KOLKATA: An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale rocked parts of West Bengal in the early hours of today, the MeT Dept said here.
The tremor, felt at 5.10 AM, had its epicentre along the Bihar-Nepal border with 26.1 latitude and 87.8 longitude, according to the seismological centre of the Regional Meteorological Officer.The duration of the quake was negligible, they said.There was no report of injury to anybody or loss of property, police said.Source:- http://expressbuzz.com/nation/49-magnitude-quake-hits-parts-of-Bengal-Bihar/376764.html
Showing posts with label earthquake relief organization india. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earthquake relief organization india. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Preliminary Information on Earthquake India-Nepal Border 28-3-12
There was a low intensity earthquake, as reported by Indian Meteorological Department and our partners in the region, today morning. The preliminary information available to us are given as below:
Date of Occurrence: | 28/03/2012 |
Time: | 05:10:08.0 HRS(IST) |
Intensity: | SLIGHT |
Magnitude: | 4.9 |
Epicentre: | Lat. 26.1°N Long. 87.8°E |
Region: | INDIA - NEPAL BORDER REGION |
If you have further information or any plans to monitor / respond, please inform at iagwestbengal@gmail.com.
Thanks and regards
Debadrita
--
Debadrita Sengupta
State Coordinator
State Inter Agency Group (IAG) - West Bengal
C/o Association of Bengal Collaborators for Development (ABCD)
52-D, Radhanath Choudhury Road
Kolkata - 700 015, West Bengal
Telephone : +91 33 2329 6198 / 8072
C/o Association of Bengal Collaborators for Development (ABCD)
52-D, Radhanath Choudhury Road
Kolkata - 700 015, West Bengal
Telephone : +91 33 2329 6198 / 8072
Mobile : +91 98308 24755
Fax : +91 33 2328 1001
Fax : +91 33 2328 1001
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
China develops system to predict earthquakes
Chinese scientists claimed to have developed a system to monitor the movement of the Earth’s crust and predict earthquakes.
The new system will be based on satellite navigation involving a network of 260 constant observing stations and 2,000 part-time observing stations with data-processing technology, according to the officials of the China Earthquake Administration said.
The new system will be used for weather forecasting and scientific research, among other purposes.
The 35 experts in charge of the project agreed that the outcome is a comprehensive, precise and versatile geoscientific resource, and that its information should be shared, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
read in detail at :- http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23322
The new system will be based on satellite navigation involving a network of 260 constant observing stations and 2,000 part-time observing stations with data-processing technology, according to the officials of the China Earthquake Administration said.
The new system will be used for weather forecasting and scientific research, among other purposes.
The 35 experts in charge of the project agreed that the outcome is a comprehensive, precise and versatile geoscientific resource, and that its information should be shared, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
read in detail at :- http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23322
Monday, January 23, 2012
UNISDR warns against ignoring seismic threats as quakes wreak havoc for second year
For two consecutive years the long-term disasters trend has been bucked by major earthquakes which claimed thousands of lives and affected millions in both 2010 and 2011, according to new statistics published today by CRED and the UN office for disaster risk reduction, UNISDR.
UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, said today: “The Great East Japan Earthquake and the accompanying tsunami is a reminder to us all that we cannot afford to ignore the lessons of history no matter how forgotten. The many major cities located in seismic zones need to take seriously the probability of return events even if many years have passed since the last seismic event of major magnitude.
“In 2010 we saw this phenomenon as well when over 220,000 people died in Haiti which had not been hit by an earthquake of such strength for almost 200 years. Unless we prepare for the worst then many earthquake-prone urban areas around the world are destined to see even greater loss of life in the future as more and more people move to cities.”
Figures released today by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) at a UNISDR-hosted press conference in Geneva showed that 20,943 people lost their lives in earthquakes last year out of a total of 29,782 people directly killed by 302 disasters. The earthquake fatalities included 19,846 who died in Japan while the remainder were largely accounted for by the October earthquake in Turkey.
The year was marked by the fact that major disasters in terms of human impact and economic losses occurred in high and middle-income countries. These included the Brazil floods (January); the New Zealand earthquake (February); the Japan earthquake/tsunami (March); two waves of severe storms and tornadoes in the USA (April and May); Hurricane Irene in the USA, (August/September); floods in Thailand (August to December); the October earthquake in Turkey and the December storm Sendong (Washi) in the Philippines.
In the case of Brazil, the floods were the deadliest in the country’s history (900 deaths), and in the case of Thailand, the country’s most expensive natural catastrophe ($40 billion).
Read in detail at :- http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23131
UNISDR Chief, Margareta Wahlström, said today: “The Great East Japan Earthquake and the accompanying tsunami is a reminder to us all that we cannot afford to ignore the lessons of history no matter how forgotten. The many major cities located in seismic zones need to take seriously the probability of return events even if many years have passed since the last seismic event of major magnitude.
“In 2010 we saw this phenomenon as well when over 220,000 people died in Haiti which had not been hit by an earthquake of such strength for almost 200 years. Unless we prepare for the worst then many earthquake-prone urban areas around the world are destined to see even greater loss of life in the future as more and more people move to cities.”
Figures released today by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) at a UNISDR-hosted press conference in Geneva showed that 20,943 people lost their lives in earthquakes last year out of a total of 29,782 people directly killed by 302 disasters. The earthquake fatalities included 19,846 who died in Japan while the remainder were largely accounted for by the October earthquake in Turkey.
The year was marked by the fact that major disasters in terms of human impact and economic losses occurred in high and middle-income countries. These included the Brazil floods (January); the New Zealand earthquake (February); the Japan earthquake/tsunami (March); two waves of severe storms and tornadoes in the USA (April and May); Hurricane Irene in the USA, (August/September); floods in Thailand (August to December); the October earthquake in Turkey and the December storm Sendong (Washi) in the Philippines.
In the case of Brazil, the floods were the deadliest in the country’s history (900 deaths), and in the case of Thailand, the country’s most expensive natural catastrophe ($40 billion).
Read in detail at :- http://www.cdrn.org.in/show.detail.asp?id=23131
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
5.1 quake hits China-Myanmar border region
5.1 quake hits China-Myanmar border region
An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale jolted China-Myanmar border region late last night, the China Earthquake Networks Center reported.
The epicenter, with a depth of 7 km, was initially determined to be at 25.1 degrees north latitude and 97.6 degrees east longitude, the center said.
The tremor was felt in the city of Mangshi and Yingjiang and Tengchong counties in southwestern Yunnan Province at around 11:06 pm Beijing Time (2036 IST).
The epicenter was on the Myanmar side, some 15 km from the border and 57 km from the government seat of Yingjiang County, state run Xinhua news agency reported quoting sources with the Yunnan Earthquake Bureau.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from the affected region.
A magnitude-5.8 earthquake hit Yingjiang County on March 10 this year, leaving 26 people dead and 313 others injured, including 133 seriously.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Panic in north Bengal, Darjeeling cut off
Panic in north Bengal, Darjeeling cut off
| Font Size |
Press Trust of India,Express news service
Posted: Sep 19, 2011 at 0214 hrs IST
18 killed as powerful earthquake jolts north...This time, West sees hidden hand of Pakistan...Mallika Sarabhai detained on 2nd day of Nare...This time, West sees hidden hand of Pakistan...Mallika Sarabhai detained on 2nd day of Nare...Mallika Sarabhai detained on 2nd day of Nare...Meet on pharma pricing policy on Feb 11
Kolkata The West Bengal government has asked the Army to assist civil authorities, if needed, in relief and rescue work inDarjeeling and some other North Bengal districts affected by the massive quake that hit the region on Sunday evening.
Darjeeling remained cut off from the rest of the country as landslides blocked major roads and power lines snapped. “I have talked to the army authorities here and requested them to provide help if necessary,” Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh said.
Four deaths were reported in the state, three in Darjeeling district and one in Jalpaiguri district, Ghosh said. Of the deaths in Darjeeling district, one each occurred inKalimpong, Kurseong and Siliguri sub-divisions, he said.
Hundreds of vehicles remained stranded at Siliguri, where one elderly person also died of heart attack at Khalpar and 30 were admitted to various hospitals after they were injured while trying to flee to safety.
“People were injured when they jumped from rooftops and verandahs. There was panic as the tremors hit us twice. Two houses collapsed and several others were damaged. Electric lines have snapped and mobiles are not working. We are arranging for relief,'' Gangotri Dutta, chairperson of Siliguri municipality, told The Indian Express over the phone.
“The epicentre of the quake is on the Sikkim-Nepal border and the intensity of the quake is 6.8 on the Richter scale,” said G C Debnath, director of Alipore Meterological Centre. He said aftershocks were felt in North Bengal at 6.11 pm.
Debnath said because of inclement weather and the quake, there could be landslides at some places in North Bengal.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged people not to panic. “I have spoken to Chief Minister of Sikkim. I hope the situation will not be as bad in North Bengal,” she said. The CM said assessment of the damage in North Bengal, particularly in the hills, was not possible before morning. Banerjee said there have been damage in Darjeeling Hills “but hopefully not on the scale that has happened in Sikkim”. She said efforts were on to restore power supply in the hill areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
“The Darjeeling district magistrate has already been asked to assess whether there has been any damage to any building or household in the hills,” Banerjee said, adding that necessary assistance will be provided in case of any damage. “District Magistrates, SPs, city police commissioner and disaster management and power departments have been asked to remain alert. I am also monitoring the entire situation,” Banerjee said.
The chief minister also cautioned people to remain alert against the activities of anti-social elements. “Anti-socials always take advantage of difficult situation and exploit people. Keep your eyes open,” she said.
State Commerce and Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee has left for Jalpaiguri. According to the Chief Minister, he and Gautam Deb, Minister for North Bengal Development, will jointly assess the situation. In Jalpaiguri, fire broke out a power station, which, the Chief Minister said, was brought under control.
In Kolkata and adjoining areas, there was panic across the city and people came out of highrises. There was not much damage except for cracks at a few places like the police housing colony at Ultadanga.
Source:- http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/panic-in-north-bengal-darjeeling-cut-off/848498/
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Media’s role in times of natural disasters
Media’s role in times of natural disasters
Of all the sad news following the earthquake and tsunami that hit parts of Japan on March 11, 2011, there was one particular thing that was admired by people around the world: The attitude of almost all Japanese in the face of such a calamity. They were relatively very calm and did not panic as they had been trained to engage in such an emergency situation. And they were willing to queue for food.
We witnessed a different situation in Aceh during the earthquake and tsunami in December 2004: People panicked.
Some media outlets reported the occurrence of looting in some parts of Aceh.
Another story that was heard in Aceh at the time was about the sea water that suddenly receded just before the tsunami came.
When that happened, the beaches became much larger and a number of people ran toward the uncovered sea floor.
They did not realize that it was the beginning of the calamity, as shortly afterwards the sea came back to the beach; this time with unimaginable power and speed.
Read the complete article at :-
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Grassroot innovations draw India Inc
| Grassroot innovations draw India Inc | ||
 | ||
| Business Standard: May 23, 2011 | ||
Mumbai/ Ahmedabad: While so far the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) spearheaded innovations at grassroots level, the organisation is now getting a sound support from India Inc. With word spreading around about interesting innovations being discovered from across the country, corporates are queueing up at NIF to for commercial and social tie-ups. While the likes of Future Group and Britannia intend to brand and market such grassroots innovations in food products discovered by NIF, power equipment company Alstom is joining hands with NIF for pilot projects in low-cost windmills. For instance, retail giant Future Group recently unveiled Nutraceutical Cookies, developed by three tribal women innovators from Panchmahal in Gujarat. The products have been unveiled by Future Group in association with National Innovation Foundation (NIF) under the aegis of their 'Khoj lab- India ka Idea' initiative. With a memorandum of understanding (MoU) being signed between them in December 2010, the tie-up will result in more such launches in the coming months, said Future Group. The patented cookies are made from natural ingredients under the four categories of Anaj, Cornif, Kodri and Farari, and are rich in calcium, protein, omega 3 fatty acids, dietary fibre, phosphorus and iron, its bio-active and antioxidant compounds. The cookies will be available in two pack sizes of 100 grams and 200 grams at all Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar stores. Starting with the six Big Bazaar outlets in Ahmedabad, the product will be sold in across Big bazaar outlets in India soon. According to Anil Gupta, executive vice chairman at NIF, the organisation is also in talks with another FMCG major Britannia for a similar tie-up. "While we have been promoting grassroots innovations since sometime, it is now that they are seeing us mainstream. What makes our innovations different is that we try to sell by people and not to people. It is a positive sign to see many corporates showing interest in our grassroots innovation," said Gupta. Apart from retail and FMCG, NIF is also in talks with corporates for commercial or social tie-ups in verticals like automobile, food and food processing, technology, agriculture, energy and transport.On the social front, Alstom Foundation has extended financial support of 56000 euros (Rs 35.68 lakhs approx.) to Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network (GIAN) and NIF for setting up 50 low-cost windmills for irrigation in salt farming areas of Little Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. "The low-cost windmills are an innovation by two brothers from Assam which was identified by NIF. GIAN has been adding value to the innovation and helping the innovators make it more commercially viable. This green technology will help cut the diesel expenses and labour by 40 percent and 18 windmills have already been installed for the same. Among corporates, Alstom Foundation, the CSR wing of Alstom Group has shown interest in supporting use of low-cost windmills for irrigation in salt farming in Gujarat," said Mahesh Patel, chief innovation manager, GIAN. GIAN and NIF are planning to set up in all 130 windmills in the near future in three phases and hope to see more corporate support for the same. | ||
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Thursday, April 14, 2011
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) lends a hand in Japan
It's been just one week and a small group of young men from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is already making its presence felt in the tsunami-struck town of Onagawa in Japan.
In a small but significant manner, the 46-member Indian contingent, which landed in Japan on March 28, almost three weeks after the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the country, has been contributing to the relief and rescue operations in this seaside town that was completely washed away. Nearly half the town’s population is reported to be missing.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Earthquakes highlight need for regional preparedness
ASIA: Earthquakes highlight need for regional preparedness, say experts
BANGKOK, 31 March 2011 (IRIN) - Two back-to-back earthquakes in Japan and Myanmar, which left more than 27,000 people dead and thousands more injured, underscore the need for greater disaster preparedness in the region, experts say.
"Natural hazards to do not recognize man-made borders, and this in itself is a compelling reason for countries to come together for regional cooperation in disaster-risk reduction," Krasae Chanawongse, chairman of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) [ http://www.adpc.net/2011/ ] told IRIN in Bangkok.
According to a recent report [ http://www.unescap.org/idd/pubs/Asia-Pacific-Disaster-Report-2010.pdf ] by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asia-Pacific region accounts for 85 percent of global deaths from natural disasters, and 38 percent of global economic losses.
"Building codes, stronger schools and hospitals, and the location of power plants are all important. We need risk-sensitive land-use planning," said Sanny Jegillos, regional programme coordinator at the UN Development Programme, at an ADPC regional panel discussion earlier this month in Bangkok. Climate change, coupled with rapid economic growth, urbanization, and unregulated construction, make the region particularly vulnerable, he added.
While the region has shown more effective and rapid responses compared with 10-15 years ago, "progress has been regrettably uneven because some countries lack funds, expertise, and technology", Oliver Lacey Hall, regional head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) [http://www.unocha.org/ ] in Bangkok, said.
According to the latest figures provided by OCHA on 30 March, the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/MCOI-8FFFPU?OpenDocument&cc=jpn ] on 11 March left over 27,000 people dead, 173,000 homeless, and more than 16,000 missing.
Two weeks later, a 6.8 magnitude quake in Myanmar's eastern Shan state [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/VDUX-8FFLKY/$File/full_report.pdf ] left 74 dead, 125 injured, and 703 homes damaged or destroyed. More than 3,000 people were left homeless, the Myanmar Red Cross reported.
dm/ds/mw[END]
CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO READ THE REPORT ONLINE
Http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportID=92331
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© 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
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BANGKOK, 31 March 2011 (IRIN) - Two back-to-back earthquakes in Japan and Myanmar, which left more than 27,000 people dead and thousands more injured, underscore the need for greater disaster preparedness in the region, experts say.
"Natural hazards to do not recognize man-made borders, and this in itself is a compelling reason for countries to come together for regional cooperation in disaster-risk reduction," Krasae Chanawongse, chairman of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) [ http://www.adpc.net/2011/ ] told IRIN in Bangkok.
According to a recent report [ http://www.unescap.org/idd/
"Building codes, stronger schools and hospitals, and the location of power plants are all important. We need risk-sensitive land-use planning," said Sanny Jegillos, regional programme coordinator at the UN Development Programme, at an ADPC regional panel discussion earlier this month in Bangkok. Climate change, coupled with rapid economic growth, urbanization, and unregulated construction, make the region particularly vulnerable, he added.
While the region has shown more effective and rapid responses compared with 10-15 years ago, "progress has been regrettably uneven because some countries lack funds, expertise, and technology", Oliver Lacey Hall, regional head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) [http://www.unocha.org/ ] in Bangkok, said.
According to the latest figures provided by OCHA on 30 March, the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/
Two weeks later, a 6.8 magnitude quake in Myanmar's eastern Shan state [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/
dm/ds/mw[END]
CLICK ON LINK BELOW TO READ THE REPORT ONLINE
Http://www.irinnews.org/
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/
IRIN partners: UAE, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, UNEP and the IHC. More information: http://www.irinnews.org/
Mapping Global Food Spending (Infographic)
Mapping Global Food Spending (Infographic)
A one dollar bag of rice in the U.S. is not the same as a one dollar bag of rice in Indonesia. For an American, who, on average, devotes about seven percent of his or her spending to food, it won’t matter that much if the price of rice doubles to two dollars. An American can likely take the money that would have gone to a “non-essential” item and put it towards food instead. But for an Indonesian, who devotes 43 percent of his/her spending to food, it could mean less to eat.
According to the World Bank, food prices have risen dramatically in the last few months, largely due to weather events and political unrest around the world. Wheat is particularly hard hit. In Azerbaijan, for example, the price of wheat went up 24 percent during the second half of last year and Azerbaijanis already put almost half of their spending toward food.
Ephraim Leibtag, an economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said these times of high food prices affect people disproportionately: “As situations change in the food market, who feels that more or less in their everyday lives? The consumer who spends the majority of spending on food, when there’s a food spike, if food prices are 40 percent of their budget, that takes a bigger hit.”
This interactive map shows data on the percentages of spending that go towards food by residents of countries around the world. Click on a percentage number for the total per capita household spending and food spending for that country.
This post is part of an ongoing partnership between Civil Eats and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism News21 course on food reporting. Over the next several months we will regularly feature stories from students in the class.
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Thursday, March 31, 2011
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
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
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