Hydro-Climatic Disasters in Water Resources Management

30 Nov - 02 Dec 2009, Georgetown, Guyuna

Understand correlation between hazard, vulnerability and risks

Evaluate disaster risk reduction initiatives

Appreciate use of knowledge and information sharing to build safe and resilient communities

Hazards are part of natural environmental and normal life  

Disasters reflect the ways societies structure themselves and manage hazards

Vulnerability is the measure of effect of hazards upon the society

DRR - reducing the vulnerability to the effect of environmental hazards to a manageable and acceptable level by enhancing risk management initiatives

What section of the population is most affected by disasters?

Why?

Vulnerability - people's exposure to hazards and their susceptibility to hazard impacts

Capacity - Collective institutional action to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from hazard impacts

What are the important dynamics propagating disasters in Guyana?

Location and extent Frequency and probability of occurrence Intensity/severity Duration of disaster Predictability Hazard environment

Successful disaster response plan require information and mobilisation

Challenges reaching people in different locations quickly and simultaneously

Right message, timely, sufficient and accurate

Maps a good medium for communicating hazards information to non-specialists

Formats and symbols should be kept familiar

Suggest some measures to reduce mitigate water related disasters

Seen in light of multi-thematic and multi-sectoral approach in the DRR process

Sound background knowledge on hydro-climatic hazard, risk and vulnerability

Incorporate disaster risk management in WRM framework

Hazards are normal part of environmental occurrences but disasters enhanced by poor planning

Poverty engenders vulnerability to disaster risks but disasters multiply poverty

DRR starts with risk identification and assessment of vulnerability to enhance decision making

Communication of disaster information should be timely, effective and where it is required