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Thursday, March 31, 2011
Food Security Aid Map highlights Best Practices and Innovations
The map above features winning projects from round one and two of the Best Practices and Innovations Initiative with global statistics on the depth of hunger. Source: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Best Practices and Innovations Initiative
With rising food prices threatening to push millions of people into poverty and hunger, and with aid budgets overstretched, identifiying and learning from "what works" in food security and agricultural development has never been more crucial. To that end, in September 2009, InterAction, with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), launched its Best Practices and Innovations (BPI) Initiative. The BPI Initiative is designed to boost the efficiency and impacts of field programs in the rural livelihoods and food security, promote information sharing of effective program approaches, and improve practice standards.
Under this initiative, members of InterAction and IFAD's Agriculture working group submit detailed information on projects that have succeeded in improving food security, reducing poverty, increasing resilience and/or improving productivity.
Through two rounds of the BPI Initiative, eleven projects have been recognized as successful and promising interventions for improving the lives of millions of people suffering from poverty and hunger.
What is a best practice? What is an innovation?
Organizations may submit information on either best practices or innovations. A best practice is an approach or technique that has led to tangible and demonstrable improvements in people's lives in multiple settings, is sustainable, and can be replicated or adapted. An innovation is an approach or technique new to its context or setting that shows the potential to address a serious development challenge and can therefore lead to improvements in people's lives.
How are submissions evaluated?
Submissions are evaluated by an 8-person Selection Committee composed of representatives from InterAction member organizations and non-member experts. The committee evaluates submissions based on evidence documenting five criteria: (1) effectiveness/evidence of success; (2) efficiency/cost-effectiveness; (3) equitable outcomes for women and men; (4) sustainability; and (5) replicability/adaptability.
For more information on the BPI Initiative, contact Danielle Heiberg, dheiberg@interaction.org
Food Security Aid Map highlights Best Practices and Innovations Initiative winning projects: http://foodsecurity.ngoaidmap.
On Twitter: http://twitter.com/
More science needed for tackling disasters
More science needed for tackling disasters, says report
Naomi Antony
29 March 2011 | EN
Slow-onset disasters, such as famine, are regularly missed
Flickr\Oxfam
[LONDON] Science and technology will be essential for anticipating and responding todisasters, according to a review of the humanitarian practices of one of the world's leading national aid agencies, the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
Natural disasters are killing more people each year, with climate-related disasters alone predicted to affect 375 million a year by 2015. Finding new ways of tackling them is essential, according to the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review, launched yesterday (28 March).
"We are … caught in a race between the growing size of the humanitarian challenge and our ability to cope," said Paddy Ashdown, a former British politician and chair of the team that produced the report.
"It is, bluntly, not a race we think we are currently winning. Merely improving on what we have done in the past — enhancing the status quo — will not be sufficient. We must devise new ways of meeting these new, larger challenges."
The report tackles seven areas, including the anticipation of disasters, where science could be put to better use, said Ashdown.
"What is clear is that prediction, although far from perfect, is possible for some high-risk nations. But disaster managers do not make enough use of such science, and scientists do not routinely produce information for this audience."
The report cited the example of the 2010 floods in Pakistan: "The rainfall ... happened a month before the flood water caused its greatest devastation. The effects were predicted, but not acted on."
It added that slow-onset disasters, such as famines, are regularly missed, despite the existence of tools such as the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, supported by the US aid agency USAID. Yet early intervention in such disasters costs a fraction of the bill arising from late intervention.
Elsewhere, there have been "significant advances" in understanding earthquake risk — for example in locating major fault lines and understanding the reasons for damage to buildings. But these anticipatory tools needed to be used more: "Science in this area has ... significantly reduced fatalities and damage in many countries but research and investment is needed elsewhere to promote safe construction".
In another section, the report also highlights the importance of innovation in finding new ways of responding to disasters, saying that many of the most important innovations of the past 30 years — such as using cash instead of goods in relief operations, and community feeding therapy — have arisen as a result of listening to, and being more accountable to, affected communities.
It claimed that there was scope for "transformative" developments in innovation by harnessing Southern capacities for innovation.
Technologies already in use that offer "considerable potential" include the use of mobile phones for cash transfers; the use of satellites in tracking storms and providing imagery for humanitarian operations; and crowd-sourcing as a way of soliciting information from those affected by a disaster.
In addition, emerging technologies that could play an important role arenanotechnology, which could transform medicine, water safety and foodstuffs, within the next five to ten years, and agent-based modelling, which could help understand the spread of epidemics or population movement.
Link to the 'Humanitarian Emergency Response Review'
Naomi Antony
29 March 2011 | EN
Slow-onset disasters, such as famine, are regularly missed
Flickr\Oxfam
[LONDON] Science and technology will be essential for anticipating and responding todisasters, according to a review of the humanitarian practices of one of the world's leading national aid agencies, the UK Department for International Development (DFID).
Natural disasters are killing more people each year, with climate-related disasters alone predicted to affect 375 million a year by 2015. Finding new ways of tackling them is essential, according to the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review, launched yesterday (28 March).
"We are … caught in a race between the growing size of the humanitarian challenge and our ability to cope," said Paddy Ashdown, a former British politician and chair of the team that produced the report.
"It is, bluntly, not a race we think we are currently winning. Merely improving on what we have done in the past — enhancing the status quo — will not be sufficient. We must devise new ways of meeting these new, larger challenges."
The report tackles seven areas, including the anticipation of disasters, where science could be put to better use, said Ashdown.
"What is clear is that prediction, although far from perfect, is possible for some high-risk nations. But disaster managers do not make enough use of such science, and scientists do not routinely produce information for this audience."
The report cited the example of the 2010 floods in Pakistan: "The rainfall ... happened a month before the flood water caused its greatest devastation. The effects were predicted, but not acted on."
It added that slow-onset disasters, such as famines, are regularly missed, despite the existence of tools such as the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, supported by the US aid agency USAID. Yet early intervention in such disasters costs a fraction of the bill arising from late intervention.
Elsewhere, there have been "significant advances" in understanding earthquake risk — for example in locating major fault lines and understanding the reasons for damage to buildings. But these anticipatory tools needed to be used more: "Science in this area has ... significantly reduced fatalities and damage in many countries but research and investment is needed elsewhere to promote safe construction".
In another section, the report also highlights the importance of innovation in finding new ways of responding to disasters, saying that many of the most important innovations of the past 30 years — such as using cash instead of goods in relief operations, and community feeding therapy — have arisen as a result of listening to, and being more accountable to, affected communities.
It claimed that there was scope for "transformative" developments in innovation by harnessing Southern capacities for innovation.
Technologies already in use that offer "considerable potential" include the use of mobile phones for cash transfers; the use of satellites in tracking storms and providing imagery for humanitarian operations; and crowd-sourcing as a way of soliciting information from those affected by a disaster.
In addition, emerging technologies that could play an important role arenanotechnology, which could transform medicine, water safety and foodstuffs, within the next five to ten years, and agent-based modelling, which could help understand the spread of epidemics or population movement.
Link to the 'Humanitarian Emergency Response Review'
The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies
Disaster relief 2.0 report
This report analyzes how the humanitarian community and the emerging volunteer and technical communities worked together in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and recommends ways to improve coordination between these two groups in future emergencies.
Study Commissioned by OCHA, the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Identifies New Opportunities for Collaboration in an Evolving Technology Landscape
DUBAI, U.A.E./WASHINGTON, D.C./NEW YORK (March 28, 2011) —
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation released today at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference a landmark publication examining how technology is reshaping the information landscape in which aid groups respond to sudden onset emergencies. The report, Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, analyzes how the humanitarian community and the emerging volunteer and technical communities worked together in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and recommends ways to improve coordination between them in future emergencies.
“The challenge is to improve coordination between the structured humanitarian system and the relatively loosely organized volunteer and technical communities. This report illustrates a potential way forward,” said Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “Without direct collaboration with humanitarian organisations, volunteer and technical communities run the risk of mapping needs without being able to make sure that these needs can be met,” she stressed.
Written by a team of researchers led by John Crowley at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, the report is based on interviews with more than 40 technology and humanitarian experts, many of whom responded to the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The report identifies best practice and lessons learned from the Haiti operation; makes recommendations to strengthen coordination between the humanitarian and technology communities; and proposes a draft framework for institutionalizing this collaboration.
Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation, welcomed the report, saying: “Humanitarian crises from Libya to Japan remind us that fast and accurate information is imperative in effective emergency response efforts. Today’s increased access to collaborative technologies and networks presents an important innovation milestone and an opportunity to rethink how data about urgent humanitarian needs are gathered, processed and shared. We are pleased to partner with OCHA in making this research available to advance this discussion and decision-making about the future of humanitarian aid.”
# # #
Note to the Editors:
Fact sheets with further information about the report’s findings and recommendations are available at www.unfoundation.org/disaster-report. With this report as a springboard, people from both the humanitarian and volunteer and technical communities will discuss ideas in this report as part of the Disaster Relief 2.0 blog series on the UN Foundation’s blog, UN Dispatch, beginning on March 28. You can follow conversations about the report on Twitter using the hashtag #DisasterTech and on the UN Foundation’s Facebook page. Readers can submit questions to the report’s authors through those channels; a transcript with answers to select questions will be published on UN Dispatch on April 11, 2011.
About the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the arm of the UN Secretariat that is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate for the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions.
About the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) is a university-wide center involving multiple entities within the Harvard community that provide expertise in public health, medicine, social science, management, and other disciplines to promote evidence-based approaches to humanitarian assistance. The mission of the Initiative is to relieve human suffering in war and disaster by advancing the science and practice of humanitarian response worldwide. HHI fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in order to: 1.) improve the effectiveness of humanitarian strategies for relief, protection and prevention; 2.) instill human rights principles and practices in these strategies; and 3.) educate and train the next generation of humanitarian leaders.
About the UN Foundation & Vodafone Foundation Partnership
The Technology Partnership between the United Nations Foundation & Vodafone Foundation is a leading public-private alliance using technology programs to strengthen the UN’s humanitarian efforts worldwide. Created in October 2005 with a £10 million commitment from The Vodafone Foundation matched by £5 million from the UN Foundation, the Partnership has three core areas of focus: (1) to strengthen communications in humanitarian emergencies though capacity building and support for disaster response missions; (2) to support the development of mobile health (mHealth) programs that tackle critical public health challenges and improve public health systems, decision-making and, ultimately, patient outcomes; and (3) to promote research and innovation using technology as a tool for international development. The UN Foundation and The Vodafone Foundation are among the founding partners of the mHealth Alliance. More information about the Technology Partnership can be found at:www.unfoundation.org/vodafone.
About the Authors
John Crowley is the lead author of the Disaster Relief 2.0 report. Crowley is a humanitarian researcher and practitioner who convenes technologists and policymakers from multiple organizations to work on shared problems. He works with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University. During the 2010 Haiti response, he supported a 'synergy operation' at the U.S. Southern Command, linking the command into the work being performed by the volunteer and technical communities, including OpenStreetMap, Ushahidi, Sahana, GeoCommons, Crisis Commons, Synergy Strike Force, and OpenSGI.
Jennifer Chan is a contributing author of the Disaster Relief 2.0 report. Chan is an Associate Faculty member at Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Her current work focuses on program evaluations of open source technology organizations such as Ushahidi, training emerging practitioners in humanitarian technologies and researching on the interface between humanitarian agencies and volunteer technical communities. She is a humanitarian practitioner, researcher and consultant who provides public health technical support to NGOs and UN Agencies. She recently served as deputy of operations for the HHI Love a Child Disaster Recovery Center field hospital in Haiti.
Press Contacts
In Washington, D.C.: Sarah Hiller, shiller@unfoundation.org, (+1) 202-887-9040
In Dubai: Jens Laerke, laerke@un.org, (+20) 19-555-8662
This report analyzes how the humanitarian community and the emerging volunteer and technical communities worked together in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and recommends ways to improve coordination between these two groups in future emergencies.
Study Commissioned by OCHA, the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation Identifies New Opportunities for Collaboration in an Evolving Technology Landscape
DUBAI, U.A.E./WASHINGTON, D.C./NEW YORK (March 28, 2011) —
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation released today at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference a landmark publication examining how technology is reshaping the information landscape in which aid groups respond to sudden onset emergencies. The report, Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies, analyzes how the humanitarian community and the emerging volunteer and technical communities worked together in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and recommends ways to improve coordination between them in future emergencies.
“The challenge is to improve coordination between the structured humanitarian system and the relatively loosely organized volunteer and technical communities. This report illustrates a potential way forward,” said Valerie Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. “Without direct collaboration with humanitarian organisations, volunteer and technical communities run the risk of mapping needs without being able to make sure that these needs can be met,” she stressed.
Written by a team of researchers led by John Crowley at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, the report is based on interviews with more than 40 technology and humanitarian experts, many of whom responded to the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The report identifies best practice and lessons learned from the Haiti operation; makes recommendations to strengthen coordination between the humanitarian and technology communities; and proposes a draft framework for institutionalizing this collaboration.
Kathy Calvin, CEO of the UN Foundation, welcomed the report, saying: “Humanitarian crises from Libya to Japan remind us that fast and accurate information is imperative in effective emergency response efforts. Today’s increased access to collaborative technologies and networks presents an important innovation milestone and an opportunity to rethink how data about urgent humanitarian needs are gathered, processed and shared. We are pleased to partner with OCHA in making this research available to advance this discussion and decision-making about the future of humanitarian aid.”
# # #
Note to the Editors:
Fact sheets with further information about the report’s findings and recommendations are available at www.unfoundation.org/disaster-report. With this report as a springboard, people from both the humanitarian and volunteer and technical communities will discuss ideas in this report as part of the Disaster Relief 2.0 blog series on the UN Foundation’s blog, UN Dispatch, beginning on March 28. You can follow conversations about the report on Twitter using the hashtag #DisasterTech and on the UN Foundation’s Facebook page. Readers can submit questions to the report’s authors through those channels; a transcript with answers to select questions will be published on UN Dispatch on April 11, 2011.
About the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is the arm of the UN Secretariat that is responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate for the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions.
About the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) is a university-wide center involving multiple entities within the Harvard community that provide expertise in public health, medicine, social science, management, and other disciplines to promote evidence-based approaches to humanitarian assistance. The mission of the Initiative is to relieve human suffering in war and disaster by advancing the science and practice of humanitarian response worldwide. HHI fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in order to: 1.) improve the effectiveness of humanitarian strategies for relief, protection and prevention; 2.) instill human rights principles and practices in these strategies; and 3.) educate and train the next generation of humanitarian leaders.
About the UN Foundation & Vodafone Foundation Partnership
The Technology Partnership between the United Nations Foundation & Vodafone Foundation is a leading public-private alliance using technology programs to strengthen the UN’s humanitarian efforts worldwide. Created in October 2005 with a £10 million commitment from The Vodafone Foundation matched by £5 million from the UN Foundation, the Partnership has three core areas of focus: (1) to strengthen communications in humanitarian emergencies though capacity building and support for disaster response missions; (2) to support the development of mobile health (mHealth) programs that tackle critical public health challenges and improve public health systems, decision-making and, ultimately, patient outcomes; and (3) to promote research and innovation using technology as a tool for international development. The UN Foundation and The Vodafone Foundation are among the founding partners of the mHealth Alliance. More information about the Technology Partnership can be found at:www.unfoundation.org/vodafone.
About the Authors
John Crowley is the lead author of the Disaster Relief 2.0 report. Crowley is a humanitarian researcher and practitioner who convenes technologists and policymakers from multiple organizations to work on shared problems. He works with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and the Center for Technology and National Security Policy at the National Defense University. During the 2010 Haiti response, he supported a 'synergy operation' at the U.S. Southern Command, linking the command into the work being performed by the volunteer and technical communities, including OpenStreetMap, Ushahidi, Sahana, GeoCommons, Crisis Commons, Synergy Strike Force, and OpenSGI.
Jennifer Chan is a contributing author of the Disaster Relief 2.0 report. Chan is an Associate Faculty member at Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Her current work focuses on program evaluations of open source technology organizations such as Ushahidi, training emerging practitioners in humanitarian technologies and researching on the interface between humanitarian agencies and volunteer technical communities. She is a humanitarian practitioner, researcher and consultant who provides public health technical support to NGOs and UN Agencies. She recently served as deputy of operations for the HHI Love a Child Disaster Recovery Center field hospital in Haiti.
Press Contacts
In Washington, D.C.: Sarah Hiller, shiller@unfoundation.org, (+1) 202-887-9040
In Dubai: Jens Laerke, laerke@un.org, (+20) 19-555-8662
Provisional Population Totals for Census 2011
Provisional Population Totals for Census 2011
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21617
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21617
Universalization of food security law may take a hit, shows survey
New Delhi: A pilot survey finding that 25-30% of the rural population can be automatically excluded from food security entitlements for below poverty line population might help forge a consensus between the government and the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council.
The “automatic exclusion” criteria, devised on the basis of the N C Saxena report on methodology for a BPL census, is more liberal than the “bare bones” approach adopted by the government in the past. It does not rely merely on calorific intake but adds social indicators to judge poverty.
A pilot project for the upcoming BPL survey shows that even after some correction, based on given parameters, the exclusion would be around 20-25% — the percentage of population that is doing well enough not to require targeted assistance envisaged under the National Food Security Act. This might rule out universalisation of the food security law.
Official sources said the finding will help streamline diverging approaches but the government will still strive for as large a coverage as possible. There is an acknowledgement among government planners that BPL enumeration has been restrictive and even though percentages are contested, the absolute number of poor would grow in terms of India’s population.
The NAC, however, is at odds with the rural development ministry for turning down some criteria for automatic inclusions in the BPL category. The Tendulkar panel estimates are being taken as a point of reference for the coverage area of the food law and a formula is being worked on to reconcile poverty cut-offs as given by him. The two options for food law are —Tendulkar or Tendulkar-plus with differentiated entitlements.
While the Saxena committee was to comment on census methodology, it also offered the view that 50% of India’s population was below poverty line. The government’s statistics (2004) peg this 27% and the Suresh Tendulkar committee puts it at 37%. The NAC favours a 90% rural coverage and a 50% urban coverage but the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council proposes 46% rural and 28% urban beneficiaries.
The seeming deadlock could be eased by the pilot BPL survey and nudge NAC and the government towards a percentage of coverage that is acceptable to both. The government’s concern has been that its procurement, storing and payout commitments should not be strained by the legal entitlements under the food security law. The NAC, on its part, does not want the poor to be disadvantaged in any manner and seeks automatic cover for certain categories like single woman-headed families in rural areas.
Survey shows 25-30% of rural population could be excluded
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21618
The “automatic exclusion” criteria, devised on the basis of the N C Saxena report on methodology for a BPL census, is more liberal than the “bare bones” approach adopted by the government in the past. It does not rely merely on calorific intake but adds social indicators to judge poverty.
A pilot project for the upcoming BPL survey shows that even after some correction, based on given parameters, the exclusion would be around 20-25% — the percentage of population that is doing well enough not to require targeted assistance envisaged under the National Food Security Act. This might rule out universalisation of the food security law.
Official sources said the finding will help streamline diverging approaches but the government will still strive for as large a coverage as possible. There is an acknowledgement among government planners that BPL enumeration has been restrictive and even though percentages are contested, the absolute number of poor would grow in terms of India’s population.
The NAC, however, is at odds with the rural development ministry for turning down some criteria for automatic inclusions in the BPL category. The Tendulkar panel estimates are being taken as a point of reference for the coverage area of the food law and a formula is being worked on to reconcile poverty cut-offs as given by him. The two options for food law are —Tendulkar or Tendulkar-plus with differentiated entitlements.
While the Saxena committee was to comment on census methodology, it also offered the view that 50% of India’s population was below poverty line. The government’s statistics (2004) peg this 27% and the Suresh Tendulkar committee puts it at 37%. The NAC favours a 90% rural coverage and a 50% urban coverage but the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council proposes 46% rural and 28% urban beneficiaries.
The seeming deadlock could be eased by the pilot BPL survey and nudge NAC and the government towards a percentage of coverage that is acceptable to both. The government’s concern has been that its procurement, storing and payout commitments should not be strained by the legal entitlements under the food security law. The NAC, on its part, does not want the poor to be disadvantaged in any manner and seeks automatic cover for certain categories like single woman-headed families in rural areas.
Survey shows 25-30% of rural population could be excluded
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21618
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Asia 'needs to learn' lessons of disasters'
Asia 'needs to learn' lessons of disasters' - ADPC director
Date:25 Mar 2011
Source(s):Bangkok Post; Post Publishing Public Company Limited, the
"The death toll of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan is high despite the country being well prepared for natural disasters. This means we have to learn more about disaster preparedness if we want the Asia-Pacific region to be a safer place," Bhichit Rattakul, executive director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) told a seminar on disaster risk reduction on Wednesday.
"We still have limited resources, especially the knowledge and expertise to systematically and effectively handle large-scale disasters. It is important that effective disaster risk reduction practices be in tune with the fostering of a disaster safety culture in every part of society," Mr Abhisit said.
View full story [ext. link]
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21605
Date:25 Mar 2011
Source(s):Bangkok Post; Post Publishing Public Company Limited, the
"The death toll of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan is high despite the country being well prepared for natural disasters. This means we have to learn more about disaster preparedness if we want the Asia-Pacific region to be a safer place," Bhichit Rattakul, executive director of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) told a seminar on disaster risk reduction on Wednesday.
"We still have limited resources, especially the knowledge and expertise to systematically and effectively handle large-scale disasters. It is important that effective disaster risk reduction practices be in tune with the fostering of a disaster safety culture in every part of society," Mr Abhisit said.
View full story [ext. link]
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21605
Orissa: Project Launch Workshop on Climate Change Adaptation
Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Bhubaneswar: Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect, Climate Change, the single biggest threat to humanity..!
Climate change is now widely recognized as the major environmental problem facing the globe. The overwhelming majority of scientists agree that our globe is undergoing through a major climatic change. It is obvious from satellite images and research studies that the ice caps are melting faster, our sea levels are rising, and weather patterns are changing. We are experiencing more water shortages and we will see hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones increasing in ferocity and frequency. The deserts will expand and the world will ultimately have difficulty growing enough food.
Global warming and climate change could affect India’s economic growth unless a range of steps are taken to address the effects of increased surface temperature and its effect on monsoon pattern and river flows. There is a wealth of evidence quantifying the economic costs of climate change in India. Experts have estimated that climate change will induce erratic rainfall and accompanied by more regional variations in temperature and rainfall. This is likely to affect agriculture and, therefore, GDP growth.
Climate change has many implications for the sate of Odisha. For instance, over a decade, Odisha has been teetering from one extreme weather condition to another: from heatwave to cyclone, from drought to flood. The state has been declared disaster-affected for 95 years out of the last 105 years: floods have occurred for 50 years, droughts for 32, and cyclones have struck the state for 11 years. Since 1965, these calamities have not only become more frequent, they are striking areas that have never experienced such conditions before. For instance, a heatwave in 1998 killed around 2,200 people -- most of the casualties were from coastal Odisha, a region known for its moderate climate. Since 1998, almost 3,000 people have died due to heatstroke.
The 1999 super cyclone affected places like Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh, which were never traditionally cyclone-prone. While the 2001 drought parched fields in coastal districts, the unprecedented floods of 2001 submerged 25 of the state’s 30 districts. Many of these areas had never witnessed floods before. Orissa has experienced around 952 small and big cyclones and 451 tornadoes between 1891 and 1970. From 1901 to 1981 there were 380 cyclones, of which 272 resulted from depressions in the Bay of Bengal. Twenty-nine of these cyclones were devastating.
As this is a crisis of global proportion, Concern World Wide in collaboration with Regional Centre for Development Cooperation (RCDC), a non profit organization based in Odisha and partners of Bangladesh is planning to implement a multinational project with an aim to contribute towards poverty alleviation amongst poor communities in coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal, through reducing their risk to the impact of hazards and climate change. This multi national project will be implemented in eight gram panchayats of two districts, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur of Odisha, India and four districts, Khulna, Satkira, Borguna and Potuakhali of Bangladesh. The project in Odisha will cover 84 villages across 8 Panchayats and target 54,148 beneficiaries directly (27,581 men and 26,567 women) and 589,602 beneficiaries indirectly (296,224 men and 293,378 women).
The objective of this project is to build resilience of coastal communities along the Bay of Bengal by increasing their ability, along with that of authorities and organisations, to prepare for and adapt to the impact of hazards and climate change. It was presumed that poor coastal communities in particular are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Hence it is required for them along with the local government functionaries and civil society organisations who are actively involved in the development, planning and implementation of disaster risk reduction activities should enhance their knowledge and understanding about the vagaries and impacts of climate change. This could in turn not only help the local communities to take effective adaptation measures but also contribute to the development of effective policies and programme which could reduce the risk of economic, property and loss of life during the times of unpredicted disasters triggered by climate change.
Concern in collaboration with RCDC officially launched the programme on 25th March 2011 at Hotel New Marrion. Dipankar Datta, Country Director Concern Worlwide, India gave the welcome address and briefed the objective of the event.
This project inauguration was attended by dignitaries of government departments, academic institutions, local community representatives and civil society organizations. Sri. Aurobindo Behara (Principal Secretary Forests and Environment), Sri. Ambika Nanda (UNDP), Sri. Nikunja Sundar Ray (OSDMA), Prof. Gopal Krishna Panda (Head, Dept of Geography, UU), the meeting ended with the vote of thanks by Sri Kailash Chandra Dash, Executive Director, RCDC.
Climate change is now widely recognized as the major environmental problem facing the globe. The overwhelming majority of scientists agree that our globe is undergoing through a major climatic change. It is obvious from satellite images and research studies that the ice caps are melting faster, our sea levels are rising, and weather patterns are changing. We are experiencing more water shortages and we will see hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones increasing in ferocity and frequency. The deserts will expand and the world will ultimately have difficulty growing enough food.
Global warming and climate change could affect India’s economic growth unless a range of steps are taken to address the effects of increased surface temperature and its effect on monsoon pattern and river flows. There is a wealth of evidence quantifying the economic costs of climate change in India. Experts have estimated that climate change will induce erratic rainfall and accompanied by more regional variations in temperature and rainfall. This is likely to affect agriculture and, therefore, GDP growth.
Climate change has many implications for the sate of Odisha. For instance, over a decade, Odisha has been teetering from one extreme weather condition to another: from heatwave to cyclone, from drought to flood. The state has been declared disaster-affected for 95 years out of the last 105 years: floods have occurred for 50 years, droughts for 32, and cyclones have struck the state for 11 years. Since 1965, these calamities have not only become more frequent, they are striking areas that have never experienced such conditions before. For instance, a heatwave in 1998 killed around 2,200 people -- most of the casualties were from coastal Odisha, a region known for its moderate climate. Since 1998, almost 3,000 people have died due to heatstroke.
The 1999 super cyclone affected places like Bhubaneswar and Nayagarh, which were never traditionally cyclone-prone. While the 2001 drought parched fields in coastal districts, the unprecedented floods of 2001 submerged 25 of the state’s 30 districts. Many of these areas had never witnessed floods before. Orissa has experienced around 952 small and big cyclones and 451 tornadoes between 1891 and 1970. From 1901 to 1981 there were 380 cyclones, of which 272 resulted from depressions in the Bay of Bengal. Twenty-nine of these cyclones were devastating.
As this is a crisis of global proportion, Concern World Wide in collaboration with Regional Centre for Development Cooperation (RCDC), a non profit organization based in Odisha and partners of Bangladesh is planning to implement a multinational project with an aim to contribute towards poverty alleviation amongst poor communities in coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal, through reducing their risk to the impact of hazards and climate change. This multi national project will be implemented in eight gram panchayats of two districts, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur of Odisha, India and four districts, Khulna, Satkira, Borguna and Potuakhali of Bangladesh. The project in Odisha will cover 84 villages across 8 Panchayats and target 54,148 beneficiaries directly (27,581 men and 26,567 women) and 589,602 beneficiaries indirectly (296,224 men and 293,378 women).
The objective of this project is to build resilience of coastal communities along the Bay of Bengal by increasing their ability, along with that of authorities and organisations, to prepare for and adapt to the impact of hazards and climate change. It was presumed that poor coastal communities in particular are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Hence it is required for them along with the local government functionaries and civil society organisations who are actively involved in the development, planning and implementation of disaster risk reduction activities should enhance their knowledge and understanding about the vagaries and impacts of climate change. This could in turn not only help the local communities to take effective adaptation measures but also contribute to the development of effective policies and programme which could reduce the risk of economic, property and loss of life during the times of unpredicted disasters triggered by climate change.
Concern in collaboration with RCDC officially launched the programme on 25th March 2011 at Hotel New Marrion. Dipankar Datta, Country Director Concern Worlwide, India gave the welcome address and briefed the objective of the event.
This project inauguration was attended by dignitaries of government departments, academic institutions, local community representatives and civil society organizations. Sri. Aurobindo Behara (Principal Secretary Forests and Environment), Sri. Ambika Nanda (UNDP), Sri. Nikunja Sundar Ray (OSDMA), Prof. Gopal Krishna Panda (Head, Dept of Geography, UU), the meeting ended with the vote of thanks by Sri Kailash Chandra Dash, Executive Director, RCDC.
Indian relief team begins work in Japan
An Indian relief and rehabilitation team, consisting of 46 specialists from the National Disaster Management Authority, on Monday reached Rifu-cho in Japan's quake-and-tsunami-hit Miyagi prefecture on a 10-day aid mission in one of the worst-affected areas.
The mission's mandate, as agreed to by the two countries, covers the clearance of debris, repairs, emergency medical assistance and the distribution of relief goods.
Ambassador Alok Prasad said the team's mandate was determined entirely “according to the priority indicated by the Government of Japan”.
India had already delivered 25,000 blankets and 10,000 bottles of drinking water. High-energy biscuits would now be distributed to children during the disaster managers' 10-day stay north of Sendai as a fully self-contained team that would not draw upon local resources for its upkeep .
On whether India would extend help in managing radiation risks, Mr. Prasad pointed out that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already conveyed India's readiness to help in whatever manner Japan wanted.
On the escalating radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said in Tokyo on Monday measures were needed now to “prevent the leaking” of the “high levels of radioactive materials … into underground and the sea”.
On Monday, parts of Japan, especially the Miyagi prefecture, were rattled by an offshore earthquake of 6.5-magnitude on the Richter Scale. The authorities described it as the latest in a series of over 60 aftershocks of similar intensity since March 11. The quake caused a mild tsunami .
Keywords: Japan quake, disaster relief, India Japan ties
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21603
The mission's mandate, as agreed to by the two countries, covers the clearance of debris, repairs, emergency medical assistance and the distribution of relief goods.
Ambassador Alok Prasad said the team's mandate was determined entirely “according to the priority indicated by the Government of Japan”.
India had already delivered 25,000 blankets and 10,000 bottles of drinking water. High-energy biscuits would now be distributed to children during the disaster managers' 10-day stay north of Sendai as a fully self-contained team that would not draw upon local resources for its upkeep .
On whether India would extend help in managing radiation risks, Mr. Prasad pointed out that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already conveyed India's readiness to help in whatever manner Japan wanted.
On the escalating radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said in Tokyo on Monday measures were needed now to “prevent the leaking” of the “high levels of radioactive materials … into underground and the sea”.
On Monday, parts of Japan, especially the Miyagi prefecture, were rattled by an offshore earthquake of 6.5-magnitude on the Richter Scale. The authorities described it as the latest in a series of over 60 aftershocks of similar intensity since March 11. The quake caused a mild tsunami .
Keywords: Japan quake, disaster relief, India Japan ties
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21603
Monday, March 28, 2011
What are restrictions on Japanese food imports?
Photo: AP
Imported seafood from Japan is screened for radiation by a chef at a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong to make sure the food is safe to eat, March 22, 2011
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The number of governments that have banned Japanese food imports due to fears of radiation contamination is growing. On Friday, China joined Singapore and the U.S. in halting some imported foods from radiation-affected areas of Japan. Other governments are expected to take similar precautionary measures as Japan struggles to contain the damage from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The situation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant remains precarious after several workers there suffered radiation burns while attempting to cool one of the damaged reactors.
Although the extent of contamination remains unclear, the damage to farms and livelihoods is spreading. At one of Japan's busiest fish markets, Yasumichi Tanaka said the daily catch is dwindling. "Fish supplies from the radiation contaminated regions have been totally halted."
Produce markets also have taken a hit. Retailers say some customers are avoiding all vegetables, not just those likely to be contaminated.
International orders have suffered, as well.
On Friday, China joined the growing list of countries that have halted food imports from affected regions. State TV reported the banned items included milk products, fruit, vegetables and seafood.
In Singapore, where some Japanese foods already are banned, restaurant manager Connie Hon said her customers are worried. "Consumer confidence is yes, somewhat shaken, I would say, amongst some of the Singapore populace, but that can't be helped, I think."
And at another popular restaurant, manager Nakakita Yoshihiko said the menu has changed. "First of all, they want to know the food comes from where and is it safe or not? These are two major questions and it's very easy to answer. It does not come from Fukushima, and Singapore is able to check all the items to make sure the food is safe."
Canada, Australia and Russia have adopted similar bans on Japanese foods. Health and security researcher Bill Durodie said more countries are likely to follow. "The reality is the United States made the decision a few days ago and it's almost inevitable that once a country that size has decided to act in that way, others will follow suit."
But an expert on the politics of energy said the danger of radiation-contaminated foods is greatly exaggerated. Charles Ebinger at the Brookings Institution told VOA that an average adult would have to drink a quart of contaminated milk each day for one year to receive the same radiation as one CAT scan.
Ebinger said the one certainty is the economic damage to Japan's northeast. "That particular part of Japan is deeply dependent on agriculture and fish, so I think inside the Japanese economy, we'll see pockets of areas that have been exposed to contamination, see their economy hurt very much."
Many European countries have yet to announce bans on Japanese food imports. Germany and France have started screening food samples. They say there will be no restrictions on Japanese food imports, however, until the test results are back.
Imported seafood from Japan is screened for radiation by a chef at a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong to make sure the food is safe to eat, March 22, 2011
Share This
Yahoo! Buzz
Related Articles
Republicans Criticize Health Care Law on 1-Year Anniversary
High Radiation Levels Continue to Hamper Work at Crippled Japanese Nuclear Plant
Earlier US Nuclear Accident Provides Lessons for Japan Disaster
Turkey Presses Ahead With Nuclear Power Plant Plans
EU Leaders Seal Crisis Plan for Portugal, Call for Worldwide Nuclear Plant Tests
Japan's PM Pessimistic About Crippled Nuclear Complex
Japan Tsunami Damage Cost Could Top $300 Billion
The number of governments that have banned Japanese food imports due to fears of radiation contamination is growing. On Friday, China joined Singapore and the U.S. in halting some imported foods from radiation-affected areas of Japan. Other governments are expected to take similar precautionary measures as Japan struggles to contain the damage from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The situation at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant remains precarious after several workers there suffered radiation burns while attempting to cool one of the damaged reactors.
Although the extent of contamination remains unclear, the damage to farms and livelihoods is spreading. At one of Japan's busiest fish markets, Yasumichi Tanaka said the daily catch is dwindling. "Fish supplies from the radiation contaminated regions have been totally halted."
Produce markets also have taken a hit. Retailers say some customers are avoiding all vegetables, not just those likely to be contaminated.
International orders have suffered, as well.
On Friday, China joined the growing list of countries that have halted food imports from affected regions. State TV reported the banned items included milk products, fruit, vegetables and seafood.
In Singapore, where some Japanese foods already are banned, restaurant manager Connie Hon said her customers are worried. "Consumer confidence is yes, somewhat shaken, I would say, amongst some of the Singapore populace, but that can't be helped, I think."
And at another popular restaurant, manager Nakakita Yoshihiko said the menu has changed. "First of all, they want to know the food comes from where and is it safe or not? These are two major questions and it's very easy to answer. It does not come from Fukushima, and Singapore is able to check all the items to make sure the food is safe."
Canada, Australia and Russia have adopted similar bans on Japanese foods. Health and security researcher Bill Durodie said more countries are likely to follow. "The reality is the United States made the decision a few days ago and it's almost inevitable that once a country that size has decided to act in that way, others will follow suit."
But an expert on the politics of energy said the danger of radiation-contaminated foods is greatly exaggerated. Charles Ebinger at the Brookings Institution told VOA that an average adult would have to drink a quart of contaminated milk each day for one year to receive the same radiation as one CAT scan.
Ebinger said the one certainty is the economic damage to Japan's northeast. "That particular part of Japan is deeply dependent on agriculture and fish, so I think inside the Japanese economy, we'll see pockets of areas that have been exposed to contamination, see their economy hurt very much."
Many European countries have yet to announce bans on Japanese food imports. Germany and France have started screening food samples. They say there will be no restrictions on Japanese food imports, however, until the test results are back.
India Disaster Statistics by Disaster Type 1900-2011
Total Affected in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
710000
710000
Drought
1061841000
1061841000
Earthquake (seismic activity)
27919695
27919695
Epidemic
421473
421473
Extreme temperature
250
250
Flood
799177220
799177220
Industrial Accident
534455
534455
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
3839116
3839116
Miscellaneous accident
220910
220910
Storm
93294512
93294512
Transport Accident
10292
10292
Wildfire
0
0
Total
1987968923
1987968923
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Deaths in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
You have choosen to see the Total number of Deaths by Country and by Disaster Type in the selected dataset.
If there is no data for one variable of the set, it is not displayed.
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
4250320
4250320
Earthquake (seismic activity)
78094
78094
Epidemic
4543874
4543874
Extreme temperature
13801
13801
Flood
60286
60286
Industrial Accident
6269
6269
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
45
45
Mass movement wet
4762
4762
Miscellaneous accident
6202
6202
Storm
164179
164179
Transport Accident
18898
18898
Wildfire
6
6
Total
9146736
9146736
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Damage from Disasters in US$(,000) in India
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
2441122
2441122
Earthquake (seismic activity)
5102700
5102700
Epidemic
0
0
Extreme temperature
544000
544000
Flood
34145188
34145188
Industrial Accident
698900
698900
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
54500
54500
Miscellaneous accident
10000
10000
Storm
11051900
11051900
Transport Accident
36000
36000
Wildfire
2000
2000
Total
54086310
54086310
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Affected in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
710000
710000
Drought
1061841000
1061841000
Earthquake (seismic activity)
25613899
25613899
Epidemic
421473
421473
Extreme temperature
0
0
Flood
783086426
783086426
Industrial Accident
430553
430553
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
222300
222300
Miscellaneous accident
202000
202000
Storm
83532340
83532340
Transport Accident
347
347
Wildfire
0
0
Total
1956060338
1956060338
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Homeless in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
0
0
Earthquake (seismic activity)
2085700
2085700
Epidemic
0
0
Extreme temperature
0
0
Flood
16089000
16089000
Industrial Accident
0
0
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
3616285
3616285
Miscellaneous accident
12250
12250
Storm
9744745
9744745
Transport Accident
0
0
Wildfire
0
0
Total
31547980
31547980
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Injured in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
0
0
Earthquake (seismic activity)
220096
220096
Epidemic
0
0
Extreme temperature
250
250
Flood
1794
1794
Industrial Accident
103902
103902
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
531
531
Miscellaneous accident
6660
6660
Storm
17427
17427
Transport Accident
9945
9945
Wildfire
0
0
Total
360605
360605
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Source:http://emdat.be/
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
710000
710000
Drought
1061841000
1061841000
Earthquake (seismic activity)
27919695
27919695
Epidemic
421473
421473
Extreme temperature
250
250
Flood
799177220
799177220
Industrial Accident
534455
534455
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
3839116
3839116
Miscellaneous accident
220910
220910
Storm
93294512
93294512
Transport Accident
10292
10292
Wildfire
0
0
Total
1987968923
1987968923
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Deaths in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
You have choosen to see the Total number of Deaths by Country and by Disaster Type in the selected dataset.
If there is no data for one variable of the set, it is not displayed.
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
4250320
4250320
Earthquake (seismic activity)
78094
78094
Epidemic
4543874
4543874
Extreme temperature
13801
13801
Flood
60286
60286
Industrial Accident
6269
6269
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
45
45
Mass movement wet
4762
4762
Miscellaneous accident
6202
6202
Storm
164179
164179
Transport Accident
18898
18898
Wildfire
6
6
Total
9146736
9146736
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Damage from Disasters in US$(,000) in India
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
2441122
2441122
Earthquake (seismic activity)
5102700
5102700
Epidemic
0
0
Extreme temperature
544000
544000
Flood
34145188
34145188
Industrial Accident
698900
698900
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
54500
54500
Miscellaneous accident
10000
10000
Storm
11051900
11051900
Transport Accident
36000
36000
Wildfire
2000
2000
Total
54086310
54086310
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Affected in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
710000
710000
Drought
1061841000
1061841000
Earthquake (seismic activity)
25613899
25613899
Epidemic
421473
421473
Extreme temperature
0
0
Flood
783086426
783086426
Industrial Accident
430553
430553
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
222300
222300
Miscellaneous accident
202000
202000
Storm
83532340
83532340
Transport Accident
347
347
Wildfire
0
0
Total
1956060338
1956060338
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Homeless in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011;
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
0
0
Earthquake (seismic activity)
2085700
2085700
Epidemic
0
0
Extreme temperature
0
0
Flood
16089000
16089000
Industrial Accident
0
0
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
3616285
3616285
Miscellaneous accident
12250
12250
Storm
9744745
9744745
Transport Accident
0
0
Wildfire
0
0
Total
31547980
31547980
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Injured in India and by Disaster Type
Country(ies):
India;
Year(s):
1900 - 2011
Disaster(s):
Complex Disasters; Drought; Earthquake (seismic activity); Epidemic; Extreme temperature; Flood; Industrial Accident; Insect infestation; Mass movement dry; Mass movement wet; Miscellaneous accident; Storm; Transport Accident; Volcano; Wildfire;
India
Total
Complex Disasters
0
0
Drought
0
0
Earthquake (seismic activity)
220096
220096
Epidemic
0
0
Extreme temperature
250
250
Flood
1794
1794
Industrial Accident
103902
103902
Insect infestation
0
0
Mass movement dry
0
0
Mass movement wet
531
531
Miscellaneous accident
6660
6660
Storm
17427
17427
Transport Accident
9945
9945
Wildfire
0
0
Total
360605
360605
Table Created on: Mar-26-2011. Data version: v12.07
Droughts can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Complex Disaters can be multi year. Only the global figure for each country is taken in account
Source:http://emdat.be/
Friday, March 25, 2011
Buffett focuses on business, sees interest in giving
Buffett focuses on business, sees interest in giving
Legendary investor Warren Buffett, accompanied by Bill and Melinda Gates and Wipro chairman Azim Premji, today met a group of Indian entrepreneurs to share their views on philanthropy.
“There was a lot of enthusiasm among people we met today about giving in the best possible way,” Buffet said at a news conference after the meeting. He added, however, that it remained to be seen how the enthusiasm translates into action.
Organisers of the event said “some 70” Indian entrepreneurs attended, but declined to divulge names of invitees. Gates said the meeting was not linked to The Giving Pledge — the campaign he launched with Buffett last year to encourage America’s richest people to give away most of their money to social causes — and was not intended to get Indian entrepreneurs to make any public pledge about philanthropy. Buffett has focused mostly on his businesses on the trip, which has come within days of the launch of his company Berkshire Hathaway’s first Indian venture. On March 2, Berkshire Hathaway announced it was entering the non-life insurance sector as a corporate agent of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.
Buffett is meeting J Harinarayan, chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority on March 25, reportedly to impress upon the regulator that lifting the 26 per cent FDI cap will be in the interest of the sector. The same day, he is scheduled to meet customers who have bought a Bajaj Allianz motor policy using the Berkshire platform. “Given Buffett’s stature, getting him to meet the customers directly is a marvelous promotional exercise for Berkshire,” said a senior executive at a leading advertising agency.
Legendary investor Warren Buffett, accompanied by Bill and Melinda Gates and Wipro chairman Azim Premji, today met a group of Indian entrepreneurs to share their views on philanthropy.
“There was a lot of enthusiasm among people we met today about giving in the best possible way,” Buffet said at a news conference after the meeting. He added, however, that it remained to be seen how the enthusiasm translates into action.
Organisers of the event said “some 70” Indian entrepreneurs attended, but declined to divulge names of invitees. Gates said the meeting was not linked to The Giving Pledge — the campaign he launched with Buffett last year to encourage America’s richest people to give away most of their money to social causes — and was not intended to get Indian entrepreneurs to make any public pledge about philanthropy. Buffett has focused mostly on his businesses on the trip, which has come within days of the launch of his company Berkshire Hathaway’s first Indian venture. On March 2, Berkshire Hathaway announced it was entering the non-life insurance sector as a corporate agent of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.
Buffett is meeting J Harinarayan, chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority on March 25, reportedly to impress upon the regulator that lifting the 26 per cent FDI cap will be in the interest of the sector. The same day, he is scheduled to meet customers who have bought a Bajaj Allianz motor policy using the Berkshire platform. “Given Buffett’s stature, getting him to meet the customers directly is a marvelous promotional exercise for Berkshire,” said a senior executive at a leading advertising agency.
War against TB in Rajasthan soon: Minister
JAIPUR: A host of programme, including a two-wheeler rally, were organised across the state for awareness on World Tuberculosis Day on Thursday.
State TB disease officer K N Gupta said various programme were organised during the day to create awareness about the disease.
He said the disease is completely curable provided the affected people take regular medicine. Since the treatment takes a long duration, patients sometimes leave treatment mid way resulting in development of a drug-resistant form of the disease.
In the state level function held here, medical and health minister A A Khan flagged off a two-wheeler rally in the morning to create awareness about the disease and its treatment.
Speaking at the function, he said the government is providing free treatment to TB patients under the Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course and asked people to take the benefits and help in the eradication of the disease.
At another public function organsied at Idgah ground at the Delhi Bypass Road, minister of state for health Rajkumar Sharma announced that his ministry would chalk out a programme called TB ke virudh yudh' (war against TB) in the state soon.
He called for public co-operation in eradicating the disease which continues to be a major health problem.
Sharma said there is no need for fear or concealing the disease as effective treatment is now available.
The minister also highlighted that the government is providing Rs 1.5 lakh worth of medicines every day for TB patients.
Principal secretary health B N Sharma said Rajasthan comes first in the country in the disease identification survey and treatment of TB patients.
World Tuberculosis Day is observed across the globe to raise awareness about the epidemic of TB and efforts to eliminate the disease.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one-third of the world's population is currently infected with TB and it causes the death of about 1.6 million people each year, mostly in the developing countries.
The Stop TB Partnership, a network of organisations and countries fighting TB, organises the day to highlight the scope of the disease and how to prevent and cure it.
The annual event on March 24 marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch, the German doctor, discovered the cause of tuberculosis as the TB bacillus. This was the first step towards diagnosing and curing TB.
WHO is working to cut TB prevalence rates and deaths by half by 2015.
Though the cause for TB was detected about 129 years back, the disease continues to be a major health problem. The main impediment in controlling the disease is the long duration of the treatment. In the last 50 to 60 years, no major break through could be made in the treatment of the disease.
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21587
State TB disease officer K N Gupta said various programme were organised during the day to create awareness about the disease.
He said the disease is completely curable provided the affected people take regular medicine. Since the treatment takes a long duration, patients sometimes leave treatment mid way resulting in development of a drug-resistant form of the disease.
In the state level function held here, medical and health minister A A Khan flagged off a two-wheeler rally in the morning to create awareness about the disease and its treatment.
Speaking at the function, he said the government is providing free treatment to TB patients under the Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course and asked people to take the benefits and help in the eradication of the disease.
At another public function organsied at Idgah ground at the Delhi Bypass Road, minister of state for health Rajkumar Sharma announced that his ministry would chalk out a programme called TB ke virudh yudh' (war against TB) in the state soon.
He called for public co-operation in eradicating the disease which continues to be a major health problem.
Sharma said there is no need for fear or concealing the disease as effective treatment is now available.
The minister also highlighted that the government is providing Rs 1.5 lakh worth of medicines every day for TB patients.
Principal secretary health B N Sharma said Rajasthan comes first in the country in the disease identification survey and treatment of TB patients.
World Tuberculosis Day is observed across the globe to raise awareness about the epidemic of TB and efforts to eliminate the disease.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one-third of the world's population is currently infected with TB and it causes the death of about 1.6 million people each year, mostly in the developing countries.
The Stop TB Partnership, a network of organisations and countries fighting TB, organises the day to highlight the scope of the disease and how to prevent and cure it.
The annual event on March 24 marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch, the German doctor, discovered the cause of tuberculosis as the TB bacillus. This was the first step towards diagnosing and curing TB.
WHO is working to cut TB prevalence rates and deaths by half by 2015.
Though the cause for TB was detected about 129 years back, the disease continues to be a major health problem. The main impediment in controlling the disease is the long duration of the treatment. In the last 50 to 60 years, no major break through could be made in the treatment of the disease.
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21587
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Nuclear disaster poses greatest threat to young
Nuclear disaster poses greatest threat to young
ADVERTISEMENT
Special To The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 24, 2011
Our sympathies and prayers go out to the Japanese people. The horrific events unfolding over the last couple of weeks must be a wake-up call to the nuclear vulnerabilities in this country and the world that a rare but predictable natural disaster in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant has the potential to change life as we know it.
A complete meltdown of such a plant has the destructive energy of 1,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. There is no such thing as a "safe level" of radiation exposure, whether from a nuclear power plant accident or an act of terrorism.
While we are all at risk from a release of ionizing radiation, children are at the greatest risk for serious health effects from exposure. Studies have confirmed the disproportionate health consequences following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear testing on Bikini Island and the meltdown at Chernobyl.
Children have a greater body surface-area-to-weight ratio than adults, and skin that is softer and more permeable, making kids more vulnerable to both thermal and radiation burns. A child's eyes are more sensitive to radiation damage, leading to possible blindness.
Radiation causes damage to chromosomes that may lead to changes in future generations. Children have a higher breathing rate than adults, and they are positioned lower to the ground, both making them more likely to inhale radioactive particles.
Exposure to radiation during pregnancy is known to cause severe disabilities in infants. Radioactive iodine is transmitted to human breast milk, contaminating this valuable source of nutrition to infants.
Cow milk, a staple in the diet of most children, can be quickly contaminated as radioactive material settles onto grazing areas.
Moreover, the effects of radiation exposure can occur anywhere from months to years after initial exposure. Among long-term injuries to children, cancer potential is most important. History has shown an increase in childhood leukemia after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and thyroid cancers in children after Chernobyl.
Dependent children involved in a radiation-related incident will be particularly vulnerable to psychological trauma, especially if compounded, like in Japan, by the unimaginable devastation from an earthquake and tsunami, with possible loss of the child's mother and/or father, home and all things familiar and safe.
From Japan, we can learn about human fragility, resilience and cooperation. We also must study how to fully prepare an emergency response to catastrophic nuclear exposure.
As pediatricians who care about the health of children and their families, we cannot overstate the importance of coordinated local and state planning for a nuclear disaster.
Schools, homes, day care centers and businesses in close proximity to any of the 104 nuclear power plants throughout the United States must acquire preparedness skills, be able to rapidly disburse potassium iodide, evacuate and shelter large populations, and offer age-appropriate medical and mental-health providers to advise and care for the unique physical, mental and developmental impact on infants and children.
To safeguard the future, we must make the protection of pregnant women, infants and children a priority during nuclear disasters.
But ultimately, to truly protect our future we must focus our efforts on improving energy conservation and efficiency while expanding the use of safe, clean renewable forms of energy to build a new energy future for the nation and world.
This column was written by Physicians for Social Responsibility Tampa Bay: Lynn Ringenberg, M.D., president; Donald L. Mellman, MD, MPH, vice-president; Peter A. Gorski, M.D., M.P.A.; Lorinda Price, M.D., MPH; and Bruce Schnapf, D.O.
http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21583
ADVERTISEMENT
Special To The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 24, 2011
Our sympathies and prayers go out to the Japanese people. The horrific events unfolding over the last couple of weeks must be a wake-up call to the nuclear vulnerabilities in this country and the world that a rare but predictable natural disaster in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant has the potential to change life as we know it.
A complete meltdown of such a plant has the destructive energy of 1,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. There is no such thing as a "safe level" of radiation exposure, whether from a nuclear power plant accident or an act of terrorism.
While we are all at risk from a release of ionizing radiation, children are at the greatest risk for serious health effects from exposure. Studies have confirmed the disproportionate health consequences following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear testing on Bikini Island and the meltdown at Chernobyl.
Children have a greater body surface-area-to-weight ratio than adults, and skin that is softer and more permeable, making kids more vulnerable to both thermal and radiation burns. A child's eyes are more sensitive to radiation damage, leading to possible blindness.
Radiation causes damage to chromosomes that may lead to changes in future generations. Children have a higher breathing rate than adults, and they are positioned lower to the ground, both making them more likely to inhale radioactive particles.
Exposure to radiation during pregnancy is known to cause severe disabilities in infants. Radioactive iodine is transmitted to human breast milk, contaminating this valuable source of nutrition to infants.
Cow milk, a staple in the diet of most children, can be quickly contaminated as radioactive material settles onto grazing areas.
Moreover, the effects of radiation exposure can occur anywhere from months to years after initial exposure. Among long-term injuries to children, cancer potential is most important. History has shown an increase in childhood leukemia after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and thyroid cancers in children after Chernobyl.
Dependent children involved in a radiation-related incident will be particularly vulnerable to psychological trauma, especially if compounded, like in Japan, by the unimaginable devastation from an earthquake and tsunami, with possible loss of the child's mother and/or father, home and all things familiar and safe.
From Japan, we can learn about human fragility, resilience and cooperation. We also must study how to fully prepare an emergency response to catastrophic nuclear exposure.
As pediatricians who care about the health of children and their families, we cannot overstate the importance of coordinated local and state planning for a nuclear disaster.
Schools, homes, day care centers and businesses in close proximity to any of the 104 nuclear power plants throughout the United States must acquire preparedness skills, be able to rapidly disburse potassium iodide, evacuate and shelter large populations, and offer age-appropriate medical and mental-health providers to advise and care for the unique physical, mental and developmental impact on infants and children.
To safeguard the future, we must make the protection of pregnant women, infants and children a priority during nuclear disasters.
But ultimately, to truly protect our future we must focus our efforts on improving energy conservation and efficiency while expanding the use of safe, clean renewable forms of energy to build a new energy future for the nation and world.
This column was written by Physicians for Social Responsibility Tampa Bay: Lynn Ringenberg, M.D., president; Donald L. Mellman, MD, MPH, vice-president; Peter A. Gorski, M.D., M.P.A.; Lorinda Price, M.D., MPH; and Bruce Schnapf, D.O.
http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21583
Leh yet to get Central aid
DAMAGE DUE TO CLOUDBURST
Leh yet to get Central aid
Yangchan Dolma
Leh, March 19
Even after eight months of the devastating cloudburst causing a huge damage to life and property in the Ladakh region, Leh district is yet to receive any major financial support from the Union government.
Many important projects, including the irrigation canal, were incomplete due to lack of funds. The irrigation canal was to be reconstructed within two months to avoid drought-like situation in the district. It was earlier reconstructed temporarily after the cloudburst to protect the standing crops.
To restore different works and clear debris from agricultural lands damaged by the flash floods, a detailed report of projects worth Rs 148 crore and Rs 16.5 crore had been submitted by the state government to the Centre for sanction of the funds under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
The chief executive councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Rigzin Spalbar, said, “The LAHDC has taken up the demand for funds at various levels. Apart from correspondences to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Union ministers concerned for their intervention in this regard, the chief executive councillor had visited New Delhi twice”. The CEC also met the Prime Minister at the Parliament House in New Delhi yesterday and urged him to intervene for ensuring the timely release of funds, early restoration of various projects damaged in the floods and removal of debris from agricultural land to allow cultivation.
http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21580
Leh yet to get Central aid
Yangchan Dolma
Leh, March 19
Even after eight months of the devastating cloudburst causing a huge damage to life and property in the Ladakh region, Leh district is yet to receive any major financial support from the Union government.
Many important projects, including the irrigation canal, were incomplete due to lack of funds. The irrigation canal was to be reconstructed within two months to avoid drought-like situation in the district. It was earlier reconstructed temporarily after the cloudburst to protect the standing crops.
To restore different works and clear debris from agricultural lands damaged by the flash floods, a detailed report of projects worth Rs 148 crore and Rs 16.5 crore had been submitted by the state government to the Centre for sanction of the funds under the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
The chief executive councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Rigzin Spalbar, said, “The LAHDC has taken up the demand for funds at various levels. Apart from correspondences to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Union ministers concerned for their intervention in this regard, the chief executive councillor had visited New Delhi twice”. The CEC also met the Prime Minister at the Parliament House in New Delhi yesterday and urged him to intervene for ensuring the timely release of funds, early restoration of various projects damaged in the floods and removal of debris from agricultural land to allow cultivation.
http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21580
Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction on World Meteorological Day
Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction on World Meteorological Day
Type:Statements & speeches
Date:23 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Geneva, Switzerland - Today’s observance of World Meteorological Day with its theme of “Climate for You”, highlights the direct link between climate change, weather variability and the increase in the frequency as well as severity of weather related natural hazards.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a strong and active partner of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) whose critical role and work are central to reducing the impact of disasters. These efforts are key contributions to human, social and economic safety. We fully support WMO’s long-term objective: that of halving by 2019, the 1994-2003 ten-year average of deaths caused by disasters of meteorological and hydrological origin.
The risks presented by climate variability as well as the severity and frequency of disaster impacts, are key themes in the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) -- the world’s only blueprint for staving off losses caused by natural hazards. Yet, the earthquakes and floods in Haiti, New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia in 2010 and early 2011, as well as the devastating tsunami in Japan this month, are some recent and harsh reminders of the debilitating effects of disasters on lives and the socio-economic fabric of societies. More is required, for example, in the area of early warning mechanisms and on strengthening national institutions for weather forecasting services.
Our recently launched report, ‘Mid-Term Review of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters’, reviews the last five years' progress on strengthening disaster risk reduction. The report underscores areas where work is most needed to ensure that gains from the past five years translate into substantial reduction of disaster losses in the following five and beyond. The report contains the views of governments themselves, expressed to other governments, about the kinds of immediate actions they and other stakeholders must take to produce tangible progress on the HFA by 2015. We are convinced of the importance of this report, and hope that it will inspire action around the world.
In this context, the Third Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, a high-level event scheduled from 8-13 May 2011 (in about 45 days) in Geneva, will actively reach out to a new and diverse range of leaders and decision-makers to stimulate commitment and concrete investment in disaster risk reduction.
Margareta Wahlström
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
(Photo credit: WMO)
Available here
World Meteorological Day 2011 - Climate for you
Related Links
Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 Mid-Term Review
The Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
Type:Statements & speeches
Date:23 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Geneva, Switzerland - Today’s observance of World Meteorological Day with its theme of “Climate for You”, highlights the direct link between climate change, weather variability and the increase in the frequency as well as severity of weather related natural hazards.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a strong and active partner of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) whose critical role and work are central to reducing the impact of disasters. These efforts are key contributions to human, social and economic safety. We fully support WMO’s long-term objective: that of halving by 2019, the 1994-2003 ten-year average of deaths caused by disasters of meteorological and hydrological origin.
The risks presented by climate variability as well as the severity and frequency of disaster impacts, are key themes in the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) -- the world’s only blueprint for staving off losses caused by natural hazards. Yet, the earthquakes and floods in Haiti, New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia in 2010 and early 2011, as well as the devastating tsunami in Japan this month, are some recent and harsh reminders of the debilitating effects of disasters on lives and the socio-economic fabric of societies. More is required, for example, in the area of early warning mechanisms and on strengthening national institutions for weather forecasting services.
Our recently launched report, ‘Mid-Term Review of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters’, reviews the last five years' progress on strengthening disaster risk reduction. The report underscores areas where work is most needed to ensure that gains from the past five years translate into substantial reduction of disaster losses in the following five and beyond. The report contains the views of governments themselves, expressed to other governments, about the kinds of immediate actions they and other stakeholders must take to produce tangible progress on the HFA by 2015. We are convinced of the importance of this report, and hope that it will inspire action around the world.
In this context, the Third Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, a high-level event scheduled from 8-13 May 2011 (in about 45 days) in Geneva, will actively reach out to a new and diverse range of leaders and decision-makers to stimulate commitment and concrete investment in disaster risk reduction.
Margareta Wahlström
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
(Photo credit: WMO)
Available here
World Meteorological Day 2011 - Climate for you
Related Links
Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 Mid-Term Review
The Third Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction on the 11 March Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
Type:News briefs
Date:18 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) expresses its profound regret at the loss of life and the immense damage inflicted upon the people of Japan on 11 March 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami struck the north-eastern coast of the country. We take this opportunity to offer our deepest condolences to all who have lost family members and homes as well as those who still await information about missing relatives and friends.
While it may be hard to draw solace from the current state of affairs, perhaps we can take some measure of comfort in knowing that even more lives would have been lost, and damage been more widespread, had the Japanese Government not made disaster risk reduction a high priority over a long period of time. As early as 1896, the authorities laid down the roots for reducing disaster risk in Tohoku, following the Meiji Sanriku Earthquake and Tsunami. Over the years, awareness has evolved into stringent building codes and stronger buildings that sway and slide above the ground rather than crumble. Such precautions, based on lessons learned, have been translated into wider national disaster risk reduction plans, which totaled some US$25 billion in 2008.
Nevertheless, the intensity and scale of the 11 March earthquake of 9.0, and the ensuing tsunami, exceeded the planning parameters foreseen. The crisis that has arisen from the damage to the nuclear power plant gives new impetus to the critical need - plan broadly and inclusively for unique risk-scenarios. Clearly, overall risk mitigation and preparedness planning for critical and vulnerable core socio-economic infrastructure must be given higher priority.
This tsunami tragedy reminds us all that, beyond simulations and drills, it is also important that we as individuals, and in our capacity as professionals, are always conscious of risk as a constant in everyday life. How do we live with it? What do we need to know to better understand our risks? Knowing the answers to questions like these will support resilience.
The Japanese experience once again underscores the value of and the need for comprehensive multi-hazard approaches to risk reduction, particularly as landscape and climate patterns change over time.
UNISDR affirms its solidarity with the people of Japan and pays tribute to their enormous resilience and courage. We also support the Government's continued efforts to build resilient communities; to take inspiration from the bravery of the people facing this catastrophe and; to bring speedy respite to those who still suffer.
Margareta Wahlström
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21572
(Photo credit: Flickr @kalleboo)
Date:18 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) expresses its profound regret at the loss of life and the immense damage inflicted upon the people of Japan on 11 March 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami struck the north-eastern coast of the country. We take this opportunity to offer our deepest condolences to all who have lost family members and homes as well as those who still await information about missing relatives and friends.
While it may be hard to draw solace from the current state of affairs, perhaps we can take some measure of comfort in knowing that even more lives would have been lost, and damage been more widespread, had the Japanese Government not made disaster risk reduction a high priority over a long period of time. As early as 1896, the authorities laid down the roots for reducing disaster risk in Tohoku, following the Meiji Sanriku Earthquake and Tsunami. Over the years, awareness has evolved into stringent building codes and stronger buildings that sway and slide above the ground rather than crumble. Such precautions, based on lessons learned, have been translated into wider national disaster risk reduction plans, which totaled some US$25 billion in 2008.
Nevertheless, the intensity and scale of the 11 March earthquake of 9.0, and the ensuing tsunami, exceeded the planning parameters foreseen. The crisis that has arisen from the damage to the nuclear power plant gives new impetus to the critical need - plan broadly and inclusively for unique risk-scenarios. Clearly, overall risk mitigation and preparedness planning for critical and vulnerable core socio-economic infrastructure must be given higher priority.
This tsunami tragedy reminds us all that, beyond simulations and drills, it is also important that we as individuals, and in our capacity as professionals, are always conscious of risk as a constant in everyday life. How do we live with it? What do we need to know to better understand our risks? Knowing the answers to questions like these will support resilience.
The Japanese experience once again underscores the value of and the need for comprehensive multi-hazard approaches to risk reduction, particularly as landscape and climate patterns change over time.
UNISDR affirms its solidarity with the people of Japan and pays tribute to their enormous resilience and courage. We also support the Government's continued efforts to build resilient communities; to take inspiration from the bravery of the people facing this catastrophe and; to bring speedy respite to those who still suffer.
Margareta Wahlström
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
http://cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=21572
(Photo credit: Flickr @kalleboo)
AidConnect Newsletter 3/2011 - Japan Disaster
AidConnect Newsletter 3/2011 - Japan Disaster
Focus
On focus is the catastrophe in Japan. Many international and local relief organizations are mobilizing to provide help. If you want to know how to help, please clickhere.
Topic
In our topic section you can find links to documents and web pages which offer further information on how to help the people in Japan. We also like to encourage you to contribute to this list and upload further material.
Project
The featured project on AidConnect is "Hope Letters", a volunteer initiative that was created in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan. The concept is to allow a platform for people from around the world to communicate, in Japanese, their words of hope and encouragement to the people affected by this terrible disaster.
Expert
The featured expert on AidConnect is David Chan, the site's creator. According to him, the site "Hope Letters" is receiving of 1,200 visitors and 100 letters per day.
Best regards,
Carmen Paul
AidConnect Team
Focus
On focus is the catastrophe in Japan. Many international and local relief organizations are mobilizing to provide help. If you want to know how to help, please clickhere.
Topic
In our topic section you can find links to documents and web pages which offer further information on how to help the people in Japan. We also like to encourage you to contribute to this list and upload further material.
Project
The featured project on AidConnect is "Hope Letters", a volunteer initiative that was created in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan. The concept is to allow a platform for people from around the world to communicate, in Japanese, their words of hope and encouragement to the people affected by this terrible disaster.
Expert
The featured expert on AidConnect is David Chan, the site's creator. According to him, the site "Hope Letters" is receiving of 1,200 visitors and 100 letters per day.
Best regards,
Carmen Paul
AidConnect Team
Friday, March 18, 2011
Centre Plans to Fine-Tune Coastline Core Projects
Centre plans to fine-tune Coastline Core Projects
ET Bureau, Mar 17, 2011, 04.38am IST
Tags:
Jairam Ramesh|environment minister
NEW DELHI: In the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan, the Centre is considering fine-tuning its plans of locating key infrastructure projects, such as power plants, along the coast. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who described the tsunami as a wake-up call, stressed the need to determine the carrying capacity of India's coastline.
Ramesh has maintained that a large number of projects, especially power plants which use large quantities of water, will have to be located along the country's 7,000 odd kilometre coastline. "I have been saying how water shortages mean that the country has to get used to the idea of power plants along the coast. But the tsunami in Japan is a wake up call. While we should avoid a knee-jerk reaction, we need to determine the limit of projects that can be set up along the coast," Ramesh said.
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He said there was no rethink on the idea of setting up projects along the coast, but events of the past week show the need for better planning. This would mean making proper assessment of exactly how many projects and of what size could be built in coastal areas without causing imbalances.
In January, while unveiling the Coastal Regulatory Zone notification, 2011, Ramesh had said: "India must get used to power plants in the coastal areas. This is not just on account of imported fuel but also because of water shortages in the country. The need for large quantities of water for these plants is the main reason for locating them along the coast."
The environment minister argues that the issue of water shortage and the need for power to fuel the economic engine has not changed the need to look at coastal locations. But, clearly, the devastation in Japan has forced the government to factor in carrying capacity of the coasts before going all out to promote it as a location for projects like power plants.
In order to ensure balance, Ramesh suggested the need to take a realistic view of the country's energy requirements.
ET Bureau, Mar 17, 2011, 04.38am IST
Tags:
Jairam Ramesh|environment minister
NEW DELHI: In the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan, the Centre is considering fine-tuning its plans of locating key infrastructure projects, such as power plants, along the coast. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, who described the tsunami as a wake-up call, stressed the need to determine the carrying capacity of India's coastline.
Ramesh has maintained that a large number of projects, especially power plants which use large quantities of water, will have to be located along the country's 7,000 odd kilometre coastline. "I have been saying how water shortages mean that the country has to get used to the idea of power plants along the coast. But the tsunami in Japan is a wake up call. While we should avoid a knee-jerk reaction, we need to determine the limit of projects that can be set up along the coast," Ramesh said.
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Be a Proud Owner of Nano with Just Rs 3000*/Month. Book or Test Drive!
www.tatananocampaigns.com
Coffee Making Machines
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Fresh-Honest.com
He said there was no rethink on the idea of setting up projects along the coast, but events of the past week show the need for better planning. This would mean making proper assessment of exactly how many projects and of what size could be built in coastal areas without causing imbalances.
In January, while unveiling the Coastal Regulatory Zone notification, 2011, Ramesh had said: "India must get used to power plants in the coastal areas. This is not just on account of imported fuel but also because of water shortages in the country. The need for large quantities of water for these plants is the main reason for locating them along the coast."
The environment minister argues that the issue of water shortage and the need for power to fuel the economic engine has not changed the need to look at coastal locations. But, clearly, the devastation in Japan has forced the government to factor in carrying capacity of the coasts before going all out to promote it as a location for projects like power plants.
In order to ensure balance, Ramesh suggested the need to take a realistic view of the country's energy requirements.
NASA Satellites Show Towering Thunderstorms in Rare Sub-tropical Storm
Hurricane Season 2011: Sub-Tropical Storm Arani (South Atlantic Ocean)
03.17.11
› View larger image
On March 16 at 15:53 UTC (1:52 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the Southern Atlantic and captured some remaining cold, strong thunderstorms (purple) north and east of the storm's center. Those areas represent very high, cold, thunderstorm cloud tops where temperatures are as cold as or colder than -63F/-52C.
Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed OlsenNASA Sees Sub-Tropical Storm Arani Merging With a Front
Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is now merging with a weather front and going out with a bang, according to NASA satellite imagery. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite still showed some powerful thunderstorms in the system.
On March 16 at 15:53 UTC (1:52 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the Southern Atlantic. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured some remaining cold, strong thunderstorms north and east of the storm's center at that time. Those areas represent very high, cold, thunderstorm cloud tops where temperatures are as cold as or colder than -63F/-52C, and were areas of heavy rainfall.
Although Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is located several hundred miles east of Rio de Janiero, it was still bringing heavy surf to beaches. Arpoador Beach reported rough surf on March 16 from Arani as it continued to move east and away from Brazil. Arani is now in the process of merging with a cold front and joining several other rare tropical cyclones in the history of the Southern Atlantic.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro/Hal Pierce, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
March 16, 2011
› View larger image
This 3-D view of Sub-tropical Storm Arani's clouds was created from data taken by NASA's TRMM satellite. It showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms (red) in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce
› View larger image
The TRMM satellite had another very good view of Sub-tropical Cyclone Arani in the morning light on March 16, 2011 at 1052 UTC. This data showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce
› View larger image
On Mar. 16 at 03:29 UTC (Mar. 15 at 11:29 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani's cold thunderstorm cloud tops (purple) in two areas of the storm. Those cloud tops were as cold as or colder than -63F/-52 C, and were areas of heavy rainfall. The strongest thunderstorms appeared north and south of the center of circulation.
Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen
› View larger image
TRMM measured the rainfall rates within Sub-Tropical Storm Arani on March 15 at 1820 UTC (2:20 p.m. EST). TRMM rainfall images are false-colored with yellow, green and red areas, which indicate rainfall between 20 and 40 millimeters (.78 to 1.57 inches) per hour. Dark red areas are considered heavy rainfall, as much as 2 inches of rain per hour.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal PierceNASA Satellites Show Towering Thunderstorms in Rare Sub-tropical Storm Arani
NASA's Aqua and TRMM satellites are providing data to scientists about the Southern Atlantic Ocean Sub-tropical Storm Arani, a rare occurrence in the southern ocean. Rainfall data and cloud top temperatures revealed some heavy rain and strong thunderstorms exist in Arani as it continues to pull away from Brazil.
NOAA's Satellite and Information Service classified Arani as a T1 on the Dvorak intensity scale which would indicate an estimated wind speed of about 29 knots (~33 mph).
During the daytime on Tuesday, March 15 at 1820 UTC (2:20 p.m. EST) NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani. TRMM rainfall data showed that the storm contained mostly moderate rainfall, falling at a rate between 20 and 40 millimeters (.89 to 1.57 inches) per hour. However, there were some areas of heavy rainfall in the north and eastern quadrants of the storm. The heavier rainfall was occurring at about 50 mm or 2 inches per hour. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used in the image above to show rainfall near Arani.
On Mar. 16 at 03:29 UTC (Mar. 15 at 11:29 p.m. EST) another of NASA's fleet of Earth science satellites flew over Sub-tropical Storm Arani and took its temperature. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani's cold thunderstorm cloud tops in two areas of the storm. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard Aqua provided infrared readings of those cloud tops and showed that they were as cold as or colder than -63F/-52 C, and were areas of heavy rainfall. The strongest thunderstorms wrapped from the north, eastward to the south of the center of circulation, confirming the data from the TRMM satellite.
Later on March 16, at 10:52 UTC (6:52 a.m. EST), the TRMM satellite again passed over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani and noticed it still had some strong thunderstorms and was producing heavy rainfall off the Brazilian coast.
TRMM data was used to create a 3-D view of Sub-tropical Storm Arani's clouds, and it showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Arani has the appearance of a tropical cyclone but has been classified as a subtropical cyclone. Subtropical cyclones are low pressure areas that develop with a cold core and transition to a warm core in the mid-levels of the troposphere, resembling a tropical cyclone. They more typically form outside of hurricane season (which is June 1 to Nov. 30 in the Northern Atlantic, for example). They also have broad wind patterns and that means that their maximum sustained winds are usually located farther from the center than a tropical cyclone. They also have no weather fronts linked to them, such as a typical low pressure area that brings summertime storms with an associated cold front. Subtropical cyclones can sometimes become tropical cyclones, and occasionally, tropical cyclones can become subtropical.
Tropical cyclones are very rare in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. In 2004 a cyclone called Catarina formed in the South Atlantic and caused some controversy when it was classified as a hurricane by the United States' National Hurricane Center.
Arani is over the open waters of the Southern Atlantic and continues to move east-southeast and farther away from Brazil.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro/Hal Pierce, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
March 15, 2011
› View larger image
On March 14 at 1553 UTC (11:53 a.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani along the Brazilian coast. Most of the convection and thunderstorms (purple) were limited to the eastern half of the storm.
Credit: NASA JPL, Ed OlsenNASA's Aqua Satellite Spots Rare Southern Atlantic Sub-Tropical Storm
NASA's Aqua satellite spotted some strong convection in a recently formed low pressure area that strengthened into Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the South Atlantic. Arani formed near the coast of Brazil and is now moving away from it. Tropical cyclones in the Southern Atlantic are a rare occurrence and since 2004 there have only been three of them, Arani being the third.
On March 14, 2011 at 1553 UTC (11:53 a.m. EST) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani moving away from the Brazilian coast. Most of the convection and thunderstorms were limited to the eastern half of the storm at the time of the image. The strong areas of convection (rapidly rising air that condenses and forms the thunderstorms that power a tropical cyclone) appeared on the imagery as a sideways boomerang, and were off-shore, paralleling the coast.
AIRS measured the temperatures in those strong areas of convection and found they were as cold as or colder than -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius) indicating some strong thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. That heavy rainfall was occurring off-shore. NASA's AIRS imagery is created at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
On March 15 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EST), the Brazilian Navy issued a special marine warning for the Brazilian coast. The warning stated that Sub-Tropical Storm Arani was located near 24.0 South latitude and 37 West longitude. Arani had a minimum central pressure of 998 millibars and was moving east-southeast near 10 to 15 knot winds.
Tropical cyclones in the Southern Atlantic Ocean are rare. In 2010 System 90Q formed in the same region where Sub-Tropical Storm Arani formed this year. For more information on System 90Q, visit NASA's Hurricane page archives at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_90Q.html.
Dr. Jack Beven of the National Hurricane Center, Miami, Fla. said that Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is not currently as well developed as Tropical Storm Catarina was in the Southern Atlantic in 2004 or System 90Q last year.
The Brazilian Navy has marine forecasting responsibility for that part of the Atlantic designated the system a subtropical cyclone. For updates from the Brazilian Navy on Sub-Tropical Storm Arani, visit:https://www.mar.mil.br/dhn/chm/meteo/indexing.htm. NASA's Hurricane page is managed out of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is forecast to continue moving away from the Brazilian coast over the next couple of days.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
03.17.11
› View larger image
On March 16 at 15:53 UTC (1:52 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the Southern Atlantic and captured some remaining cold, strong thunderstorms (purple) north and east of the storm's center. Those areas represent very high, cold, thunderstorm cloud tops where temperatures are as cold as or colder than -63F/-52C.
Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed OlsenNASA Sees Sub-Tropical Storm Arani Merging With a Front
Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is now merging with a weather front and going out with a bang, according to NASA satellite imagery. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite still showed some powerful thunderstorms in the system.
On March 16 at 15:53 UTC (1:52 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the Southern Atlantic. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument captured some remaining cold, strong thunderstorms north and east of the storm's center at that time. Those areas represent very high, cold, thunderstorm cloud tops where temperatures are as cold as or colder than -63F/-52C, and were areas of heavy rainfall.
Although Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is located several hundred miles east of Rio de Janiero, it was still bringing heavy surf to beaches. Arpoador Beach reported rough surf on March 16 from Arani as it continued to move east and away from Brazil. Arani is now in the process of merging with a cold front and joining several other rare tropical cyclones in the history of the Southern Atlantic.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro/Hal Pierce, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
March 16, 2011
› View larger image
This 3-D view of Sub-tropical Storm Arani's clouds was created from data taken by NASA's TRMM satellite. It showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms (red) in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce
› View larger image
The TRMM satellite had another very good view of Sub-tropical Cyclone Arani in the morning light on March 16, 2011 at 1052 UTC. This data showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal Pierce
› View larger image
On Mar. 16 at 03:29 UTC (Mar. 15 at 11:29 p.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani's cold thunderstorm cloud tops (purple) in two areas of the storm. Those cloud tops were as cold as or colder than -63F/-52 C, and were areas of heavy rainfall. The strongest thunderstorms appeared north and south of the center of circulation.
Credit: NASA/JPL, Ed Olsen
› View larger image
TRMM measured the rainfall rates within Sub-Tropical Storm Arani on March 15 at 1820 UTC (2:20 p.m. EST). TRMM rainfall images are false-colored with yellow, green and red areas, which indicate rainfall between 20 and 40 millimeters (.78 to 1.57 inches) per hour. Dark red areas are considered heavy rainfall, as much as 2 inches of rain per hour.
Credit: NASA/SSAI, Hal PierceNASA Satellites Show Towering Thunderstorms in Rare Sub-tropical Storm Arani
NASA's Aqua and TRMM satellites are providing data to scientists about the Southern Atlantic Ocean Sub-tropical Storm Arani, a rare occurrence in the southern ocean. Rainfall data and cloud top temperatures revealed some heavy rain and strong thunderstorms exist in Arani as it continues to pull away from Brazil.
NOAA's Satellite and Information Service classified Arani as a T1 on the Dvorak intensity scale which would indicate an estimated wind speed of about 29 knots (~33 mph).
During the daytime on Tuesday, March 15 at 1820 UTC (2:20 p.m. EST) NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite flew over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani. TRMM rainfall data showed that the storm contained mostly moderate rainfall, falling at a rate between 20 and 40 millimeters (.89 to 1.57 inches) per hour. However, there were some areas of heavy rainfall in the north and eastern quadrants of the storm. The heavier rainfall was occurring at about 50 mm or 2 inches per hour. TRMM's Microwave Imager (TMI) and Precipitation Radar (PR) data were used in the image above to show rainfall near Arani.
On Mar. 16 at 03:29 UTC (Mar. 15 at 11:29 p.m. EST) another of NASA's fleet of Earth science satellites flew over Sub-tropical Storm Arani and took its temperature. NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani's cold thunderstorm cloud tops in two areas of the storm. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard Aqua provided infrared readings of those cloud tops and showed that they were as cold as or colder than -63F/-52 C, and were areas of heavy rainfall. The strongest thunderstorms wrapped from the north, eastward to the south of the center of circulation, confirming the data from the TRMM satellite.
Later on March 16, at 10:52 UTC (6:52 a.m. EST), the TRMM satellite again passed over Sub-Tropical Storm Arani and noticed it still had some strong thunderstorms and was producing heavy rainfall off the Brazilian coast.
TRMM data was used to create a 3-D view of Sub-tropical Storm Arani's clouds, and it showed that there were very heavy thunderstorms in the eastern half of the storm. TRMM's Precipitation Radar showed that some of these powerful storms were reaching to heights of over 14 km (~8.7 miles) above the surface of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
Arani has the appearance of a tropical cyclone but has been classified as a subtropical cyclone. Subtropical cyclones are low pressure areas that develop with a cold core and transition to a warm core in the mid-levels of the troposphere, resembling a tropical cyclone. They more typically form outside of hurricane season (which is June 1 to Nov. 30 in the Northern Atlantic, for example). They also have broad wind patterns and that means that their maximum sustained winds are usually located farther from the center than a tropical cyclone. They also have no weather fronts linked to them, such as a typical low pressure area that brings summertime storms with an associated cold front. Subtropical cyclones can sometimes become tropical cyclones, and occasionally, tropical cyclones can become subtropical.
Tropical cyclones are very rare in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. In 2004 a cyclone called Catarina formed in the South Atlantic and caused some controversy when it was classified as a hurricane by the United States' National Hurricane Center.
Arani is over the open waters of the Southern Atlantic and continues to move east-southeast and farther away from Brazil.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro/Hal Pierce, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
March 15, 2011
› View larger image
On March 14 at 1553 UTC (11:53 a.m. EST) NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani along the Brazilian coast. Most of the convection and thunderstorms (purple) were limited to the eastern half of the storm.
Credit: NASA JPL, Ed OlsenNASA's Aqua Satellite Spots Rare Southern Atlantic Sub-Tropical Storm
NASA's Aqua satellite spotted some strong convection in a recently formed low pressure area that strengthened into Sub-Tropical Storm Arani in the South Atlantic. Arani formed near the coast of Brazil and is now moving away from it. Tropical cyclones in the Southern Atlantic are a rare occurrence and since 2004 there have only been three of them, Arani being the third.
On March 14, 2011 at 1553 UTC (11:53 a.m. EST) the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of Sub-Tropical Storm Arani moving away from the Brazilian coast. Most of the convection and thunderstorms were limited to the eastern half of the storm at the time of the image. The strong areas of convection (rapidly rising air that condenses and forms the thunderstorms that power a tropical cyclone) appeared on the imagery as a sideways boomerang, and were off-shore, paralleling the coast.
AIRS measured the temperatures in those strong areas of convection and found they were as cold as or colder than -63 Fahrenheit (-52 Celsius) indicating some strong thunderstorms with heavy rainfall. That heavy rainfall was occurring off-shore. NASA's AIRS imagery is created at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
On March 15 at 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EST), the Brazilian Navy issued a special marine warning for the Brazilian coast. The warning stated that Sub-Tropical Storm Arani was located near 24.0 South latitude and 37 West longitude. Arani had a minimum central pressure of 998 millibars and was moving east-southeast near 10 to 15 knot winds.
Tropical cyclones in the Southern Atlantic Ocean are rare. In 2010 System 90Q formed in the same region where Sub-Tropical Storm Arani formed this year. For more information on System 90Q, visit NASA's Hurricane page archives at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2010/h2010_90Q.html.
Dr. Jack Beven of the National Hurricane Center, Miami, Fla. said that Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is not currently as well developed as Tropical Storm Catarina was in the Southern Atlantic in 2004 or System 90Q last year.
The Brazilian Navy has marine forecasting responsibility for that part of the Atlantic designated the system a subtropical cyclone. For updates from the Brazilian Navy on Sub-Tropical Storm Arani, visit:https://www.mar.mil.br/dhn/chm/meteo/indexing.htm. NASA's Hurricane page is managed out of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Sub-Tropical Storm Arani is forecast to continue moving away from the Brazilian coast over the next couple of days.
Text Credit: Rob Gutro, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
PHILIPPINES: Containing radioactive rumours
PHILIPPINES: Containing radioactive rumours
MANILA, 15 March 2011 (IRIN) - The Philippines sought to assure a panicked public on 15 March that a potential nuclear meltdown in Japan would not affect the country amid fears following widely circulated text messages - dismissed by the country's leading nuclear regulatory agency [ http://www.pnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php] as a prank - that warned Filipinos to wear raincoats outdoors, hunker down, and stockpile food and medicine because of an imminent radioactive hit.
In the Philippines, an estimated one billion text messages are sent every day. Some eight out of 10 people had mobile phones in 2009, according to the National Telecommunications Commission.
At least two public schools sent home their students after text messages spread quickly across the country's millions of mobile phone users, with anxious parents and office workers flooding emergency phone lines demanding to know what do in the case of contaminated rain, officials said.
"We have a national radiological emergency preparedness and response plan that was approved as early as 2000. We will put into action this existing plan if there is an emergency," said Philippine Nuclear Research Institute chief Alumanda dela Rosa.
"The level of alert at the moment is zero."
She said current wind models indicate that the Philippines, 3,000km southwest of Japan's coast, is not in the direct path of any air-borne radioactive material, which is currently blowing eastwards, according to regional monitoring agencies.
But even in a worst-case scenario in Japan, the impact on the Philippines will still be minimal, she said.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that at the moment there was no need to procure large amounts of iodine to counter possible contamination or quarantine people who transited through Japan.
"Let me be very clear. We don't see the necessity for that. However, we know where we get it if necessary. But we are not going to order it yet," Ona said, adding that the emergency medical personnel were on high alert just in case.
"Outrageous"
Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo said the public's mass hysteria was "outrageous" and that the government was capable of responding to any emergency related to Japan.
"The university that suspended classes yesterday did not ask us for any recommendation. I don't know how to describe it, except perhaps outrageous and weird that we would even think of suspending classes when in Japan itself classes and office work have resumed," Montejo said.
But for housewife Loida Valenzuela, 40, whose house was swept away by massive flooding that followed tropical storm Ketsana in 2009 [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86362 ], extreme preparation is the only way to save lives.
Like Japan, the Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and large parts of its urban areas sit atop fault lines. An estimated 20 typhoons, some of them destructive, batter the country annually, making it among the most disaster-prone places in the world.
"They can call me crazy anytime, but when I got that text yesterday [14 March], I just had to pull out my son from the university," said Valenzuela, whose 18-year-old son is a sophomore [second-year student] at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines that decided to call off classes as a result of the hoax.
"We already lost our house to Ondoy [local name for Ketsana] and I can't take any chances," she said.
Asked whether she does not believe government assurances, she said: "They've made wrong forecasts about typhoons in the past, so we're just being extra careful."
fv/pt/cb
[END]
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MANILA, 15 March 2011 (IRIN) - The Philippines sought to assure a panicked public on 15 March that a potential nuclear meltdown in Japan would not affect the country amid fears following widely circulated text messages - dismissed by the country's leading nuclear regulatory agency [ http://www.pnri.dost.gov.ph/index.php] as a prank - that warned Filipinos to wear raincoats outdoors, hunker down, and stockpile food and medicine because of an imminent radioactive hit.
In the Philippines, an estimated one billion text messages are sent every day. Some eight out of 10 people had mobile phones in 2009, according to the National Telecommunications Commission.
At least two public schools sent home their students after text messages spread quickly across the country's millions of mobile phone users, with anxious parents and office workers flooding emergency phone lines demanding to know what do in the case of contaminated rain, officials said.
"We have a national radiological emergency preparedness and response plan that was approved as early as 2000. We will put into action this existing plan if there is an emergency," said Philippine Nuclear Research Institute chief Alumanda dela Rosa.
"The level of alert at the moment is zero."
She said current wind models indicate that the Philippines, 3,000km southwest of Japan's coast, is not in the direct path of any air-borne radioactive material, which is currently blowing eastwards, according to regional monitoring agencies.
But even in a worst-case scenario in Japan, the impact on the Philippines will still be minimal, she said.
Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that at the moment there was no need to procure large amounts of iodine to counter possible contamination or quarantine people who transited through Japan.
"Let me be very clear. We don't see the necessity for that. However, we know where we get it if necessary. But we are not going to order it yet," Ona said, adding that the emergency medical personnel were on high alert just in case.
"Outrageous"
Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo said the public's mass hysteria was "outrageous" and that the government was capable of responding to any emergency related to Japan.
"The university that suspended classes yesterday did not ask us for any recommendation. I don't know how to describe it, except perhaps outrageous and weird that we would even think of suspending classes when in Japan itself classes and office work have resumed," Montejo said.
But for housewife Loida Valenzuela, 40, whose house was swept away by massive flooding that followed tropical storm Ketsana in 2009 [ http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=86362 ], extreme preparation is the only way to save lives.
Like Japan, the Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, and large parts of its urban areas sit atop fault lines. An estimated 20 typhoons, some of them destructive, batter the country annually, making it among the most disaster-prone places in the world.
"They can call me crazy anytime, but when I got that text yesterday [14 March], I just had to pull out my son from the university," said Valenzuela, whose 18-year-old son is a sophomore [second-year student] at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines that decided to call off classes as a result of the hoax.
"We already lost our house to Ondoy [local name for Ketsana] and I can't take any chances," she said.
Asked whether she does not believe government assurances, she said: "They've made wrong forecasts about typhoons in the past, so we're just being extra careful."
fv/pt/cb
[END]
CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO READ THE REPORT ONLINE
Http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=92194
New IRIN films: http://www.irinnews.org/film
© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.irinnews.org
[This item comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. Reposting or reproduction, with attribution, for non-commercial purposes is permitted. Terms and conditions: http://www.irinnews.org/copyright.aspx
IRIN partners: UAE, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, UNEP and the IHC. More information:http://www.irinnews.org/donors.aspx
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Prioritization of ICT-infused ‘disaster science’ pushed
Prioritization of ICT-infused ‘disaster science’ pushed
Submitted by Argilli Lydia on Tue, 15/03/2011 - 14:15
After the devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan and the worldwide tsunami warnings that it triggered, a lawmaker has called for the development of an ICT-led “disaster science” in the Philippines to make the country better equipped to face natural calamities.
The Disaster Science Management Center (DSMC) is a project of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology, and Engineering (Comste), which is primed to become a regional training center for disaster preparedness.The DSMC recently announced that that Sentinel Asia, an international project of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has appointed Manila Observatory as a Data Analysis Node (DAN).
A joint study by Columbia University and the World Bank entitled ‘Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis’, which identifies countries which are at high risk for six major natural hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods, drought, and cyclones, has the Philippines pegged as one of riskiest countries in the world.
Published by: Newsbytes on March 14,2011
Full article: http://newsbytes.ph/2011/03/14/prioritization-of-ict-infused-%E2%80%98disaster-science%E2%80%99-pushed/
Submitted by Argilli Lydia on Tue, 15/03/2011 - 14:15
After the devastating 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan and the worldwide tsunami warnings that it triggered, a lawmaker has called for the development of an ICT-led “disaster science” in the Philippines to make the country better equipped to face natural calamities.
The Disaster Science Management Center (DSMC) is a project of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology, and Engineering (Comste), which is primed to become a regional training center for disaster preparedness.The DSMC recently announced that that Sentinel Asia, an international project of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has appointed Manila Observatory as a Data Analysis Node (DAN).
A joint study by Columbia University and the World Bank entitled ‘Natural Disaster Hotspots: A Global Risk Analysis’, which identifies countries which are at high risk for six major natural hazards: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods, drought, and cyclones, has the Philippines pegged as one of riskiest countries in the world.
Published by: Newsbytes on March 14,2011
Full article: http://newsbytes.ph/2011/03/14/prioritization-of-ict-infused-%E2%80%98disaster-science%E2%80%99-pushed/
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
AID POLICY: Toolkit to boost response to rapid onset emergencies
humanitarian news and analysis
a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
AID POLICY: Toolkit to boost response to rapid onset emergencies
BANGKOK, 15 March 2011 (IRIN) - Experts have developed an Emergency Market Mapping Analysis (EMMA) guidebook and training programme to improve the humanitarian community's ability to respond to rapid onset emergencies.
"Markets are critical to how people survive and run their lives. The most important thing to people is to be able to earn a living and get food on the table," Mike Albu, a market development consultant and EMMA developer, told IRIN. "Ultimately, once the emergency is resolved people need functioning markets to continue on with their lives."
Since 2007, the US Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has collaborated with experts from OXFAM, Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee, spending almost one million dollars to develop a 10-step guidebook, and train humanitarian practitioners to be able to conduct a market analysis in rapid onset emergency environments.
Coined EMMA, the procedure they have developed is appropriate for teams of 5-10 relief workers, providing a quick, rough-and-ready picture of the goods and services most critical to the survival of the local economy, in a matter of weeks. This enables practitioners, even those without market analysis expertise, to assess where aid could best support local livelihoods, making aid more efficient and effective.
EMMAs have already been conducted in 10 different countries around the world, including the recent Haiti earthquake (2010) and cyclone Nargis (2008) in Myanmar. By the end of 2011 almost 200 relief practitioners will be trained to use the toolkit, train others to use it, and to lead an EMMA mission in a rapid onset scenario.
More efficient aid
The knee-jerk response of the humanitarian community to a natural disaster or sudden onset emergency is often to immediately ship or airlift in commodities such as food, clothing and shelter, said Tony Stitt, a regional adviser with OFDA. But that response ignores local capacity and can lead to more expensive and less effective aid.
"In post-Nargis Myanmar, it cost around US$35 to ship a single plastic tarp from overseas, but only $60 to make a house locally out of thatch materials," said Stitt, who conducted market analysis in Myanmar following cyclone Nargis.
"Our analysis revealed that housing materials were readily available; people just needed money to buy them."
EMMAs can point out when a cash-based initiative (giving loans or vouchers to buy local goods) could be more effective, allowing relief organizations to spend less money and ultimately giving the local population more choice as to how they re-build.
Reducing dependency
Understanding the local market better also ensures that aid does not put local providers out of business, ensuring long-term economic recovery.
"Understanding the market helps us come up with not only a cost-effective and more efficient response but also gives us a better exit strategy," said Emily Henderson, an EMMA specialist and regional coordinator with OXFAM who led an EMMA mission in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. "By providing aid through local food and shelter suppliers rather than simply replacing them, you reduce the dependence on foreign aid in the long-run."
In the future, EMMA reports of past disasters could be useful for disaster preparedness.
"Having a baseline analysis of critical markets, particularly in recurrent places like Haiti and Vietnam would make us better off the next time it hits," said Albu.
With that in mind, the developers have created a website where all EMMA reports will be posted and freely accessible.
cm/cb
Read report online
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
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Copyright © IRIN 2011. All rights reserved. This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. The boundaries, names and designations used on maps on this site and links to external sites do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the UN. Republication is subject to terms and conditions as set out in the IRIN copyright page.
a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
AID POLICY: Toolkit to boost response to rapid onset emergencies
BANGKOK, 15 March 2011 (IRIN) - Experts have developed an Emergency Market Mapping Analysis (EMMA) guidebook and training programme to improve the humanitarian community's ability to respond to rapid onset emergencies.
"Markets are critical to how people survive and run their lives. The most important thing to people is to be able to earn a living and get food on the table," Mike Albu, a market development consultant and EMMA developer, told IRIN. "Ultimately, once the emergency is resolved people need functioning markets to continue on with their lives."
Since 2007, the US Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) has collaborated with experts from OXFAM, Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee, spending almost one million dollars to develop a 10-step guidebook, and train humanitarian practitioners to be able to conduct a market analysis in rapid onset emergency environments.
Coined EMMA, the procedure they have developed is appropriate for teams of 5-10 relief workers, providing a quick, rough-and-ready picture of the goods and services most critical to the survival of the local economy, in a matter of weeks. This enables practitioners, even those without market analysis expertise, to assess where aid could best support local livelihoods, making aid more efficient and effective.
EMMAs have already been conducted in 10 different countries around the world, including the recent Haiti earthquake (2010) and cyclone Nargis (2008) in Myanmar. By the end of 2011 almost 200 relief practitioners will be trained to use the toolkit, train others to use it, and to lead an EMMA mission in a rapid onset scenario.
More efficient aid
The knee-jerk response of the humanitarian community to a natural disaster or sudden onset emergency is often to immediately ship or airlift in commodities such as food, clothing and shelter, said Tony Stitt, a regional adviser with OFDA. But that response ignores local capacity and can lead to more expensive and less effective aid.
"In post-Nargis Myanmar, it cost around US$35 to ship a single plastic tarp from overseas, but only $60 to make a house locally out of thatch materials," said Stitt, who conducted market analysis in Myanmar following cyclone Nargis.
"Our analysis revealed that housing materials were readily available; people just needed money to buy them."
EMMAs can point out when a cash-based initiative (giving loans or vouchers to buy local goods) could be more effective, allowing relief organizations to spend less money and ultimately giving the local population more choice as to how they re-build.
Reducing dependency
Understanding the local market better also ensures that aid does not put local providers out of business, ensuring long-term economic recovery.
"Understanding the market helps us come up with not only a cost-effective and more efficient response but also gives us a better exit strategy," said Emily Henderson, an EMMA specialist and regional coordinator with OXFAM who led an EMMA mission in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. "By providing aid through local food and shelter suppliers rather than simply replacing them, you reduce the dependence on foreign aid in the long-run."
In the future, EMMA reports of past disasters could be useful for disaster preparedness.
"Having a baseline analysis of critical markets, particularly in recurrent places like Haiti and Vietnam would make us better off the next time it hits," said Albu.
With that in mind, the developers have created a website where all EMMA reports will be posted and freely accessible.
cm/cb
Read report online
[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
Feedback | Terms & Conditions | News Feeds | About IRIN | Jobs | Donors
Copyright © IRIN 2011. All rights reserved. This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States. The boundaries, names and designations used on maps on this site and links to external sites do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the UN. Republication is subject to terms and conditions as set out in the IRIN copyright page.
Top UN officials speak about the importance of disaster risk reduction following a massive earthquake off Japan's coast
Top UN officials speak about the importance of disaster risk reduction following a massive earthquake off Japan's coast
Type:News briefs
Date:14 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Speaking to UN Radio, two of the UN's top officials on disaster reduction weigh in on the devastation caused by an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale that struck northeastern Japan on Friday and triggered a tsunami that engulfed coastal towns and cities along Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. In the interviews, they highlighted the importance of disaster risk reduction and Japan's disaster preparedness.
Margareta Wahlström, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, spoke to Gerry Adams about the international response and the preparedness measures taken by countries to reduce their disaster risk.
"After the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, a lot of work has been invested in building early warning systems", said Ms. Wahlström when asked about what small island nations were doing to reduce their risk to disasters. She said many small island nations, such as Fiji, were given evacuation warnings hours before the tsunami reached these countries.
Sálvano Briceño, Director with the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, spoke to RocÃo Franco about disaster preparedness in Japan and the risk and impact of a tsunami on the country and the rest of the world.
“In Japan, it’s a traditional effort to reduce their risk to disasters. And their education system includes the relevant information for children from very early ages to be aware and to be prepared to respond to these natural hazards.” Compared to earthquakes, tsunamis are a different hazard affecting a wider geographic area and population. They are high risk hazards since most populations are located along the coast, stressed Mr. Briceño.
Available here
UNISDR YouTube channel
Related Links
UN Secretary General on the earthquake that hit Japan
Type:News briefs
Date:14 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Speaking to UN Radio, two of the UN's top officials on disaster reduction weigh in on the devastation caused by an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale that struck northeastern Japan on Friday and triggered a tsunami that engulfed coastal towns and cities along Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukushima prefectures. In the interviews, they highlighted the importance of disaster risk reduction and Japan's disaster preparedness.
Margareta Wahlström, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, spoke to Gerry Adams about the international response and the preparedness measures taken by countries to reduce their disaster risk.
"After the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, a lot of work has been invested in building early warning systems", said Ms. Wahlström when asked about what small island nations were doing to reduce their risk to disasters. She said many small island nations, such as Fiji, were given evacuation warnings hours before the tsunami reached these countries.
Sálvano Briceño, Director with the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, spoke to RocÃo Franco about disaster preparedness in Japan and the risk and impact of a tsunami on the country and the rest of the world.
“In Japan, it’s a traditional effort to reduce their risk to disasters. And their education system includes the relevant information for children from very early ages to be aware and to be prepared to respond to these natural hazards.” Compared to earthquakes, tsunamis are a different hazard affecting a wider geographic area and population. They are high risk hazards since most populations are located along the coast, stressed Mr. Briceño.
Available here
UNISDR YouTube channel
Related Links
UN Secretary General on the earthquake that hit Japan
Friday, March 11, 2011
To build the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, we need equal and active participation of men and women in disaster risk reduction.
To build the resilience of nations and communities to disasters, we need equal and active participation of men and women in disaster risk reduction.
Type:News briefs
Date:8 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Disasters affect men and women differently, and so we will continue to lobby for gender-sensitive vulnerability, risk and capacity assessments. Studies show that women’s vulnerabilities during and after disasters is linked to their role and status in society, making women and children 14 times more likely to die than men during a disaster.
At the same time, we will work towards increasing women’s understanding, knowledge and capacity on disaster risk reduction, and of its links with other development sectors. We will continue to encourage governments to invest in discovering women’s needs, so that women are better able to prepare for, and respond to, disasters.
However, advancing gender perspectives and women’s rights is not just a job for women – more men must advocate at a high level for the empowerment of women, and for the incorporation of gender budgeting into national and local development plans.
The United Nations has increased its leadership in gender issues and UN Women has been created for concerted action in promoting gender equality in and outside the United Nations system. For its part, the UNISDR secretariat has the mandate and responsibility for gender mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction, in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action adopted by 168 countries at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2005.
Making disaster risk reduction gender sensitive will secure the equal participation of men and women in policy making and policy implementation in disaster risk reduction, making it possible to achieve disaster-resilient nations and communities. And, as the frequency and impact of climate-related disasters increases, UNISDR is committed to building a culture of prevention that is founded on the specific needs, voices, roles, and potential of women, men, boys, and girls.
***********
Margareta Wahlström
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Disaster Risk Reduction
March 2011
Related Links
UNISDR Publications: Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction
Contact Information
Other Details
UNISDR
9-11 Rue de Varemb
1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 917 8908/8907
Fax: +41 22 917 8964
Type:News briefs
Date:8 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Disasters affect men and women differently, and so we will continue to lobby for gender-sensitive vulnerability, risk and capacity assessments. Studies show that women’s vulnerabilities during and after disasters is linked to their role and status in society, making women and children 14 times more likely to die than men during a disaster.
At the same time, we will work towards increasing women’s understanding, knowledge and capacity on disaster risk reduction, and of its links with other development sectors. We will continue to encourage governments to invest in discovering women’s needs, so that women are better able to prepare for, and respond to, disasters.
However, advancing gender perspectives and women’s rights is not just a job for women – more men must advocate at a high level for the empowerment of women, and for the incorporation of gender budgeting into national and local development plans.
The United Nations has increased its leadership in gender issues and UN Women has been created for concerted action in promoting gender equality in and outside the United Nations system. For its part, the UNISDR secretariat has the mandate and responsibility for gender mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction, in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action adopted by 168 countries at the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in 2005.
Making disaster risk reduction gender sensitive will secure the equal participation of men and women in policy making and policy implementation in disaster risk reduction, making it possible to achieve disaster-resilient nations and communities. And, as the frequency and impact of climate-related disasters increases, UNISDR is committed to building a culture of prevention that is founded on the specific needs, voices, roles, and potential of women, men, boys, and girls.
***********
Margareta Wahlström
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Disaster Risk Reduction
March 2011
Related Links
UNISDR Publications: Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction
Contact Information
Other Details
UNISDR
9-11 Rue de Varemb
1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 917 8908/8907
Fax: +41 22 917 8964
In times of dwindling resources, disaster risk reduction is an easy win
UNISDR
Description
Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011
In times of dwindling resources, disaster risk reduction is an easy win
Type:Press release
Date:9 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Geneva, Switzerland – A new report from the United Nations confirms what governments already hear but are slow to believe: that disciplined public sector involvement in “disaster risk reduction” can significantly reduce setbacks brought by hundreds of droughts, earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes and other hazards that befall the world each year, on average.
Released today, the “Mid-Term Review of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters,” points out that a majority of countries have roadmaps for creating and safeguarding wealth, but many are lacking capacity. In some cases, there is capacity but no legal basis for coordination among the different government sectors.
“The world needs to hear from its leaders, ‘This fragmentation leads to weakness. The political, economic and social agenda is not complete if we can’t protect our wealth from the next earthquake or storm,’” says Ms. Wahlström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. “The report emphasizes that countries need to conduct risk assessments that lead to wiser development plans, to be carried out by institutions that are well-funded, well-coordinated and trustworthy.”
The report, written half-way through the ten-year mandate of the Hyogo Framework, analyses the findings from nine workshops around the world on disaster risk reduction, four online debates involving over 300 participants, six in-depth studies, a literature review and internal reviews conducted by major non-governmental organizations and bilateral and multilateral aid organizations.
Agreed in 2005, the Hyogo Framework for Action is the world’s only blueprint for staving off losses caused by natural hazards, often overshadowed by news on losses from war, unemployment or inflation. The earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 and New Zealand in September 2010 and February 2011, and the floods in Pakistan in July 2010 and in Australia in December 2010 are some recent examples of the devastating effects of disasters on lives and social and economic fabric of the societies.
According to the report, countries that regularly experience disasters have become more safety conscious. Those countries are now trying to ensure that disaster lessons are not forgotten, such as Japan with its National Day of Earthquake Remembrance and National Disaster Risk Reduction Day. Similar examples can be found in Bangladesh, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, and Vietnam.
Countries are also more serious about implementing the Hyogo Framework. The number of countries voluntarily reporting on progress through the “HFA Monitor,” developed after the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, has risen since the Framework came into being in 2005. During the first reporting cycle ending in 2007, 27 governments completed reports on HFA implementation. The number grew to 77 during the second reporting cycle, ending in 2009. For the cycle ending in 2011, more than 100 reports have been initiated nationally.
Many countries also have recently enacted laws relating to disaster risk reduction, among them India, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Anguilla (UK), Gambia, Indonesia, Egypt, Philippines, Zambia and Papua New Guinea. The report however notes that countries must strive for “a senior, over-arching authority” that can set policies, be accountable for how policies are carried out and ensure enough funds to sustain work in disaster risk reduction.
Ms. Wahlström cautioned: “We are still far from having empowered individuals adopt a disaster risk reduction approach in their daily lives. We need individuals to demand that development, environmental and humanitarian policies and practices be based on sound risk reduction measures.”
When the Hyogo Framework for Action ends in 2015, a successor framework for disaster risk reduction, was indicated in the report, should be based on “solid, structural links” with sustainable development and climate change international framework agreements.
Said Ms. Wahlström: “This report provides an opportunity to catalyze discussion and focus attention on activities that must be undertaken urgently if we are to achieve the outcome expected in the Hyogo Framework for Action by 2015 and contribute to setting the agenda for the Rio+20 world summit on sustainable development, planned for 2012.”
Available here
Press Release [PDF 26.66 KB]
Download the HFA Mid-Term Review
Related Links
HFA Mid-Term Review on PreventionWeb
Description
Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2011
In times of dwindling resources, disaster risk reduction is an easy win
Type:Press release
Date:9 Mar 2011
Source:United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Language:English
Geneva, Switzerland – A new report from the United Nations confirms what governments already hear but are slow to believe: that disciplined public sector involvement in “disaster risk reduction” can significantly reduce setbacks brought by hundreds of droughts, earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes and other hazards that befall the world each year, on average.
Released today, the “Mid-Term Review of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters,” points out that a majority of countries have roadmaps for creating and safeguarding wealth, but many are lacking capacity. In some cases, there is capacity but no legal basis for coordination among the different government sectors.
“The world needs to hear from its leaders, ‘This fragmentation leads to weakness. The political, economic and social agenda is not complete if we can’t protect our wealth from the next earthquake or storm,’” says Ms. Wahlström, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction. “The report emphasizes that countries need to conduct risk assessments that lead to wiser development plans, to be carried out by institutions that are well-funded, well-coordinated and trustworthy.”
The report, written half-way through the ten-year mandate of the Hyogo Framework, analyses the findings from nine workshops around the world on disaster risk reduction, four online debates involving over 300 participants, six in-depth studies, a literature review and internal reviews conducted by major non-governmental organizations and bilateral and multilateral aid organizations.
Agreed in 2005, the Hyogo Framework for Action is the world’s only blueprint for staving off losses caused by natural hazards, often overshadowed by news on losses from war, unemployment or inflation. The earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 and New Zealand in September 2010 and February 2011, and the floods in Pakistan in July 2010 and in Australia in December 2010 are some recent examples of the devastating effects of disasters on lives and social and economic fabric of the societies.
According to the report, countries that regularly experience disasters have become more safety conscious. Those countries are now trying to ensure that disaster lessons are not forgotten, such as Japan with its National Day of Earthquake Remembrance and National Disaster Risk Reduction Day. Similar examples can be found in Bangladesh, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, and Vietnam.
Countries are also more serious about implementing the Hyogo Framework. The number of countries voluntarily reporting on progress through the “HFA Monitor,” developed after the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe, has risen since the Framework came into being in 2005. During the first reporting cycle ending in 2007, 27 governments completed reports on HFA implementation. The number grew to 77 during the second reporting cycle, ending in 2009. For the cycle ending in 2011, more than 100 reports have been initiated nationally.
Many countries also have recently enacted laws relating to disaster risk reduction, among them India, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Anguilla (UK), Gambia, Indonesia, Egypt, Philippines, Zambia and Papua New Guinea. The report however notes that countries must strive for “a senior, over-arching authority” that can set policies, be accountable for how policies are carried out and ensure enough funds to sustain work in disaster risk reduction.
Ms. Wahlström cautioned: “We are still far from having empowered individuals adopt a disaster risk reduction approach in their daily lives. We need individuals to demand that development, environmental and humanitarian policies and practices be based on sound risk reduction measures.”
When the Hyogo Framework for Action ends in 2015, a successor framework for disaster risk reduction, was indicated in the report, should be based on “solid, structural links” with sustainable development and climate change international framework agreements.
Said Ms. Wahlström: “This report provides an opportunity to catalyze discussion and focus attention on activities that must be undertaken urgently if we are to achieve the outcome expected in the Hyogo Framework for Action by 2015 and contribute to setting the agenda for the Rio+20 world summit on sustainable development, planned for 2012.”
Available here
Press Release [PDF 26.66 KB]
Download the HFA Mid-Term Review
Related Links
HFA Mid-Term Review on PreventionWeb
Managing floods through proactive governance
Managing floods through proactive governance March 2011
By N Vinod Chandra Menon
Indian officialdom is pioneering efforts to incorporate disaster management in development planning.
Art: Sworup Nhaisiju
Flood-preparedness measures are divided into structural and non-structural varieties. The former include embankments and related flood-protection walls, while the latter include measures such as zoning within floodplains, building shelters, raising the platforms of borewells and hand pumps above flood level, public-awareness campaigns and capacity-building for a range of preparedness. Forecasting and early-warning systems constitute another significant non-structural measure when dealing with flood-prone areas. In India, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has established a country-wide forecasting system, with alert information shared with all concerned state governments. During the monsoon season, data from 945 stations in the country’s 62 river sub-basins is collected, analysed and applied on a daily basis.
Let us start with a bit of historical context. During the British period, the agency mandated with disaster management in India was the Ministry of Agriculture, as the most frequent disasters in the Subcontinent were recurrent floods and famines. After Independence, the Ministry of Agriculture continued to play this role until as late as 1999, when an official review suggested formulating disaster-management plans at the national, state and district levels. One of the most significant recommendations included in the subsequent report of 2001 was to vest the Ministry of Home Affairs with responsibility for disaster management. Another important recommendation was to establish institutional mechanisms for disaster management, including an apex body at the national level and similar institutions at the state and district levels.
The Indian Ocean tsunami, in December 2004, was a major turning point in understanding the need for comprehensive disaster-management approaches. A year later, the government enacted the Disaster Management Act, following which the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA, of which this writer is a former member) was established and took on the apex role. The NDMA’s executive committee is headed by the home secretary, and its membership includes the secretaries of 14 key ministries; this body performs the tasks related to the implementation of the policy, plans and guidelines. The Disaster Management Act of 2005 also mandated the establishment of State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), headed by the chief ministers of the states of India, as well as District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), headed by district collectors and co-chaired by the elected representative of the respective zilla parishads.
Serious challenges still remain in disseminating alert and early-warning information to flood-prone communities themselves. With the spread of new telecommunication technologies, multiple communication channels are today being used to try to get this critical information ‘the last mile’. The CWC currently operates a network of 878 hydro-meteorological observation sites and disseminates flood forecasts, alert and early-warning messages through a countrywide network of over 500 wireless stations to district authorities; this is now buttressing telephone, telex, fax, satellite and VoIP (Internet telephone) facilities for communicating early-warning messages to various authorities. This has helped to reduce the loss of lives and disruption to livelihoods to a large extent.
From the district headquarters to taluka and tehsil levels, phone, fax and wireless communication is often used. From the tehsil headquarters to villages and smaller settlements, wireless, phone and mobile phones are used. At the very lowest level, even loudspeakers are used to spread evacuation messages. These multiple channels of communication have been used by various agencies to transmit alert and early-warning messages over the past several years. In the recent past, however, innovative approaches have also been attempted by civil-society organisations in several disaster-prone areas to disseminate these messages to the community level, deploying combinations of communication media, including wireless communication supplemented by public-address systems.
The CWC has also deployed automatic water-level-monitoring sensors and tidal gauges with satellite-based transmitters. These can transmit information on rising water levels to designated control rooms, which in turn communicate with district authorities who are tasked with alerting flood-prone communities. During monsoon season, these messages are sent two or three times a day – and during peak flood situations, even hourly. Agencies such as the Indian Meteorological Department, Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Earth Sciences also use remote sensing information to identify areas that are likely to be inundated, backed by scenario analysis and simulation models. The CWC uses 175 stations for flood forecasting, of which 147 are for river stage forecast and 28 stations are for flow forecast. These stations are spread over nine major river basins in the country. The 147 ‘river stage’ forecast stations use sensors to monitor the water levels in the rivers that flood regularly, and transmit messages to designated control rooms for onward transmission to government officials. The 28 ‘flow forecast’ stations are located at critical locations for monitoring the inflow into the rivers, especially from reservoirs that release water when their water level rises.
Heads together
Given the nature of Southasian rivers, floods in India are frequently the result of waters coming from across the borders in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet/China and Bangladesh. An Indo-Bangladesh Joint River Commission, headed by the water ministers of both countries, has been functioning since 1972, tasked with monitoring all concerns related to common rivers. Since 1989, Kathmandu and New Delhi have been maintaining 42 monitoring stations in Nepal and 18 in India to monitor flooding situations in rivers common to the two countries. In addition, 35 stations are maintained by the Bhutanese government, which shares all such information with New Delhi.
In 2002, New Delhi and Beijing also signed an agreement for information-sharing related to water levels on the Tsangpo Siang/Brahmaputra at three sites; during the monsoon, Indian officials receive this information twice a day. In 2005, another agreement was signed with China to establish a monitoring station in Tibet on the Sutlej river (Langquin Zangbu), and again to share information with New Delhi twice a day. As envisaged in the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, India and Pakistan have created permanent posts – Commissioners for Indus Waters – in each government, and together they form the Permanent Indus Commission. India shares daily data from 280 hydrological sites in six basins of the Indus system every month with counterparts in Pakistan. For the rivers of the Indus system, India also shares priority telegrams, telephone messages and radio broadcasts with Pakistan based on monitoring. These messages are sent to the Indus Commissioner’s Office in Pakistan and, depending on the nature of the message, appropriate channels are chosen for the communication.
While these constitute relatively good starts, crossborder information needs to be made available on a real-time basis if appropriate flood-preparedness measures are to be initiated by local communities after early warnings. Trans-boundary concerns on disaster-related information-sharing have been discussed at several bilateral and regional meetings. But inter-governmental platforms (such as SAARC and ASEAN) as well as relevant institutions (such as the new SAARC Disaster Management Centre and ICIMOD, the mountain-focused agency) have yet to place adequate priority on these concerns and improve coordination for effective data-sharing. Most of these issues have been treated as concerns to be addressed bilaterally, but the solutions tend to be ones that require a regional focus. The potential of bilateral agreements has yet to reach its full strength, typically due to other contentious undercurrents between the governments.
There is also a pressing need to document successful flood-management practices, and to share this information with flood-prone communities. Eventually, there will also need to be a widespread risk assessment and vulnerability analysis of flood-prone areas, including the preparation of highly detailed base maps. In the case of most river basins, the CWC and the Ministry of Water Resources have carried out studies, but more needs to be done in terms of scenario analysis and modelling. Still, one of the most important mitigation measures remains the simple preventive maintenance of embankments and flood-protection walls. To date, embankment maintenance, desilting, canal repair and constant monitoring of field channels have been neglected by most state governments, often due to resource constraints and the low priority assigned to these tasks under a ‘business as usual’ approach.
Due to improvements in early warning and flood forecasting, district authorities in India can today initiate proactive evacuation action. In areas that face recurrent flooding, zones that can serve as temporary relief camps are identified in advance, and arrangements are being made for safe drinking water, sanitation and health facilities. Local youths are also being trained to carry out search-and-rescue operations, and to evacuate individuals caught in flooding. Training programmes and mock drills have been conducted in flood-prone areas to teach people to make rafts from locally available materials, and to prepare improvised life-saving equipment. Flood-prone communities are also being provided training in preparing emergency relief kits, and storing valuables and important documents in safe locations in their houses.
After the immediate crisis of the flooding has passed, transparency in the distribution of relief assistance to flood-affected people is widely known to improve confidence levels in affected communities. The publication of relief entitlements – on, for instance, gram panchayat notice boards – can help in ensuring that there are no leakages, and also guarantee that eligible individuals are not deprived from the assistance they are owed.
Local youth volunteers must be made aware of the possibility of the spread of water-borne diseases after the onset of floods, as hand pumps and borewells frequently become contaminated by muddy water during and after floods. Similarly, the disposal of animal carcasses and the cremation of the deceased also require special care in such situations. The caregivers in each community must be trained to provide psycho-social support and mental health care, as some of those who have lost their relatives, lands, houses or assets will undoubtedly be traumatised, and might need help to overcome their grief and trauma.
Planning ahead
In the aftermath of the Kosi floods of 2008, the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka floods of 2009 and the Uttarakhand floods of 2010, the state governments cumulatively estimated the damage caused at some INR 800 billion. If the capacities for disaster preparedness, mitigation and emergency response had been strong enough, most of these losses could have been prevented. For the sake of comparison, note that for the period 2005-10 around INR 213.3 billion had been earmarked for India-wide disaster management. The gap between this and the actual losses clearly highlights the strong justification for investing in strengthening disaster preparedness, mitigation and emergency response. So far, most governments have only reacted to disasters after the fact, typically by providing relief assistance to affected communities. More recently, however, the emphasis has shifted to strengthening pre-disaster preparedness, capacity-building of local communities and introducing disaster-related risk-reduction interventions.
In the tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-07), the National Planning Commission for the first time introduced a separate chapter on disaster management, which focused on looking at disasters from a development perspective. ‘Development programmes that go into promoting development at the local level have been left to the general exercise of planning,’ it read.
Measures need also to be taken to integrate disaster mitigation efforts at the local level with the general exercise of planning, and a more supportive environment created for initiatives towards managing of disasters at all levels: national, state, district and local. The future blue-print for disaster management in India rests on the premise that in today’s society while hazards, both natural or otherwise, are inevitable, the disasters that follow need not be so and the society can be prepared to cope with them effectively whenever they occur … the compounded costs of disasters relating to loss of life, loss of assets, economic activities, and cost of reconstruction of not only assets but of lives can scarcely be borne by any community or nation.
During the early stages of drawing up strategies for inclusive growth for the 11th Five-Year Plan (2008-13), the Planning Commission set up a working group chaired by a Member of the NDMA to work out ways to incorporate disaster management in development planning. Based on subsequent recommendations, the 11th Five-Year Plan extended the spirit of the transition initiated in its predecessor, aiming to give ‘impetus to projects and programmes that develop and nurture the culture of safety and the integration of disaster prevention and mitigation into the development process.’ It also noted that ‘the guidance and direction to achieve this paradigm shift’ would be expected to come specifically from the NDMA.
The Planning Commission further explained that ‘mainstreaming’ disaster management into development planning means looking at every part of that process ‘not only from the perspective of reducing the disaster vulnerability of that activity, but also from the perspective of minimising that activity’s potential contribution to the hazard.’ Examples of such an approach include zoning and urban planning, upgrading and enforcing building codes, adopting disaster-resilient building designs, expanding insurance and early warning systems, and creating additional technical competence among a range of engineers, etc.
In consultation with the Planning Commission, the NDMA and concerned ministries have worked out ways to scrutinise the incorporation of disaster management concerns in development plans throughout the central and state governments. For instance, if hospitals or school buildings have to be constructed in areas of high seismic risk, their design must incorporate earthquake-resistant construction techniques. Similarly, if roads are to be built in areas that are prone to flooding or storm surges, the specifications require that these are built in such a way that they cannot be washed away during the monsoon season or when the rains arrive. These now have to be complied with while submitting any plan proposal before the Planning Commission. In so doing, the Indian government has become one of the first in Southasia (and one of the leading examples around the world) to operationalise the mainstreaming of disaster management in development plans. The 12th Five-Year Plan is likewise expected to build on this success by institutionalising the processes within the development-planning framework in the central and state governments.
New roles
As local communities are always the first to respond to a disaster situation, the Indian government is encouraging the involvement of all stakeholders in strengthening community-based disaster management through comprehensive training programmes, public-awareness campaigns, mock drills and so on. This is one of the pillars of the National Policy for Disaster Management, as officially approved in October 2009. While formulating individual State Disaster Management Policies, many state governments have also started to apply these principles for emphasising communities in disaster preparedness, disaster-related risk reduction, mitigation and emergency response, rehabilitation and recovery.
Over the past few years, disaster situations in India have also witnessed changing roles of women, from passive victims to agents of social change. During the immediate aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, women in many villages mobilised their own savings to provide necessary support to affected communities, and even financed some risk-reduction initiatives for their villages. This transformed the quality of life of the disaster-prone communities through large scale social-mobilisation efforts. Examples can be seen in improved levels of confidence and community resilience among women’s groups in many disaster-prone communities, and the success stories of replication of Community Disaster Resilience Funds in thousands of villages due to women-led initiatives in several states.
Special efforts are also being made to create a culture of disaster preparedness, mitigation, risk reduction and emergency response among children and youths, including through changes to curricula. The Committee on Boards of Secondary Education, the All India Council on Technical Education, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the University Grants Commission, the Indian Medical Council and others have reviewed the curricula of relevant educational programmes by setting up expert working groups, and carried out necessary revisions in the curricula of schools, higher education and professional education. Special efforts are also being made to involve youths in NCC, NSS and Nehru Yuvak Kendra (a voluntary youth organisation supported by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, with state, district and sub-district presence) in improving disaster preparedness in their neighbourhoods.
An empowered community – one that is aware about the disaster-related vulnerability of their local area and capable enough to address the challenges of establishing temporary relief camps, providing safe drinking water, sanitation and health services, and managing a system of transparent assessment of damages and distribution of relief assistance – is clearly one of the most important parts of any effective disaster-management system. Public awareness campaigns and capacity-building initiatives are being launched with the help of elected representatives, NGOs, self-help groups and related small-scale organisations. Due to the myriad experiences that have evolved through the years, successful coping strategies of communities which have been living with floods historically will have to be documented and widely shared.
Fragile governance systems will always pose serious challenges in improved flood preparedness, mitigation and emergency response. In the context of disaster management, good governance (especially transparency, accountability, inclusion, non-discrimination, etc) cannot be left as a responsibility of the government alone. Rather, besides the community, corporate sector, civil society and multi-disciplinary professionals all have to contribute to identify possible emerging risks and vulnerabilities, developing worst-case scenarios and preparing to face them in advance by developing local capacities through training, mock drills, awareness campaigns, participatory risk assessment and vulnerability analysis exercises, and capturing the wisdom of elderly people in understanding coping strategies. Natural disasters are often caused by human interference with nature, and also by lack of effective coordination among multiple entities with overlapping mandates. Recent experiences thus underline a need to carry out frank diagnostics of the failure of governance systems in disaster-prone areas.
The impact of the various planning interventions mentioned above is already being seen, in reducing the loss of lives due to flooding in several parts of India. Even though the lives of about 200 million people are affected by floods during the worst such years in India, the number of lives lost due to flooding has been declining. The real challenge continues to be to reduce the economic damage caused by the floods, especially by reducing the number of houses, the hundreds of kilometres of roads and the community assets and rural infrastructure destroyed and damaged by flooding every year. Even though efforts have begun in mainstreaming disaster management in development planning at the national level, the institutionalisation of these efforts at the state, district and sub-district levels continue to remain serious challenges. The involvement of all stakeholder groups is required to meet these challenges in making disaster-prone communities take greater responsibility for disaster risk reduction in their local neighbourhoods.
-- N Vinod Chandra Menon is a former member of the Indian government’s National Disaster.
By N Vinod Chandra Menon
Indian officialdom is pioneering efforts to incorporate disaster management in development planning.
Art: Sworup Nhaisiju
Flood-preparedness measures are divided into structural and non-structural varieties. The former include embankments and related flood-protection walls, while the latter include measures such as zoning within floodplains, building shelters, raising the platforms of borewells and hand pumps above flood level, public-awareness campaigns and capacity-building for a range of preparedness. Forecasting and early-warning systems constitute another significant non-structural measure when dealing with flood-prone areas. In India, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has established a country-wide forecasting system, with alert information shared with all concerned state governments. During the monsoon season, data from 945 stations in the country’s 62 river sub-basins is collected, analysed and applied on a daily basis.
Let us start with a bit of historical context. During the British period, the agency mandated with disaster management in India was the Ministry of Agriculture, as the most frequent disasters in the Subcontinent were recurrent floods and famines. After Independence, the Ministry of Agriculture continued to play this role until as late as 1999, when an official review suggested formulating disaster-management plans at the national, state and district levels. One of the most significant recommendations included in the subsequent report of 2001 was to vest the Ministry of Home Affairs with responsibility for disaster management. Another important recommendation was to establish institutional mechanisms for disaster management, including an apex body at the national level and similar institutions at the state and district levels.
The Indian Ocean tsunami, in December 2004, was a major turning point in understanding the need for comprehensive disaster-management approaches. A year later, the government enacted the Disaster Management Act, following which the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA, of which this writer is a former member) was established and took on the apex role. The NDMA’s executive committee is headed by the home secretary, and its membership includes the secretaries of 14 key ministries; this body performs the tasks related to the implementation of the policy, plans and guidelines. The Disaster Management Act of 2005 also mandated the establishment of State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), headed by the chief ministers of the states of India, as well as District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs), headed by district collectors and co-chaired by the elected representative of the respective zilla parishads.
Serious challenges still remain in disseminating alert and early-warning information to flood-prone communities themselves. With the spread of new telecommunication technologies, multiple communication channels are today being used to try to get this critical information ‘the last mile’. The CWC currently operates a network of 878 hydro-meteorological observation sites and disseminates flood forecasts, alert and early-warning messages through a countrywide network of over 500 wireless stations to district authorities; this is now buttressing telephone, telex, fax, satellite and VoIP (Internet telephone) facilities for communicating early-warning messages to various authorities. This has helped to reduce the loss of lives and disruption to livelihoods to a large extent.
From the district headquarters to taluka and tehsil levels, phone, fax and wireless communication is often used. From the tehsil headquarters to villages and smaller settlements, wireless, phone and mobile phones are used. At the very lowest level, even loudspeakers are used to spread evacuation messages. These multiple channels of communication have been used by various agencies to transmit alert and early-warning messages over the past several years. In the recent past, however, innovative approaches have also been attempted by civil-society organisations in several disaster-prone areas to disseminate these messages to the community level, deploying combinations of communication media, including wireless communication supplemented by public-address systems.
The CWC has also deployed automatic water-level-monitoring sensors and tidal gauges with satellite-based transmitters. These can transmit information on rising water levels to designated control rooms, which in turn communicate with district authorities who are tasked with alerting flood-prone communities. During monsoon season, these messages are sent two or three times a day – and during peak flood situations, even hourly. Agencies such as the Indian Meteorological Department, Ministry of Water Resources and Ministry of Earth Sciences also use remote sensing information to identify areas that are likely to be inundated, backed by scenario analysis and simulation models. The CWC uses 175 stations for flood forecasting, of which 147 are for river stage forecast and 28 stations are for flow forecast. These stations are spread over nine major river basins in the country. The 147 ‘river stage’ forecast stations use sensors to monitor the water levels in the rivers that flood regularly, and transmit messages to designated control rooms for onward transmission to government officials. The 28 ‘flow forecast’ stations are located at critical locations for monitoring the inflow into the rivers, especially from reservoirs that release water when their water level rises.
Heads together
Given the nature of Southasian rivers, floods in India are frequently the result of waters coming from across the borders in Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet/China and Bangladesh. An Indo-Bangladesh Joint River Commission, headed by the water ministers of both countries, has been functioning since 1972, tasked with monitoring all concerns related to common rivers. Since 1989, Kathmandu and New Delhi have been maintaining 42 monitoring stations in Nepal and 18 in India to monitor flooding situations in rivers common to the two countries. In addition, 35 stations are maintained by the Bhutanese government, which shares all such information with New Delhi.
In 2002, New Delhi and Beijing also signed an agreement for information-sharing related to water levels on the Tsangpo Siang/Brahmaputra at three sites; during the monsoon, Indian officials receive this information twice a day. In 2005, another agreement was signed with China to establish a monitoring station in Tibet on the Sutlej river (Langquin Zangbu), and again to share information with New Delhi twice a day. As envisaged in the Indus Water Treaty in 1960, India and Pakistan have created permanent posts – Commissioners for Indus Waters – in each government, and together they form the Permanent Indus Commission. India shares daily data from 280 hydrological sites in six basins of the Indus system every month with counterparts in Pakistan. For the rivers of the Indus system, India also shares priority telegrams, telephone messages and radio broadcasts with Pakistan based on monitoring. These messages are sent to the Indus Commissioner’s Office in Pakistan and, depending on the nature of the message, appropriate channels are chosen for the communication.
While these constitute relatively good starts, crossborder information needs to be made available on a real-time basis if appropriate flood-preparedness measures are to be initiated by local communities after early warnings. Trans-boundary concerns on disaster-related information-sharing have been discussed at several bilateral and regional meetings. But inter-governmental platforms (such as SAARC and ASEAN) as well as relevant institutions (such as the new SAARC Disaster Management Centre and ICIMOD, the mountain-focused agency) have yet to place adequate priority on these concerns and improve coordination for effective data-sharing. Most of these issues have been treated as concerns to be addressed bilaterally, but the solutions tend to be ones that require a regional focus. The potential of bilateral agreements has yet to reach its full strength, typically due to other contentious undercurrents between the governments.
There is also a pressing need to document successful flood-management practices, and to share this information with flood-prone communities. Eventually, there will also need to be a widespread risk assessment and vulnerability analysis of flood-prone areas, including the preparation of highly detailed base maps. In the case of most river basins, the CWC and the Ministry of Water Resources have carried out studies, but more needs to be done in terms of scenario analysis and modelling. Still, one of the most important mitigation measures remains the simple preventive maintenance of embankments and flood-protection walls. To date, embankment maintenance, desilting, canal repair and constant monitoring of field channels have been neglected by most state governments, often due to resource constraints and the low priority assigned to these tasks under a ‘business as usual’ approach.
Due to improvements in early warning and flood forecasting, district authorities in India can today initiate proactive evacuation action. In areas that face recurrent flooding, zones that can serve as temporary relief camps are identified in advance, and arrangements are being made for safe drinking water, sanitation and health facilities. Local youths are also being trained to carry out search-and-rescue operations, and to evacuate individuals caught in flooding. Training programmes and mock drills have been conducted in flood-prone areas to teach people to make rafts from locally available materials, and to prepare improvised life-saving equipment. Flood-prone communities are also being provided training in preparing emergency relief kits, and storing valuables and important documents in safe locations in their houses.
After the immediate crisis of the flooding has passed, transparency in the distribution of relief assistance to flood-affected people is widely known to improve confidence levels in affected communities. The publication of relief entitlements – on, for instance, gram panchayat notice boards – can help in ensuring that there are no leakages, and also guarantee that eligible individuals are not deprived from the assistance they are owed.
Local youth volunteers must be made aware of the possibility of the spread of water-borne diseases after the onset of floods, as hand pumps and borewells frequently become contaminated by muddy water during and after floods. Similarly, the disposal of animal carcasses and the cremation of the deceased also require special care in such situations. The caregivers in each community must be trained to provide psycho-social support and mental health care, as some of those who have lost their relatives, lands, houses or assets will undoubtedly be traumatised, and might need help to overcome their grief and trauma.
Planning ahead
In the aftermath of the Kosi floods of 2008, the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka floods of 2009 and the Uttarakhand floods of 2010, the state governments cumulatively estimated the damage caused at some INR 800 billion. If the capacities for disaster preparedness, mitigation and emergency response had been strong enough, most of these losses could have been prevented. For the sake of comparison, note that for the period 2005-10 around INR 213.3 billion had been earmarked for India-wide disaster management. The gap between this and the actual losses clearly highlights the strong justification for investing in strengthening disaster preparedness, mitigation and emergency response. So far, most governments have only reacted to disasters after the fact, typically by providing relief assistance to affected communities. More recently, however, the emphasis has shifted to strengthening pre-disaster preparedness, capacity-building of local communities and introducing disaster-related risk-reduction interventions.
In the tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-07), the National Planning Commission for the first time introduced a separate chapter on disaster management, which focused on looking at disasters from a development perspective. ‘Development programmes that go into promoting development at the local level have been left to the general exercise of planning,’ it read.
Measures need also to be taken to integrate disaster mitigation efforts at the local level with the general exercise of planning, and a more supportive environment created for initiatives towards managing of disasters at all levels: national, state, district and local. The future blue-print for disaster management in India rests on the premise that in today’s society while hazards, both natural or otherwise, are inevitable, the disasters that follow need not be so and the society can be prepared to cope with them effectively whenever they occur … the compounded costs of disasters relating to loss of life, loss of assets, economic activities, and cost of reconstruction of not only assets but of lives can scarcely be borne by any community or nation.
During the early stages of drawing up strategies for inclusive growth for the 11th Five-Year Plan (2008-13), the Planning Commission set up a working group chaired by a Member of the NDMA to work out ways to incorporate disaster management in development planning. Based on subsequent recommendations, the 11th Five-Year Plan extended the spirit of the transition initiated in its predecessor, aiming to give ‘impetus to projects and programmes that develop and nurture the culture of safety and the integration of disaster prevention and mitigation into the development process.’ It also noted that ‘the guidance and direction to achieve this paradigm shift’ would be expected to come specifically from the NDMA.
The Planning Commission further explained that ‘mainstreaming’ disaster management into development planning means looking at every part of that process ‘not only from the perspective of reducing the disaster vulnerability of that activity, but also from the perspective of minimising that activity’s potential contribution to the hazard.’ Examples of such an approach include zoning and urban planning, upgrading and enforcing building codes, adopting disaster-resilient building designs, expanding insurance and early warning systems, and creating additional technical competence among a range of engineers, etc.
In consultation with the Planning Commission, the NDMA and concerned ministries have worked out ways to scrutinise the incorporation of disaster management concerns in development plans throughout the central and state governments. For instance, if hospitals or school buildings have to be constructed in areas of high seismic risk, their design must incorporate earthquake-resistant construction techniques. Similarly, if roads are to be built in areas that are prone to flooding or storm surges, the specifications require that these are built in such a way that they cannot be washed away during the monsoon season or when the rains arrive. These now have to be complied with while submitting any plan proposal before the Planning Commission. In so doing, the Indian government has become one of the first in Southasia (and one of the leading examples around the world) to operationalise the mainstreaming of disaster management in development plans. The 12th Five-Year Plan is likewise expected to build on this success by institutionalising the processes within the development-planning framework in the central and state governments.
New roles
As local communities are always the first to respond to a disaster situation, the Indian government is encouraging the involvement of all stakeholders in strengthening community-based disaster management through comprehensive training programmes, public-awareness campaigns, mock drills and so on. This is one of the pillars of the National Policy for Disaster Management, as officially approved in October 2009. While formulating individual State Disaster Management Policies, many state governments have also started to apply these principles for emphasising communities in disaster preparedness, disaster-related risk reduction, mitigation and emergency response, rehabilitation and recovery.
Over the past few years, disaster situations in India have also witnessed changing roles of women, from passive victims to agents of social change. During the immediate aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, women in many villages mobilised their own savings to provide necessary support to affected communities, and even financed some risk-reduction initiatives for their villages. This transformed the quality of life of the disaster-prone communities through large scale social-mobilisation efforts. Examples can be seen in improved levels of confidence and community resilience among women’s groups in many disaster-prone communities, and the success stories of replication of Community Disaster Resilience Funds in thousands of villages due to women-led initiatives in several states.
Special efforts are also being made to create a culture of disaster preparedness, mitigation, risk reduction and emergency response among children and youths, including through changes to curricula. The Committee on Boards of Secondary Education, the All India Council on Technical Education, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the University Grants Commission, the Indian Medical Council and others have reviewed the curricula of relevant educational programmes by setting up expert working groups, and carried out necessary revisions in the curricula of schools, higher education and professional education. Special efforts are also being made to involve youths in NCC, NSS and Nehru Yuvak Kendra (a voluntary youth organisation supported by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, with state, district and sub-district presence) in improving disaster preparedness in their neighbourhoods.
An empowered community – one that is aware about the disaster-related vulnerability of their local area and capable enough to address the challenges of establishing temporary relief camps, providing safe drinking water, sanitation and health services, and managing a system of transparent assessment of damages and distribution of relief assistance – is clearly one of the most important parts of any effective disaster-management system. Public awareness campaigns and capacity-building initiatives are being launched with the help of elected representatives, NGOs, self-help groups and related small-scale organisations. Due to the myriad experiences that have evolved through the years, successful coping strategies of communities which have been living with floods historically will have to be documented and widely shared.
Fragile governance systems will always pose serious challenges in improved flood preparedness, mitigation and emergency response. In the context of disaster management, good governance (especially transparency, accountability, inclusion, non-discrimination, etc) cannot be left as a responsibility of the government alone. Rather, besides the community, corporate sector, civil society and multi-disciplinary professionals all have to contribute to identify possible emerging risks and vulnerabilities, developing worst-case scenarios and preparing to face them in advance by developing local capacities through training, mock drills, awareness campaigns, participatory risk assessment and vulnerability analysis exercises, and capturing the wisdom of elderly people in understanding coping strategies. Natural disasters are often caused by human interference with nature, and also by lack of effective coordination among multiple entities with overlapping mandates. Recent experiences thus underline a need to carry out frank diagnostics of the failure of governance systems in disaster-prone areas.
The impact of the various planning interventions mentioned above is already being seen, in reducing the loss of lives due to flooding in several parts of India. Even though the lives of about 200 million people are affected by floods during the worst such years in India, the number of lives lost due to flooding has been declining. The real challenge continues to be to reduce the economic damage caused by the floods, especially by reducing the number of houses, the hundreds of kilometres of roads and the community assets and rural infrastructure destroyed and damaged by flooding every year. Even though efforts have begun in mainstreaming disaster management in development planning at the national level, the institutionalisation of these efforts at the state, district and sub-district levels continue to remain serious challenges. The involvement of all stakeholder groups is required to meet these challenges in making disaster-prone communities take greater responsibility for disaster risk reduction in their local neighbourhoods.
-- N Vinod Chandra Menon is a former member of the Indian government’s National Disaster.
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