Wednesday, June 29, 2011

National Consultation Workshop on Preparation of State Disaster Management Plans

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Home Affairs

National Consultation Workshop on Preparation of State Disaster Management Plans
Disaster Management Act. NDMA has been supporting the State/ UT Governments to prepare their DMPs through various initiatives.

Shri M. Shashidhar Reddy, Vice Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that Disaster Management Plans (DMP) are living documents that would require constant improvement and innovation as the States continue to deal with various disasters. He was delivering the inaugural address at the 2-day National Consultation Workshop on Preparation of State Disaster Management Plans at NDMA Bhawan here today. States/ UTs are in different stages of preparation of the DMPs.

The aim of the workshop is to provide an opportunity to the States to share various measures taken by them for the preparation of State DMP and exchanging ideas and technical information thereby learn from each other in developing actionable State DMP.

Preparation of DMP is a mandatory requirement as per Disaster Management Act. NDMA had issued Guidelines for preparation of the State SDMPs in August 2007 in accordance with the provision of the Section 6(2)(d) of the




New ferry for Majuli’s flood-fighting fleet


New ferry for Majuli’s flood-fighting fleet

The Majuli island administration will get a big boat (locally called ferry), which will be put to service during floods and will be run as a passenger boat between Majuli and Jorhat at other times.

Majuli sub-divisional officer (civil) Krishna Baruah told this correspondent that the inland water department (IWT) ferry, which will be able to carry about 150 passengers and goods, has been made at Salmora area of the island, which is famous for making boats, and the engine has been procured from outside.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Recommendations of NAC On The Proposed National Food Security Bill

Government of India

National Advisory Council

22nd June, 2011

National Food Security Bill

Shri Harsh Mander , Convener of the Food Security Bill informed the members regarding the progress on the subject. The draft law prepared by the Working Group has been legally vetted by Additional Solicitor General Smt Indira Jaising. The major highlights of the draft Bill is that it guarantees subsidised foodgrains to at least 90 percent of rural households, and 50 percent of urban households. 46% of the rural/ 28% of urban households categorized as ‘priority group’ are entitled to receive foodgrains at 7kgs per head at Rs 3/2/1 for wheat or Rice or millets. 49% of the rural/ 22% of urban households categorized as ‘general group’ are entitled to receive foodgrains at 4kgs per head at not more than 50% of the MSP of the respective foodgrains.


Read in detail at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22052

Ancient lake outburst 'holds clues to climate change events

Ancient lake outburst 'holds clues to climate change events'

Papri Sri Raman

23 June 2011 | EN

Unique lake burst records indicates Indus river vulnerable to climate change

Flickr-mckaysavage

[CHENNAI] A glacial lake outburst that occurred in the Himalayas thousands of years ago holds clues to the dangers faced by the entire Indus river valley system from similar events triggered by rapid climate change, say scientists.

A team of Indian geologists from the University of Pune and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, has been studying the site of the ancient outburst in a deep gorge close to the exit of the Indus river in the Spituk-Leh valley.

The valley suffered an unprecedented cloud burst on last year (6 August) causing flash floods that devastated large areas and killed 180 people.

Sliding and slumping of rocks and lake beds, compounded by climate change can result in the formation of steep valleys, lake bursts and 'damming' or containment of water within narrow gorges.

Unlike other sediment records in the area, which have eroded, the study site on the outskirts of Leh is well preserved and displays sediment from the flooding of the Indus river in the Pleistocene age, at least 20,000 years ago.

The team reported this month (10 June) in Current Science that the present record of an entire lake burst at a height of 3,245 metres in Leh "is a witness to the susceptibility of the Indus river to damming (and outburst) due to distinctive geomorphic (earth) changes available at the present outlet of the Spituk-Leh valley".

Glacial recession, the possibility of new lake basins being created by glacial melt and the damming of rivers followed by lake outbursts and related flash floods are likely to increase, they said.

"The studied past record proves that the geomorphic setup (for lake outbursts) is available in the Leh valley for such a thing to happen when climate change of that dimension (most probably during late Pleistocene-Holocene times or around 10,000 years back) occurs (again)," lead scientist Satish Sangode told SciDev.Net.



Read in detail at :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22058


Friday, June 24, 2011

Erosion of river embankments left people scared

BALASORE: Even as the flood waters have receded in northern parts of Balasore, erosion of river embankments has left people scared. Banks of rivers at many places have eroded due to lack of maintenance and appropriate measures to protect them.

Sources said massive erosion of the embankments of Subarnarekha has been reported from Sekhabad, Gobarghata, Mankidia, Gobardhanpur, Baiganbadia, Kirtania, Kantapal and Mohammadpur areas.

Locals said large patches of the riverbed have been eroded in the flood water current. Every year the river is eating into land mass and moving closer to the residential areas.

While the focus has been only on sea erosion, riverbank erosion could be the largest displacement factor, they pointed out.

The condition of embankments in Budhabalanga, Jalaka and Kansabansa rivers is no better. Erosion and landslides on the Budhabalanga embankment have assumed alarming proportion and are giving nightmare to people in scores of villages in Balasore. “Forget about monsoon, we are even scared in summer. The river which gets reverse water from sea has eroded more than 2 km patch in Old Balasore area putting people’s lives under threat,” said Judhisthir Jena, a resident.


Supply Annual Report 2010

Annual Report

Supply Annual Report 2010

Publication cover

Author: UNICEF Supply Division
Price: free
No. of pages: 64
Publication date: 2011
Publisher: UNICEF Supply Division
Languages: English

Sales no.: n/a

Available in the following formats:

E-magazine
To view the Annual report as an e-magazine click here. (requires latest version of Adobe Flash Player)

PDF
To download a copy of the Annual report click here (pdf)

Did you find this report interesting/helpful? Let us know here.

Printed
For a hardcopy of the Annual Report, please contact UNICEF Supply Division.

The 2010 Supply Annual Report supports UNICEF's commitment to transparency, providing information on local and international procurement and other key results from the year. This year's report also provides and overview of the Supply Function's emergency response efforts in a year that was unprecedented in terms of scale and complexity of emergencies.



Source :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22039

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Severe Weather Warnings - 23 June 2011

Severe Weather Warnings

DATE : JUNE 23, 2011

Severe Weather Warnings

DATE : JUNE 23, 2011

Back to Home

HEAVY RAINFALL WARNING

HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AT A FEW PLACES WOULD OCCUR OVER WEST MADHYA PRADESH AND EAST RAJASTHAN DURING NEXT 48 HOURS.HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD OCCUR AT ISOLATED PLACES OVER WEST UTTAR PRADESH, EAST MADHYA PRADESH AND GUJARAT REGION DURING NEXT 24 HOURS.

THUNDERSTORM/ SQUALLS

SOLATED THUNDERSQUALLS WOULD OCCUR OVER PUNJAB, HARYANA, DELHI, RAJASTHAN AND WEST UTTAR PRADESH DURING NEXT 24 HOURS.





www.cdrn.org.in

Depression over Madhya Pradesh and adjoining south Uttar Pradesh weakened

BOB 02/2011/30 Dated: 23 06.2011

Time of issue: 0830 hours IST



Sub: Depression over Madhya Pradesh and adjoining south Uttar Pradesh

weakened into well marked low pressure area.



The depression over east Madhya Pradesh and south Uttar Pradesh moved northwestwards and weakened into well marked low pressure area over west Madhya Pradesh and neighbourhood at 0530 hours IST of today, the 23 June 2011 . The system would move northwestwards and become less marked during next 24 hours..



Under its influence, rain/thundershowers would occur at many places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over west Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat region and east Rajasthan during next 24 hours.



For More Detail on the Same Log On To :-

WWW.CDRN.ORG.IN

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

More attention should be paid to forests in drylands

World Day to Combat Desertification: Forests keep drylands working
(posted on 17 June)

tree in desert

About 2 billion people inhabit the “dryland” areas of the world which cover more than 40% of the globe and include the tropical dry forest, the Brazilian Cerrado and the Mediterranean woodlands.

However, these ecosystems are under pressure from climate change and growing populations and human activities. The clearing of vegetation in the drylands can quickly lead to land degradation and desertification.

Given that the United Nations has designated 2011 as the International Year of Forests, the U.N. Convention to combat Desertification (UNCCD) has chosen “Forests Keep drylands working” as the theme for the World Day to Combat Desertification. It says that forests may become the single most important determinant of the future sustainability of the drylands as the impacts of climate change escalate. Yet, only 18% of the drylands is forested. UNCCD is calling on inhabitants of the drylands to plant a tree in a degraded area to stem the spread of desertification.

WMO has been a partner with UNCCD over the years on various issues, especially management of drought to improve food security.



Source :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22026

Rain triggers floods and landslides

Rain triggers floods and landslides

19 June 2011

statesman news service
MIDNAPORE/TAMLUK, 19 JUNE: Incessant rain coupled with strong winds triggered by the deep depression in the Bay of Bengal continued to wreak havoc in both West and East Midnapore today disrupting life.
The Kanshabati river, which breached its embankment near Maratala in Debra, flooded at least seven villages today. Villagers in this area suspect that if the rain continues for a few more days, hundreds of villages will be flooded and crops on thousands of hectares will be destroyed.
A wooden bridge over the Silabati river at Kalmijhora in Chandrakona, that was broken due to the impact of the swelling river water, floated away to the nearby Silabati bridge and it got stuck. “If the wooden bridge continues to strike the Silabati bridge, it will also be broken and several villages in Chandrakona will be flooded,” a senior executive engineer of irrigation department said, adding that the block officials have rushed to the place and they are trying to lift the broken bridge from the river.
Mr Ashok Saha, sub-divisional officer, Ghatal, said: “Several hundreds of mud houses have been damaged but no major loss has been reported so far. We have already distributed tarpaulin sheets to the victims.”
Meanwhile, road communication between Jhargram and Chilkigarh has been cut off as the Dulung river is overflowing since last night. Locals, who had put up a road-block at Chilkigarh a few days ago with a demand that a bridge across the river be constructed, renewed their agitation today demanding immediate construction of the bridge. “Several thousands of mud-houses in Jhargram sub-divisions have been partially or fully damaged due to heavy showers. Our block officials are now busy in collecting information and until they submit reports, we cannot state the exact losses,” said the sub-divisional officer in Jhargram.
In East Midnapore, no fresh damage has been reported but the situation is alarming because thousands of hectares of land have been inundated and hundreds of thatched houses of fishermen badly damaged.
“Over a thousand houses at different villages across the district have also been damaged. Tidal surges, whipped up by the lunar eclipse and depression, have snapped ferry services at many places,” said Mr Mamud Hossain, saha-sabhadhipati of the zilla parishad.



Source :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22016

Monday, June 20, 2011

Climate change will cost poor countries billions of dollars, studies say

Adapting economies and maintaining infrastructure under global warming will cost developing countries dear, and resentment is building as rich countries delay in providing finance

MDG : Roads hand climate change in Africa , floods in Mozambique

A truck stuck in flood waters near Mauri, Mozambique. Research suggests that every African country will have to pay an extra $22m-$54m a year just to keep its already substandard road infrastructure in today’s condition. Photograph: Tim Zielenbach/AP

Africa, notoriously, has the worst roads in the world because its extremes of sun and rain bake them dry or leave them cratered and impassable for months at a time. The whole continent, which is physically larger than China, western Europe, India and the US together, still only has 171,000 km of all-weather roads - less than a country like Poland.

Now it can expect an extra $183bn bill just to maintain its few paved roads over the next 60 years because of the impact of climate change. According to a UN university team of economists, every African country will have to pay an extra $22m-$54m a year just to keep its already substandard road infrastructure in today's condition. The bill to upgrade and maintain Africa's many millions of miles of secondary roads and tracks, which can be expected to deteriorate even further with climate change, is not even considered.

The figures are not exact, but show how even the minimum of infrastructural improvement – considered a prerequisite for economic development – will be reined in in poor countries unless money is made available for them to adapt to climate change, and unless rich countries lessen the chances of runaway warming by reducing emissions quickly.

The road study coincides with a series of more sobering short reportsjust released from 19 developing countries that were asked by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to calculate the costs of adapting just one or two sectors of their economies to climate change over the next 20 years.

The results are shocking. Costa Rica, for instance, estimates that it will need more than $3bn just to adapt its water and biodiversity sectors; Namibia $4bn to reduce the emissions from its power stations and to adapt its farming; Turkmenistan up to $7bn for its electricity and water sector; Togo $688m by 2030 to reduce emissions in its energy sector and to adapt its farming; Niger, nearly $2.5bn to find alternatives to burning firewood and adapt its farming.

The total, just for a few sectors of some countries, can be expected to be well over $100bn, roughly in line with the Lord Stern's estimates of at least 5% and perhaps more than 20% of global GDP being needed for adaptation.

"The figures are not a wish list of funds from rich countries, but an appraisal of the costs of reducing emissions in just a few areas of a few countries," said a UNDP spokeswoman.

But they also highlight the fact that the rich countries, currently at the climate change talks in Bonn, are nowhere near providing the $30bn that was pledged in the Copenhagen summit in 2009 for "fast-start" finance.

Analysis by the World Resources Institute last month showed that the world's 21 developed countries and the European commission have publicly announced pledges of $28bn in "fast-track" money, but next to nothing has been delivered. In addition, much of the money pledged appears to be double counted with existing official development assistance (ODA) budgets.

Resentment at the rich countries' delays in paying for adaptation is now reaching a crescendo. On Tuesday in Bonn, environment and development groups joined unions, health and youth justice organisations to demand that rich countries raise some of the long-term billions needed via a 0.02%-0.05% international financial transaction tax (FTT).


Read in Detail At :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=22002


4 dead in Kurseong landslide Sikkims only road cut off at night

4 dead in Kurseong landslide
Sikkim’s only road cut off at night
BRO personnel clear the debris at 27th Mile on Friday morning. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Darjeeling/Kalimpong, June 17: Four members of a family in Kurseong, two of them children and the third a 45-day-old baby, were buried alive under debris from a landslide that followed a bout of torrential rain in the hills early this morning.

The rain also triggered mudslides at three places on National Highway 31A, the last one at Birik that cut off Sikkim from the rest of the country around 7.30pm. The road is unlikely to be ready for traffic till tomorrow afternoon, Border Roads Organisation sources said. Earlier in the day, nearly 500 vehicles were held up for five hours because of debris on the road at 27th Mile and at Setijhora, 37km from Kalimpong.

Heavy rain lashed Calcutta and south Bengal, claiming seven lives and flattening several mud-built houses.

Weather officials said the districts could experience more rain for the next 48 hours but the situation should ease up in Calcutta by tomorrow afternoon.

Nashim Akhtar, a 35-year-old hawker, and his family members were asleep in their one-storied tin house in St Mary’s area when mud from the mountainside came down on the dwelling around 3.30am. “The wife, Meenaz Begum, was the only survivor as she had gone out to attend nature’s call at that very moment,” said D.P. Singh, the superintendent of police, Darjeeling. The police along with the fire brigade and the civil defence personnel arrived at the spot around 4.30am.

Nashim along with his son Mohammed Faisal and daughters 10-year-old Musurt Banu and 45-day-old Nusurt Banu were crushed to death in the bed, eye witnesses said.

The house of Nashim Akhtar. (Suman Tamang)

On NH31A, the mudslides occurred at 27th Mile and near Setijhora, both in Kalimpong subdivision, between 6am and 7am. The BRO sources said the highway had been cleared of debris at Setijhora and the road on that stretch was opened to traffic at 6.30pm.

But the BRO workers had a tough time clearing the mud at 27th Mile, 25km from Kalimpong, and restoring traffic on the road because of a pick-up van that had got stuck in the slush. “Two cranes struggled to retrieve the van from the slush. We managed to clear the road by 12.30pm,” said a BRO source. Some of the commuters stuck in the vehicles walked across the mudslides to avail of transport on the other side. “Around 500 vehicles were left stranded on both sides of the highway,” said an eyewitness said. The third landslide occurred at Birik, between Setjhora and 27th Mile, around 7.30pm.

The highest rainfall in the past 24 hours was recorded in Cooch Behar with 54mm, followed by Kalimpong 38mm, Darjeeling 31.8mm and Gangtok 13mm. In Cooch Behar, the Torsha has eaten into the banks in the Takagachh-Rajarhat area. The panchayat pradhan of Karisal, Maksed Ali, claimed that at least 500 people were in fear of losing their homes and small patches of land if the erosion continued.



http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21999

Source :-

Friday, June 17, 2011

Ford publishes 2010-11 Sustainability Report

Ford publishes 2010-11 Sustainability Report

This is the 12th annual nonfinancial report of Ford Motor Company. Ford's vision for sustainability reporting is that it is the basis of organizational learning. It demonstrates Ford's values, and both reflects and drives outstanding economic, environmental and social performance. Ford's most recent previous report was released in June 2010.

Ford's focus for reporting is on Ford’s most important sustainability issues and those of most interest to report users and our stakeholders. The issues that rated highest in potential impact on the Company and concern to stakeholders are covered in a Material Issues section of this report.

Comprehensive information on a range of other significant issues is included in Ford's report in the Governance, Economy, Environment and Society sections.

Highlights from this year's report include:

- A section on climate change that summarizes continuing progress toward global CO2 reduction goals
- A section summarizing Ford's “Blueprint for Sustainability” and the vehicle and fuel technologies that make up the migration plan
- An updated case study on the opportunities and challenges posed by vehicle electrification, as well as other case studies
- A new section that examines the social and economic implications of water use
- A section on supply chain sustainability efforts that covers industry-leading human rights initiatives, and leadership promoting environmental sustainability and materials accountability throughout the automotive supply chain
- Letters from Ford's Executive Chairman, and President & CEO.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit http://www.ford.com

Ford's 2010-11 Sustainability Report –http://corporate.ford.com/about-ford/sustainability/corporate-sustainability

Please send comments to sustaina@ford.com.


Source :- http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21981

Huawei Releases 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Huawei Releases 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Huawei is committed to driving the sustainable development of the economy, society, and the environment

[Shenzhen, China, 13 June, 2011]:Huawei, a leading telecom solutions provider, today released its 2010 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. The report provides an overall review of Huawei's commitments and practices with regard to its corporate social responsibilities, including implementing fair operations, practicing ongoing environmental protection, bridging the digital divide, enhancing supply chain CSR management, caring for employees, and offering community support. The report demonstrates Huawei's efforts and contributions in driving the sustainable development of the economy, society, and the environment.

This is Huawei's third annual CSR report. The report was compiled in compliance with the G3 guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and it discloses Huawei's efforts and practices in a systematic and standardized manner. Major core indicators were used. The application level of the report is B+.


http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21983

Source :-

Waterlogged Kuttanad thirsts for drinking water

Waterlogged Kuttanad thirsts for drinking water

Dennis Marcus Mathew

Water in the Vembanad lake and Pampa river turns saline



CRISIS: A boat with water tanks lies idle in the Kainakary region of Kuttanad in Alappuzha,where water shortage has worsened after these boats stopped service for the last two days.

ALAPPUZHA: Even as the threat of floods that loomed over the water-logged Kuttanad seems to have receded, the people are now up against another recurrent scourge. Kuttanad is facing an acute shortage of drinking water, even for its cattle.

The water shortage, an issue that plagues the region round the year, gets severe in the monsoon with the rivers that flow through here and the Vembanad lake turning totally undependable for even a drop of pure water. The drinking water crisis is accentuated by the threat of water-borne diseases as well, particularly cholera.

This is apart from other vector-borne and contagious diseases including Japanese Encephalitis, rat fever and dengue that have already been reported from the area.

In May 2009, there was an outbreak of cholera after sewage seeped into drinking water pipelines.

Different surveys in recent years, including by the Health department, have found dangerous levels of coliform bacteria, including E.Coli, in a majority of water sources in Kuttanad, but shockingly, remedial or preventive measures have been little, according to the residents. Repair and maintenance of pipelines are still to be done in a majority of areas, while supply of water through existing networks are not regular and not happening in several remote areas as well.

Water supply stopped


http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21985

Source :-

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Villages sinking in India

Sitamarhi:There are places in Bihar where one can see the process of disappearance of civilization and the villages getting buried under the sediments brought by rivers.? In coming 10-15 years, a tragedy worse than that of Kusaha will strike here for the simple reason that the river bed would be 25 feet higher than the countryside and the crest of the embankment, 35 feet, said a technocrat and an expert on Bihar rivers Dinesh K Mishra in his recent article.

Read in Detail at :-

NDMA for mobile detection at nuclear sites

NDMA for mobile detection at nuclear sites
Sanjay Jog / Mumbai June 14, 2011, 0:59 IST

After Fukushima nuclear disaster, response teams to be set up at all 20 nuclear plants across India

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has recommended setting up of disaster response teams by state governments to address concerns in case of a calamity at any of the 20 nuclear power plants across India.

NDMA vice chairman Shashidhar Reddy told Business Standard: “India has an enviable and impeccable record of safety & security and virtually fail-safe arrangement in all its nuclear establishments, but preparedness to deal with an unlikely emergency has to be highly focused upon.”

Read in detail at :-

To avoid last year’s chaos, disaster cell lines up SMS weapon

To avoid last year’s chaos, disaster cell lines up SMS weapon

Last year’s bad monsoon experience has made officials take extra precautions to avoid any repeats this year.

For starters, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is installing an SMS blaster at the disaster management cell that started functioning at the civic body premises last Wednesday.

This is to ensure efficient delivery of alerts to citizens and the civic staff to ensure faster response to any untoward incident during monsoon.

The civic body on Wednesday started the disaster management cell in the civic headquarters.

The cell would run during the whole of monsoon. “The cell will be operational 24 hours during monsoon and coordinate rescue and relief operations,” said Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Pravin Ashtikar.

He said the disaster management cell is as per the plan prepared by the civic body in association with the All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG).


Read in detail at :-

http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21971


INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT JOBS NEWSLETTER - 14 June 2011

THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT JOBS NEWSLETTER - 14 June 2011

Top international development and humanitarian relief jobs delivered to 300,000+ international development professionals each week.
Envelope Subscribe to The Jobs Newsletter


Search all 2082+ jobs at the Devex job board now

Featured International Development Jobs

JOB TITLELOCATIONUPDATED
Director of Civil Society Strengthening
Counterpart International
AfghanistanJune 14, 2011
Digital Marketing Manager
Devex
WorldwideJune 13, 2011
Infrastructure Economist
Government of Timor-Leste/AusAID
Timor-LesteJune 13, 2011
Major Projects Advisor
Government of Timor-Leste/AusAID
Timor-LesteJune 13, 2011
Director, Yemen Programs, Grade 13
Counterpart International
United StatesJune 13, 2011
Director, Afghanistan Programs, Grade 13
Counterpart International
United StatesJune 12, 2011
Director of New Business, Grade 12
Counterpart International
United StatesJune 12, 2011
Chief of Party – Accra, Ghana
Devex Candidate Sourcing
GhanaJune 12, 2011
Deputy TV Technical Advisor - Afghanistan
Internews® Network
AfghanistanJune 10, 2011
Resident Deputy Radio Technical Advisor - Afghanistan
Internews® Network
AfghanistanJune 10, 2011
VIEW ALL FEATURED JOBS AT :-

http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21972