Disaster Risk Reduction: building resilient communities with skills

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What is Community Resilience• The Hyogo Framework for Action -1(HFA) is the first plan to explain, describe

and detail the work that is required from different sectors and actors to reduce disaster risk.

• HFA1 was developed and agreed by 168 Member Countries in 2005 to reduce disaster risk by bringing Governments, International Agencies, Disaster Experts and many others into a common system of coordination.

• The HFA 1 outlines 3 strategic goals, five Priorities for Action, and four cross-cutting issues, and offers guiding principles and practical means for achieving disaster resilience. Its goal is to substantially reduce disaster losses by 2015 by building the resilience of Nations and Communities to disasters

Community Resilience

• Resilience as a concept compels external intervention agencies

to bring the focus back to communities, their capacities and local institutions of democratic governance.

• The term “community” encompasses diverse groups of men and women, children and youth, elderly, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, a resilient community is one that is able to prepare for, adapt to and live through shocks, while preserving its basic assets. However, the criteria that make communities resilient, differ from place to place.

Imperatives of Community Resilience• HFA1 consultations highlight the need to shift the focus from

reducing the vulnerability of the affected communities to building community resilience with people participation and reinforcing agendas of poverty alleviation, rising social inequalities and climate change adaptation

• Building resilience encompasses a broad range of interventions – from relief to recovery, as well as preparedness and prevention, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).

• Resilience activities can take place at various levels – including building capacity and institutional structures at national level to activities such as ensuring access to basic services in the community.

• Resilience building also promotes better adaptation, mutual learning and innovation through effective integration of traditional knowledge and advancements in science and technology.

• (contd….)

Building Community Resilience:

• Building community resilience – turning vulnerability into resilience.• Sustainable development, climate change and disaster

risk reduction integration.• Local level action • Women as a force in resilience building, gender equity in

DRR.• Reducing exposure/underlying risk factors • Strengthening risk governance and accountability • Incentivizing DRR in the private sector

Cross cutting issues identified for all priority areas:

• Risk assessment and use of risk information for decision making; • Strengthening of disaster preparedness; • Ensuring risk reduction in post-disaster

reconstruction as an important element of resilience building• Issues of gender and specifically vulnerable

groups

Enabling Environment:Policies/Approaches/actions for strengthening

Community Resilience Building in India DM Act – 2005

DM Policy - 2009

DM Institutions - NDMA, SDMAs & DDMAs

National Action Plan for Climate Change - 8 Missions

National Institute of Disaster Management

National Disaster Response Force

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Capacity Development

Relief and Response

Hazard Specific Guidelines - 17 Guidelines, 10 Reports

Civil Defense Act, 1968

Review of Disaster Management Act, 2005

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Amended in 2010 to include DM

Report submitted to GoICont...

Cont...

• Dedicated provision for disaster response -National Disaster Response Fund and

State Disaster Response Fund as per the provision of DM Act, 2005

• 13th Financial Commission – dedicated funds for a period of five years (2010-

2015)- Capacity Building Grant – - Disaster Response Reserve - Being constituted - Fire Service Grants - Local Authorities have been traditionally involved in India in Relief and

Rehabilitation work• The 73rd and 74th Amendment Act provide opportunities to involve Local

Government in DRR initiatives.

• Training and Capacity Building of PRIs

• A National Multi-Sectoral & multi-stakeholder Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) has been established advocating for Adoption of DRR agenda and measures at all Levels

Externally Aided Projects:

Non Plan Scheme

• Financial Assistance to ATIs/other training institute

@ Rs.30 lakh/ per institute and @ Rs. 25 lakh / Centre of Excellence

• Up gradation of National Fire Service College, Nagpur

Rs. 205.00 cr.

• National Emergency Communication Plan Phase-II

Rs. 76.78 cr.

Dedicated and Adequate Resources to Implement Disaster Risk Reduction Plans/ Activities at all Administrative Levels - continued

Plan Schemes

• Strengthening of Fire and Emergency Service Rs. 200.00 cr.

• Revamping of Civil Defense Rs. 100.00 cr.

• School Safety• NERMP

Rs. 48.47 cr.Rs. 18.21 cr.

Cont…

Social Protection Schemes for Sustainable Development, Risk Reduction and Community Resilience Building particularly the flagship Schemes viz.

• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MNREGS) provide livelihood.

• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna a master plan for rural road.• Indira Awas Yojana (IYA) promote Housing facilities. Inclusion of

application of Hazard Resistance Construction in IAY Houses.• National Health Mission(NHM)- Health and hygiene Promotion.• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA) provide education for poorer section of

society.• Mid day Meal provide for food security for school going children

between 6-14 years.• Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission for urban housing and

infrastructure emphasizing on Disaster Risk Audit and structural Safety

Recovery programmes contributed to Community Resilience and Sustainable Development in India

• Adoption of an Owner- driven reconstruction approach after large-scale disaster(Gujarat- earthquake, Bihar- flood, Southern India –Tsunami)

• Insurance for reconstruction houses.• Settlement planning, construction of Hazard resistance housing and

Multipurpose cyclone shelter.• Adaptive use of rural housing schemes for reconstruction of disaster

safe houses for households Below Poverty Line (through Indira Awas Yojana);

• Provision for health care facilities including psycho-social support and trauma counselling.

• Promoting gender equality (joint ownership of reconstruction houses and access to land tenure.

• Strengthening of traditional livelihoods and diversification of livelihood for enhanced incomes.

Challenges to strengthening community resilience

• Limited financial, administrative and technical capacities at local level.

• Lack of effective inclusion of DRR in Social protection Programme.

• Relief and Recovery work is a cost intensive activity and Fund allocated for development activities are getting utilised in R&R work.

• Integration of Community Based Disaster Management is lacking and sustainability in such efforts are missing.

• Relief and Recovery activities are temporary and unplanned and require a framework for Recovery planning.

• Insurance sector and Risk Transfer methods are still at nascent stage in India.

Actions for Sustainable Community Resilience Building

• Develop a monitoring tool to assess community resilience like Community Resilience Index with clearly defined parameters along indicators and bench mark.

• Strengthen local level capacities with skilled human resource.

• Develop a National Policy and guidelines to mainstream DRR and CCA in social protection programme to built resilience.

• Invest in sustainable solutions/ technologies to foster resilience specially among vulnerable people.

• Develop National Framework to guide Recovery from disasters.

Recommendations

The possible actions that which can be taken to build community resilience to disasters and climate change can include the following:

• Mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into development planning.

• Priorities of Hyogo Framework for Action, Climate Change Adaptation and Sustainable Development Goals are required to be inter-linked for enhancing quality of life.

• There is a need to develop tools for Probabilistic Risk Assessment which could be effectively used for Allocation of Resources and Development Planning including Risk Insurance.

• Reducing Underlying Risk Factors.

• Comprehensive review of available and required skills (working, living and social security concerns)

• Targeted Support to community groups(grounding interventions to address multiple vulnerabilities)

Examples of Successful Community Resilience Building

Upper Assam: The Adaptability of Mishing Tribe of Upper Assam to change occupation (fishing) during floods Gorakhpur (UP): The Shared Learning Platform (SLD), an innovative platform organized by the Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG), CDKN & NIDMSEEDS India: Building upon lessons from Leh (Ladakh) & Barmer (Rajasthan)West Bengal: The Anti-Relief and Recovery Approach after 2000 floodsPhaailin, Odisha Cyclone: The successful evaluation of the “at-risk” community during the Cyclone Phaailin in Odisha in 2013 showing that integrating local knowledge, science, modern technologies, collaboration with govt. institutions can help building the resilience of families and communities

Build Community Resilience with SKILLS

• Assess possible impacts of disasters on livelihoods and employment, particularly in the informal sector and youth.

• Promote innovative mechanisms to reduce underlying risk such as microfinance and risk transfer schemes through livelihood diversification, targeting women especially.

• Promote greater compliance to existing workplace safety regulations and environmental standards and raise awareness of DRR measures in relevant sectors, such as engineering, construction sector, chemical industry etc.

• Improved access to credit should also include access to credit for disaster proofing livelihoods (like water and soil conservation measures) at subsidised interest and through micro insurance to cover hydro-meteorological extreme events.

• Diversified income opportunities to the disaster vulnerable, to insulate against disaster losses (e.g. home-based crafts as risk reducing strategy to safeguard against droughts or floods). Livelihoods diversification is complex and strategies can include enterprise development.

• Measures to reduce the proportion of the labour force employed in the informal sectors, within economic sectors that rely primarily on natural resources and that are particularly exposed to disasters caused by vulnerability to natural hazards.

Thank you!!