I was able to live with that. NowI have to go for casual work. I wasnot interested to sell the land. Theybought the land on either side andput up a fence. And then they startedto file false cases against me sayingthat I was breaking their fence. The

agent was doing this because if Ididn't move he wouldn't get brokerfees. I was harassed by them. At last Isold my land."

There are many like Thyagarajan.Whole communities have been talkedinto selling by developers, onlyrealising the consequences when it istoo late. Developers have also been'privatising' communal beachfrontland by posting security guards. InTamil Nadu, on India's east coast,whole communities remain intemporary shelters while theirhomeland is sold: a prime exampleof what Canadian journalist NaomiKlein has called "Disaster Capitalism"(The Shock Doctrine, 2008).

Survivors and experienced civilsociety activists are sharing theirknowledge to push for more just andsustainable land use.

As part of this work, theCommonwealth Foundation

supported a study visit for young SriLankan activists in their twenties tolearn from their counterparts inKerala and Tamil Nadu. At the heartof human rights work is access toinformation; the Sri Lankans learnedmethods of monitoring anddocumenting abuses. They receivedthree days of theoretical teaching, aswell as visiting the affectedcommunities.

As the Commonwealth Foundationre-evaluates its work and aims formore relevance for the people of theCommonwealth, its grantsprogramme must also continue toreach people and build the capacityat the community level. Learning,sharing and exchange will continueto be our watch words and impact andrelevance will be what drives thework that our tiny organisationdoes.

– Marcie Shaoul,Head of External Affairs,

Commonwealth Foundation UK

Community capacity building strives towards locally led DRR.


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TITLELESSONS FROM GUJARAT FOR COMMUNITY MANAGED RECOVERY IN LEH AFTER FLASH FLOODS 2010

Do you wish to receive this publication regularly? Write to AIDMI ([email protected]). The publication will be sent byE-mail. Your comments help southasiadisasters.net remain an effective and informative resource for regional issues of disasterrisk management. Please contribute comments, features, reports, discussion points, and essays about your work. Today!

A group of 10 community leaders led by Shri Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive Councilor, LAHDC, metHer Excellency the Governor of Gujarat state Dr. Kamla Beniwal as a part of their exposure visit toGujarat. As a part of this exposure visit – facilitated by AIDMI – the group also visited CBOs andcommunities of Gujarat during February 08-14, 2012 to learn about various community managed disasterrisk reduction (CMDRR) initiatives in Gujarat in the past ten years. The visiting group consisted womenSHG leaders, representatives from education department, local CBO and youth from Ladakh.

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