Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk … Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Management i Foreword IV Genesis of the programme VII Implementation Modalities VIII

Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Management

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Foreword IV

Genesis of the programme VII

Implementation Modalities VIII

Why a Best Practice Document? IX

I. Awareness Generation: Sharing the Word, spreading the knowledge!! 1-11

Introduction

Successful Initiatives

Information Education Communication (IEC)

Folk Troupes

Agriculture Fair, Maharashtra

National Service Scheme Volunteers

Public Transport System

Disaster Preparedness Month

School Safety Initiatives

Information Communication Technology (ICT) for Disaster Management

Replicable Good Practices

II. Capacity Building: Empowering the communities, making them independent! 13-21

Introduction


Mason Training Programme

Building capacity to cope with Disaster Risk Management

Case Study I: Preparedness pays

Case Study II: Preparedness Minimizing the Loss : Sambalpur

Case Study III: The spirit of volunteerism saved many lives in Maharashtra

Case Study IV: Empowering the stakeholders through capacity building


III. Institutionalization: Laying the foundation stone for a better tomorrow! 23-31

Introduction


Emergency Operation Centers (EOC)

Contents

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Winning Strategy – Corporate Partnership

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan

Safety Messages in the School curriculum

Case study I: Integration of Disaster Management in the training programme of Sarva ShikshaAbhiyaan in Jajpur District

Mainstreaming Disaster Management into Development

Case study II: Disaster Management Institutionalized in Sikkim

Case study III: District Disaster Management Authority, Delhi

Case study IV: Delhi Earth Quake Safety Initiative


IV. Involvement of Community: a step towards Sustainability: of the people, by the people, for the people! 33-39

Introduction


Citizen leaders ensures sustainability

National Youth Schemes

Youth Volunteers network to institutionalize disaster preparedness

Case Study I: Vigilance, courage and efficiency of volunteers saved the life of six school children

Case Study II: Resilient Community Volunteers instrumental in Bihar Flood response


V. Gender Mainstreaming: Empowering Women! 41-49

Introduction

Gender Equity in Disaster Risk Management Programme

Case Study I : From Gujrat

Case Study II: Promoting Gender Equity in Search and Rescue Training


Women volunteers addressing differential needs

Women Volunteers shaping a gender equal tomorrow

Self Help groups linking Disaster Management to Development

Women Volunteers as essential change agents

Accredited social health activists as role models

Aanganwadi supervisors

Developing Gender sensitivity as a practice

Aanganwadi Workers Training

ASHA workers



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VI. Convergence and Partnerships: United we stand! 51-57

Introduction

Some Successful initiatives

The Confederation of Indian Industries and the National Disaster Management Framework

Promoting safe construction through Institutional and Corporate Partnership

Anganwadi and ASHA workers equipped as community’s managers

Case Study of Mason Training Workshop in Vijaywada organized under the UEVRP

VII From the Field 59-65

A case Study - Flood 2008 Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management Programme in FloodOperation

VIII Moments of Triumph 67-77

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“Kosi has been wrecking havoc over our land for the last200 years. This year, it was preparedness that helped us

face the wrath of Kosi head-on!”

- Rabi Ranjan Pandey, a community member from Saharsa (Bihar)

When the Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme, India launchedthe Disaster Risk Management Programme in 2002, little did they anticipate then that it wouldbecome one of the largest such initiatives in the world.

After six years of trials and errors, the programme has succeeded in galvanizing policy-makers,service-providers, civil-society representatives, non-governmental organizations and, mostimportantly, the most-affected community members themselves. Today, an estimated 300 millionpeople in disaster-prone regions are proactively involved in achieving the objectives of theinitiative and are truly living-up to the spirit of the Programme.

The seeds of the programme were sown for achieving sustainable reduction in disaster risk inthe most hazard-prone districts in the country. The endeavour was to strengthen the response,preparedness, management and mitigation capacities of communities, local governments anddistrict administrations in 176 multi-hazard prone districts in 17 states of India, i.e., ArunachalPradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,Orissa, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Through the efforts of the community members, the respective state government officials, theUnited Nations Volunteers, civil society representatives, and many others, a strong foundationhas been laid. The programme is progressively changing the perceptions of the people towardsemergencies and has come a long way in empowering the people on the ground to be moreproactive and not rely solely on external support when disaster strikes.

Awareness raising programs, training of communities and volunteers, capacity-building of peopleand regular mock drills, are some interventions that are ongoing. This publication is an attemptto document the various initiatives. Most importantly, we have tried to present the manycommunity-led innovations that have made this programme both sustainable and replicable.

FOREWORD

Deirdre Boyd Country Director


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Disclaimer: All efforts have been made to make this image accurate However UNDP do not own any responsibility for the correctness or authenticity of the same.

Disaster Risk Managment Programme States of India

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Abbreviations

ASHA – Accredited Social Health Activist

AWW – Anganwadi Worker

BIS – Bureau of India Standards

BMPTC – Building Materials Promotion andTechnology Council

BPL – Below Poverty Line

CBO – Community Based Organization

CDMP – City Disaster Management Plan

CRPF – Central Reserve Police Force

DC – District Collector

DDMO – District Disaster Management Officer

DDMP – District Disaster Management Plan

DM – Disaster Management

DMT – Disaster Management Team

DRM – Disaster Risk Management

EOC – Emergency Operation Centre

EPBX – Electronic Private Branch Exchange

GIS – Geographic Information System

GoI – Government of India

OSDMA – Orissa State Disaster ManagementAuthority

GSDP – Gross State Domestic Product

IAY – Indira Awas Yojana

ICDS – Integrated Child Development Services

ICS – Incident Command System

IDRN – India Disaster Resource Network

IEC – Information Education andCommunication

INR – Indian Rupee

IT – Information Technology

LCG – Local Crisis Group

MSRTC – Maharashtra State Road TransportCorporation

NCC – National Cadet Corps

NGO – Non-Governmental Organization

NSS – National Service Scheme

NYKS – Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan

ODTF – Orissa Development Technical forum

PHC – Primary Health Centre

PHDCCI – PHD Chamber of Commerce andIndustry

PRI – Panchayati Raj Institution

PSO – Project Support Officer

RCC – Reinforced Concrete Cement

RTO – Regional Traffic Office

S&R – Search and Rescue

SC – Scheduled Caste

SDMP – School Disaster Management Plan

SDRN – State Disaster Resource Network

SER – Socio-Economic Review

SHG – Self Help Group

SMC – Surat Municipal Corporation

SMS – Short Message Service

SOP – Standard Operating Procedures

Sq.Km – Square Kilometre

SSA – Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

ST – Scheduled Tribe

TDO – Taluka Development Officer

ToT – Training of Trainers

UEVRP – Urban Earthquake VulnerabilityReduction Project

ULB – Urban Local Body

UNDP – United Nations DevelopmentProgramme

UNV – United Nations Volunteer

UP – Uttar Pradesh

USAID – United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment

VDMC – Village Disaster ManagementCommittee

VDMP – Village Disaster Management Plan

VDMT – Village Disaster Management Team


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Genesis of the Programme

The GOI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Programme envisages acceleratingcapacity development for disaster reduction at the national level and in some of themost-vulnerable regions in the country through community-based and gendersensitive approaches. It is designed to assist some of the most multi-hazard pronestates such as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Manipur,Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal,Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The thematic focus being on awareness generationand education, training and capacity building for mitigation and betterpreparedness in terms of disaster risk management at community, district and statelevels, and strengthening of state and district emergency operations centers foraccurate and timely dissemination of warning. UNDP has strived to providespecialized support to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to set up the institutional andadministrative system for comprehensive disaster risk management.

To achieve the programme results, resources required for the DRM Programme in176 most hazard prone districts of 17 States was US $41 million over a period of sixyears (2002-2008). This programme forms the nucleus of a much larger Programmeof the Government of India to achieve the overall goal – “Sustainable Reductionin Disaster Risk in the most hazard-prone districts in all the States of India.”

The Programme was initiated in 2002 with US$2 million from Government of India–UNDP Country Cooperation Framework to accelerate capacity building in disasterreduction and recovery activities at the national level and in 28 districts of Bihar,Gujarat and Orissa through community-based preparedness approaches. TheProgramme was further expanded (phase II to cover 148 additional most multi-hazard prone districts spread across 14 selected states.

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The national nodal agency, Ministry of Home Affairs was provided with human resource support for thedevelopment of national Disaster Risk Management framework, administrative, Institutional, legal, techno-legal, communication, and policy mechanisms for disaster risk management.

The State Nodal agency of the selected Programme states was provided with the appropriate human resourcein the form of National United Nations Volunteers (NUNVs) for establishment of comprehensive community-based Disaster Risk Management framework at various administrative levels.

In addition, State Project Officers were assigned to the State Nodal Agency of the programme states to providetechnical support and overall coordination for the programme implementation in the state. Technical expertisewas provided at the state level to assist in the establishment and operationalization of the EmergencyOperations Centres, facilitate in the capacity building and training of mason/construction workers, engineersin disaster resistant and cost effective housing technologies and in establishment of techno-legal regime.

Village/ward based multi-hazard preparedness and response plans were prepared by the local institutionsand linkages with the existing developmental programme was established to address the existing vulnerabilitiesin the region. Local self-governments at all levels were directly involved in these exercises for sustainability ofthe programme in long term.

Disaster Management Specialists and experienced project management professionals having expertise indisaster risk management at the community levels in post-disaster situations, worked with state and districtgovernments, civil society partners and communities. For execution and to ensure sustainability of theprogramme objectives, State Nodal Agencies took support of the existing state training institutions/stateresource units for updation of the multi-hazard disaster risk management plans at different levels as well as fortraining and capacity building of various stakeholders.

The Disaster Management Committees at district, block and gram panchayat level are responsible forimplementation of the programme at the district and sub-district levels. The District Collector/Magistratesand Block Development Officers guided the committees in preparation of the plan which helped strengtheningthe existing system and mainstreaming the Disaster Risk Management Programme. CBO’s and NGO’s also playeda vital role in mobilizing the community and PRI’s, for development of disaster preparedness and mitigationplan at all levels and for organizing training for DMTs and mock drills along with existing government system.

Institutions namely National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Delhi, National Industrial SecurityAcademy (NISA), State Administrative Training Institutes/State Institute for Rural Development (SIRD) and otheridentified National/State Resource groups, including self-help groups and state taskforce on various aspectsof disaster risk management. Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies, associations, corporate bodiesand national level voluntary organizations such as NYKS, NCC and NSS as well as ex-defense personnel playeda vital role in the implementation of the Programme and ensuring sustainability of the Programme outputs atall levels. Research centers and recovery along with traditional coping mechanisms were used by thecommunities for development of appropriate strategies as well as for preparation of training and operationalmanuals for different aspects of disaster management.

UNDP provided management support to the project implementation including recruitment of projectpersonnel and procurement of equipment in consultation with the state government. The following activitieswere carried in partnership with state nodal agencies and civil society response groups.

Implementation Modalities


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Why a Best Practice Document?

The Disaster Risk Programme aims at contributing towards the social, economic anddevelopmental goals of the National Government and enabling State Governmentsto minimize loss of development gains from natural disasters and reduce vulnerability.It demonstrates a sustainable model for mainstreaming of disaster risk managementat all levels with focus on district and community level activities.

The vital output of this Programme is multi-hazard risk management and sustainablerecovery plans at community, gram panchayat and district levels in some of the mostmulti-hazard prone states and districts and strengthening institutions responsible forsustainability and replication of these efforts.

The DRM Programme has a large and diversified geographical coverage, involvingstates with different administrative structures, people with varied cultural practices.Local administration has its own functional peculiarities and implementationmechanisms. Hence, no single DRM implementation model can be replicated for thewhole country.

The institutionalization process of the DRM Programme has generated many newconcepts, initiatives and innovative practices benefiting the community in adoptingnew approaches to DRM. This document is basically an effort in the direction ofcollating the successful experiences from the programme states. It highlights the casestudies of how stakeholders generated awareness, developed capacities, encouragedvolunteers, and integrated the DRM Programme with other government initiatives.This endeavour offers a model for other states and communities to follow. However,every story can be an inspiration for some community on how to deal with a hazardeffectively and to prevent it from becoming a disaster. They are all useful milestoneson the roadmap towards a safer, more prosperous India. Various initiatives undertakenunder the DRM Programme are being considered as innovative practices not onlywithin India but are also being replicated in other countries of the region like Bhutan,Maldives etc.

To conclude, this document is the amalgamation of six years of lessons learned,translated into an operational advice for development agencies, foundations,International NGOs and other people working in the field of disaster risk management.

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Chapter-I


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Awareness Generation Sharing the word, spreading the knowledge!

A little Knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.- Khalil Gibran (Philosopher)

Copyright @ Tom Pietrasik/UNDP India 2008 1

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SOME SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES

Awareness Strategies

Holistic disaster management necessitates multi-stakeholder approach involving all segments ofsociety. Apart from the print and electronic media,places with high public visibility such ashospitals, schools, airports, railway stations, busterminals, post offices, commercial complexesand municipality offices are being used tospread the desired messages among thecommon masses on the need to adopt andintegrate disaster risk reduction measures tosecure their lives, livelihoods and property as sinequa non for comprehensive disaster risk reduction.Slides in cinema halls are being shown regularlyfor mass awareness and for taking up varioussteps against earthquake risks.

Information, Education and Communication

In order to assist the State Governments in capacitybuilding and awareness generation activities andto learn from past experiences including sharingof best practices, the Ministry of Home Affairs hascompiled/prepared a set of resource materialsdeveloped by various organizations/institutions tobe replicated and disseminated by StateGovernments based on their vulnerabilities aftertranslating it into the local languages. The

voluminous material which runs into about 10000pages has been divided into 4 broad sections in 7volumes. These sections cover planning to copewith disasters; education and training;construction toolkit; and information, educationand communication toolkit including multi-mediaresources on disaster mitigation and preparedness.

The Planning section contains material foranalyzing a community’s risk, development ofPreparedness, Mitigation and disastermanagement plans, coordinating availableresources and implementing measures for riskreduction. Model bye-laws, DM Policy, Act andmodel health sector plan have also been included.

Introduction

Creating awareness is most challenging, when dealing with a multi-lingual, multi-culturalpopulation with varying levels of literacy. However in doing so it is crucial for strengtheningthe capacity by improving infrastructure and providing trainings to people, and finally

marshalling resources of every kind to cope with natural or human-induced hazards and to preventthem from turning into disasters.

In the pursuit of this objective, a steering committee was constituted at the national level by theMinistry of Home Affairs, GOI, with representation of experts from a diverse stream of communicationincluding advertising and media. Under the GOI-UNDP DRM Programme, the states have evolvedspecific awareness campaign strategies involving multiple media. Some of the initiatives have beenfairly intensive. Foremost amongst these, have been the observation of Disaster Preparedness monthin Delhi and Chetna initiative in Bihar.

Copyright @ Tom Pietrasik/UNDP India 2008

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Education and Training includes material forcapacity building and upgradation of skills ofpolicy makers, administrators, trainers, engineersetc. in planning for and mitigating against naturaldisasters. Basic and detailed training modules indisaster preparedness have been incorporatedalong with training methodologies for trainers, forcommunity preparedness and manuals for trainingat district, block, panchayat and village levels.

For creating a disaster-resistant buildingenvironment, the Construction Toolkit addressesthe issue of seismic resistant construction andretrofitting of existing buildings. BIS Codes,manuals and guidelines for RCC, Masonry andother construction methodologies as also forrepair and retrofitting of masonry and low-risebuildings have been included. The IEC materialseeks to generate awareness to induce mitigationand preparedness measures for risk reduction.Material and strategies used by various States andinternational organizations, including tips ondifferent hazards, have been incorporated alongwith multi-media CDs on disasters.

The material has been disseminated to all the StateGovernments/UT Administrations with the requestto have the relevant material, based on thevulnerability of each district, culled out, translatedinto local languages and disseminate widely downto the village level.

Some of the successful Initiatives were with theinvolvement of Folk Troupes, Volunteers, Fairs,Socio-Religious Platforms and EmergencyOperating centers.

Folk Troupes

Reaching out to the rural population and in a waythey can best comprehend is the main challenge

of communication. The very purpose ofcommunication is to simplify the information andmake people understand. The challenge comeswhen you are dealing with the rural populationwith a very high level of illiteracy. In the rural areasof Uttar Pradesh (UP), such as Gorakhpur, SiddhantNagar, Bahraich, Gazipur, Deoria, Rampur, Gonda,Balrampur and Saharanpur, the literacy level is only42% as against the national average of 65%.

The Disaster Management Authority of UP decidedto turn to local media to inform, educate andentertain people. Various training programme oflocal troupes was organized and puppet shows,magic shows, and street plays (locally called asnukkad natak), were performed by these localtroupes in different places. These troupes throughthe medium of traditional folk forms and in thelocal dialect made people aware of various issuesrelated to disaster management. In addition, thecadence of ancient folk songs was used to conveynew, crucial messages of safety when dealing withdisasters. These songs were composed in locallanguages such as Hindi, Bhojpuri, Bundelkhandiand Awadhi.

Supported by the District Administration, the folktroupes fan out through the rural and semi-urbanareas of the state, creating awareness about

disaster preparedness and mitigation.The songs and skits of these troupes have alsobeen compiled into a manual for widerdissemination. Indeed, translation of the manualinto other languages, would aid in spreadingawareness about disaster managementtechniques in rural and semi-urban areasthroughout the country.


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Agriculture Fair, Maharashtra

An “Agriculture Fair”, with a demonstration of earthquake construction structures is organized everyyear in Satara district in Maharashtra and is visitedby several lakhs of people including both rural aswell as urban population. In rural areas earthquakeresistant features are hardly used in houses, dueto lack of awareness and expertise. In order to createawareness amongst the masses, a demonstrationunit depicting earthquake resistant features and astall is set up in the Agriculture fair. Through the stallsand the demonstration unit, visitors are not onlyexposed to the earthquake resistant features, but arealso explained that usage of this technology is costeffective too.

National Service Scheme Volunteers

The NSS volunteers are active in Maharashtra asthey carryout Information EducationCommunication (IEC) activities on various socialthemes. A street play on disaster awarenesscovering both natural (flood, earthquake, cyclone)as well as human-induced (road accidents and fire)disasters and also capturing information about fivemethods of handling the injured persons, has beenprepared in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra byinvolving NSS volunteers and by using localmusical instruments. The play also givesinformation about the district disaster helplinenumber 1077 and dos and don’ts related to variousdisasters. This play has been enacted at 22 places,including bus stops, government offices andvarious other public places.

Public Transport System

One of the key initiatives for preparedness iscreating mass awareness regarding disasters.

In order to create mass awareness, auto-rickshaws are being used in Maharashtra ascarriers for disaster awareness messages.Regional Traffic Office (RTO) in Maharashtra has theupdated records of different types of vehicles.Therefore it was decided to select auto-rickshawswhich are the most popular way of commuting bylocal people.

Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation(MSRTC), volunteers and other civilians prepared theslogans for the Auto-rickshaws regardingearthquakes, like “Bhukampratirodhak Ghar-Surakshit Ghar.”

Various stakeholders which include DistrictPublicity Officer, Local Urban Bodies,representatives of educational institutions,Lions Club, Rotary Club and other civil groupshave collaborated in this initiative. This uniqueinitiative has gained a lot of success inawareness generation about DRM

During this awareness Programme, variousstakeholders involved are District Publicity Officer,local urban bodies, representatives of educationalinstitutions, lions club, Rotary club and other civilgroup. This method has gained a lot of success inawareness generation about DRM.

Disaster Preparedness Month

A burgeoning city like Delhi underscores the needfor enhanced levels of disaster mitigation andpreparedness in view of its high vulnerabilityprofile, with a complex interplay of factors. As partof the awareness generation activities, the city hasembarked upon the observance of the DisasterPreparedness Month. The month long activities weredesigned to convert the challenge of making Delhi asafer city by actively involving every stakeholder indisaster mitigation and preparedness.

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The Administration of North East District,Government of Delhi observed October 2005 asthe ‘Disaster Preparedness Month’ with an array ofactivities and Programs organized throughout thedistrict involving different line departments,specialist organizations, other partners andstakeholders. The ambitious programme focusedon generating awareness among the people aboutthe need to adopt and integrate disaster riskreduction measures to safeguard lives, livelihoods,infrastructure and property to withstand theimpact of natural disasters and to initiate disasterpreparedness activities in their personal as well associo-economic life.

The Programme was undertaken by theGovernment of National Capital Territory of Delhi,District North East in collaboration with variousNGOs, Corporate Agencies, Hospitals, Schools andReligious groups in association with the Police,Delhi Fire Service, Civil Defence, Resident WelfareAssociations (RWAs), schools, market associations,NGOs etc. Each Line Department in the District was

expected to develop their own strategy forimplementation in consultation with the DistrictAdministration. It was flexible for them to chalk outprograms. Some other departments like MCD, DFS,Delhi Police, Department of Health, Departmentof Education, Department of Transport, Guru TeghBahadur Hospital (GTBH), Delhi Civil Defence, PWD,Irrigation and Flood Control, etc had certainspecific roles in this initiative.

As part of the month-long activities, competitionssuch as painting, debate, essay etc were organizedin all the schools, banners were displayed in eachnook and corner of the district; posters, pamphletsetc were displayed at public places and publiccarriers etc, mock drills were conducted at schoolsand other institutions. Advertisements throughcable channels, hand bills , magic shows and streetplays on disaster management staged at publicplaces or public meetings, focused awarenessmeetings with Resident Welfare Associations, civicorganizations etc, placing leaflets in banks, postoffices, railway stations etc, awareness messagesshown through cinema halls, firefightingdemonstrations with the help of Delhi Fire Serviceand Civil Defence in schools, communities etc,door-to-door distribution of posters and leafletswith the help of CD volunteers, collaboration withthe Durga Puja Pandals as platform for awarenesscreation, distribution of awards/prizes to thedistrict Headquarter and preparation of DisasterManagement Plan for each GovernmentDepartments, Autonomous Bodies, Hospitals,Schools etc.

One of the direct impacts of the disaster awarenessmonth was that the District Health departmentallocated 2% of their annual budget for the disasterpreparedness activities. Also, the CDMO (ChiefDistrict Medical Officer) organized more than 10awareness/sensitization Programs and trainings forthe staff posted at the rural clinics. The campaignahead by distributing the IEC materials from thedistrict EOC to the general public through hisclinics. A disaster preparedness plan is also madewhich is updated every six months. While officiallyinaugurating the Disaster Preparedness Month, thethen Divisional Commissioner Sh. G.K Marwah

It is heartening to know that such extensive measures are being taken to promote disaster related awareness and preparedness amongst the student andteaching community. I am glad that the momentum has picked up with remarkable initiatives at school level.

Smt. Navpreet Kaur, Teacher, Hansraj Model School, Punjabi Bagh.


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In the present scenario the awareness in the students about disaster management is a must because no one knows when a disaster is going to strike. Theonly way to bail them out of such disaster is to take safety measures and precautions. Even if such an unfortunate event occurs they should be made capableenough to deal with such events in a proper and coordinated manner to save the lives of people.

Sh. V.K.Nayyaar, Principal (Govt. Boys, Sr. Sec. School, Jahangirpuri

Chetna Initiative, Bihar

Chetna, ushering in a safer tomorrow Bihar can be called as the cradle of Indian civilization. Thestate's capital Patna has variously been called, Patlitputra and Pushpura, the city of flowers. But thismagnificent heritage is under threat. The state of Bihar is prone to multi-hazards. 73% of thegeographical area of the state is prone to floods. The Seismic Map of India indicates that half a dozendistricts in North Bihar lie in seismic zones IV and V, including the capital city, Patna.

Thus, without creating awareness among people about disasters and how best to prepare strategiesto prevent them or to mitigate the damage they may cause, the state could face untold damage tolife, livelihood, and property, if a calamity struck. Accordingly, on the theme of disaster management,a fair called Chetna-2006 was organized in Patna, to create awareness about the adverse effects ofvarious disasters and to encourage community’s involvement in preparedness and mitigationstrategies. It also provided a forum that brought together stakeholders from public and private sectors,educational institutions, police and paramilitary forces, from NGOs, to International agencies. It alsoinvolved Urban Local Bodies, Builders, Architects, and Engineers to exchange ideas and share theirexperiences on DRM Programme implementation.

Chetna-2006 not only created awareness but also enabled networking between various linedepartments ( ATI, SSB, Fire, CISF, CRPF, Railways, Colleges, School students and teachers, Publicsectors, Insurance WDC, Transport Department, Cultural and Nukkad Natak groups) who all workedas partners in putting up the exhibition.

There were lively discussions, seminars and workshops; demonstration stalls on constructiontechniques, as also on trauma counseling with respect to Disaster Management. The role of theinsurance sector was also discussed, and the way it could protect the interests of the most vulnerablesections of society was shared. Disaster mitigation training was also demonstrated and a specialsession on flood management was organized. Mock Drills were conducted with help of agenciessuch as the Fire Services, Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF),Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and NCC/Red Cross. In order to further add interest, there was ademonstration-cum-sale of products by women based SHGs. School children participated in variouscompetitions such as poster painting, creative writing, and quiz. The technical support for theseactivities was extended by relevant Government Departments and UNICEF.

The Chetna initiative could be regarded as aparadigm shift in the way a state handlesdisasters. It marks the shift from relief andrehabilitation to preparedness and mitigationactivities that are related to the four mainProgramme objectives. Awareness generationhas been integrated into all activities. This shouldensure minimal loss of life and property. As theChief Minister of the Bihar stated during hisaddress at the Chetna initiative “Before anydisaster befalls on our state, we should prepareourselves to overcome nature’s fury and helpothers.”

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said;"Disaster Preparedness Month celebration isnovel to the country and if we find that it issuccessful, we will promote other districts also todo the same".

Schools Safety Initiatives

Under the Disaster Risk Management Programmea separate component addressing the SchoolAwareness and a Safety Programme (SASP) hasbeen developed to generate awareness amongstthe students and teachers on how to respond todisasters by developing school level disastermanagement plans andthrough conduction of mockdrills.

Recent disasters in India havereported the vulnerabilitiesof children. After the massiveearthquake in Gujarat, 8212school rooms collapsed,Kumbakonam fire tragedykilled 93 children, over 100 school children werestranded after school hours in Mumbai’s flashflood, more than 200 students & teachers in oneschool building alone lost their lives in Jammu &Kashmir earthquake and 600 school children wereleft marooned in their school by floodwaters inBihar. In India across towns with over 1033863primary, middle and high secondary schools, manyof them function in unsafe buildings and at sitesexposed to different hazards and congestedenvironment. Further adding to their risks is theirlimitations to safe structural and non-structuralmeasures within a school building.

For children to be safer in schools there are severalaspects that requires people’s attention andactions. This was challenging for Government ofIndia and UNDP to decide for building thecapabilities of educational authorities and schoolsin school disaster preparedness and safetymeasures. This was a beginning of the SchoolSafety Programme. The Programme was initiatedas part of the main GoI-UNDP Disaster RiskManagement Programme. The message of theProgramme is “school safety through education

and building safer schools”. The Programme bringstogether children, teachers and school managersthrough participatory activities that concernschildren’s safety during disasters. Children learnon natural hazards safety tips from class room textbooks simple lessons and learning activities.Teachers together with children prepare their ownschool emergency evacuation plan and have mockdrills to exercise the plans. The school managers,with professional guidance from trained engineersand architects plan to design their school buildingswith simple hazard safe features.

As the Programmecontinues to address theway forward amongstschools across 38 projectcities and 17 Programmestates prone to differenthazards, have successes toshare.

The Programme hasreached out to 4105 schools with 130,000enrolled school children. With the Governmentof India, advisory support disaster managementhas been integrated within the educationcurriculum for middle schools and highersecondary schools under the Central Board ofSecondary Education. Schools in Delhi arepreparing their school disaster management plansand every month practice their planned hazardpreparedness activities through drills. Extensivedisaster management trainings have involvedteachers, school managers and educationdepartment officials from Central Board ofSecondary Education and State Board forSecondary and Higher Education. In Uttar Pradesh,the State government decided to design andconstruct 80,000 primary and upper primaryclassrooms located in seismic zone VI, III withearthquake proofed design features. To constructnewer schools and modifying existing schoolbuildings, engineers and architects fromgovernment departments are trained to useearthquake proof designs and codes. Forconstructing schools, a model school designguideline has been prepared for various seismiczones in India.

“During the floods, we were a team of 5-7 very dedicated and committed individuals. And thanks to UNDP and the UNV volunteers, we were able to give ourfull support to the districts and the authorities there. The field officers [UNV volunteers] were also an asset in this crisis. The biggest success was the speed atwhich we were able to put out information that poured in from the flood-affected areas. This was quickly put online also. This credit goes entirely to thevolunteers.”

Pratyaya Amrit, Additional Commissioner, State Disaster Management Unit, Patna (Bihar)

Under UEVR Programme, Rajkot Municipal Corporationhas developed a series of IEC materials (in Gujaratilanguage) for the community ,including, booklets on“ten golden rules to protect yourself and yourcommunity for earthquake preparedness and responseplan & Earthquake pre/post and during preparednesspoints to be remembered. ”


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In the course of the School Safety Programme,Government of India and UNDP have made abeginning in sensitizing children and schoolmanagers in key areas of disaster preparednessand safety actions. This task of creating a safelearning environment for India is important.Countries over world are promoting a culture ofprevention beginning at schools. On theInternational Day for Disaster Reduction, 10thOctober 2007, UNDP, Government of India, UNSecretariat of International Strategy for DisasterReduction and partners support the campaign on“Disaster Risk Reduction Beginsat School”, which was launchedfor two years (2006-2007). Inthe year 2008 again, 17Programme States in Indiajoined hands with people tobuild a stronger partnershipamong educationalinstitutions, school managersand most importantly thechildren of India’s future. From this day onwardswith observance day activities in the States, schoolsshall continue to participate in educating childrenand school managers for actions in disaster riskreduction and a safe tomorrow.

Information Communication Technology (ICT)for Disaster Management

India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN) as a portalwas launched in September 2003, initiated by theMinistry of Home Affairs, Government of India incollaboration with UNDP India. Technical supportwas extended to systematically formulate theresource inventory through an organizedinformation system designed to collate andassimilate information from sources provided bydistrict and state level authorities.

The portal has access to relevant 92,500information data records covering 574 districts(out of total 604 districts) of 35 States/UnionTerritory in India. The on-line inventory of data in-built in the portal, clearly lists out in a sequentialmanner the details of specific equipments, types,functions, including human expertise in search andrescue operations along with the contact detailsof expertise and suppliers for prompt mobilization.Designed as a web enabled information system thenetwork provides updated inventory of relateditems every quarter that is entered at two levels,

firstly at district level and secondly at the statelevel. Updating information and providing ofrelevant data inventories has been carried out bythe District Collector’s office. The portal has beenhosted at the central server of National InformationCentre, Government of India, to provide adequateinstitutional authorization and security support tothe Ministry of Home Affairs. The portal has an on-line dual access interface system for users at theState Disaster Management/Relief & RehabilitationDepartment officials (Relief Commissioners), fordistrict administrators (District Collectors) and

other state and districtnodal officers, corporatemembers of Confederationof Indian Industry (CII) andrest of the community whocan browse through theportal. The user can obtaincatalogue information aswell as query based list ofresources available at thedistrict level. After this

successful inventory of voluminous data onemergency related equipments and resourcesavailable at various sources in the country, theIDRN model has been replicated by theGovernment’s of Maldives and Sri Lanka, recentlyin 2006 to strengthen their capacity on disasterresource inventory. Based on the IDRN frameworkused in India, support was extended to both thecountries, to initiate the disaster resource networkthat has been contextualized in reference to theirgeographic and administrative structure.

India Disaster Knowledge Network (IDKN) is aninitiative to establish networks and partnershipsamong research organizations, governmentagencies, policy makers, disaster managers andspecialists from allied fields of engineering,architecture, planning, earth sciences, hydrology,agriculture environment, management and socialsciences to exchange information throughtechnology and in working together to reduce risk.Thirty Seven Ministries/ Departments/Academic and research Institutions/Organizations have agreed to collaborate withthis initiative as partners and also assignednodal officers from their organizations. Thereare further plans to link up portals and websitesof all partner organizations so that the userscould access to DRM related information of allorganizations.

During the first test match between India andEngland held at Nagpur from 1st to 5th March 2006,a pocket guide on disaster preparedness wasdistributed to the spectators. This booklet had basicinformation related to different disasters. Indiancricketer, Yuvraj Singh appreciated initiatives of thedisaster risk management Programme and gaveautograph on a few pocket guides. Hundreds of suchbooklets were distributed.

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Knowledge Network, Delhi

India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN), a web based portal for developing online inventory ofspecialized human resources and equipments was developed. This would facilitate in efficient andeffective Disaster Response by reducing the time of mobilizing resources during emergencies at alllevels.

To mainstream Disaster Management in the Corporate Institutions and strengthen networks, IndianIndustries and PHDCCI. Partnerships were also established with other Stakeholders such as IndianInstitute of Architects, Institution of Engineers, Institute of Town Planners (India), Builder Associationof India, Indian Medical Association, HAM Radio Society etc .


Awareness generation is pertinent for creating capacity byimproving infrastructure and training people, and finallymarshalling resources of every kind, to cope with natural or human-induced hazards, and to prevent them from turning into disasters.

For the purpose of generating awareness on the theme of disasterrisk management amongst a wide cross section of population, therecould be various modes like the involvement of the local folktroupes, fairs and exhibition, print and electronic media etc. Notonly these, but socio-religious institutions could also play a vitalrole in generating awareness amongst the communities.

Awareness messages could also be inserted with other documentsissued by the different government departments and agencies suchas fees receipts issued by educational institutions under the “Schoolsafety “project of DRMP with the education department, Toll-Taxreceipts issued against the Road tax of National Highway Authorityin the State could be used for spreading road driving tips.

Indeed, when it comes to generating awareness about disaster riskmanagement which can so profoundly affect human life andlivelihood, societies can and must use every means available tospread the safety messages. The methods mentioned here areextremely simple and cost effective therefore they can beimplemented throughout the country with regional modifications.


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Chapter-II


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Capacity Building Empowering the communities, making them independent!

A combination of all the strengths and resources available within a community, societyor organization that can reduce the level of risk, or the effects of a disaster. Capacitymay include physical, institutional, social or economic means as well as skilled personalor collective attributes such as leadership and management. Capacity may also bedescribed as capability. (Source: UN/ISDR Terminology)

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14Copyright @ tom Pietrsik/UNDP 2008

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Mason Training Programme“Earthquakes don't kill people, unsafe houses do.”

The first step to improve the construction, qualityand safety level of buildings is to prepare trainedmanpower required for earthquake resistantconstruction technology. Various initiatives underthe GoI-UNDP DRM Programme to train masonswere taken. They were trained in techniques thatwould enable them to build earthquake resistantbuildings. Since the actual construction ofbuildings is done by masons, making them awareof the need for safety, and the methods that would

make this possible, can be the best safeguard ofall against the loss of life and property that occurwhen a building is damaged or destroyed by anearthquake. Till date 10,000 masons have beentrained in Uttar Pradesh alone. This can be seen tohave ushered in a new consciousness regardingthe importance of building earthquake safebuildings.

Mason’s Training, Bihar

In Bihar, eight (8) districts fall under earthquakezone V and are covered by the Orissa DevelopmentTechnocrats Forum which is involved in trainingtrainers to train masons to build earthquake-safe

“Thanks to the first aid training I underwent through the DRM project, I was able to tend to those injured in the floods. A lot of people have returned to theirvillages now. And whenever they pass by this town they make sure to visit me. We have a cup of tea and talk for a while. That gratitude makes me feel good.”

Kiran Devi, Community Volunteer, Dawaniachowk, Supaul (Bihar)

To prevent human misery and economic hardship, the Government of India and UNDP havetaken measures that will help create a safer environment. Under the initiative of the Ministry ofUrban Development, a Vulnerability Atlas of the country was prepared (1994-1997) in which

earthquake, hazard, and cyclone maps for every state and Union Territory of India were prepared.With clearly demarcated boundaries, these maps indicate areas of districts prone to various intensitiesof hazards at a glance. This enabled efforts to be concentrated in 176 multi-hazard prone districts in17 states of the country i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat Maharashtra, Manipur,Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh andWest Bengal.

The Government of India - UNDP launched a proactive initiative that aims to see that disasterpreparedness and mitigation measures are undertaken at all levels, (central, state, local) by individualsand institutions from every walk of life, and to counter every type of hazard that individuals andregions are vulnerable to. The emphasis of this programme has been on activities related to sensitization,training and capacity building. The programme includes in its ambit, government officials, volunteers,and civil society. It also focuses on the creation of district management departments at the state level, asalso the formation and training of disaster management committees and teams at all levels.

In addition, Disaster Management Authorities at National and State levels, mobilized localcommunities to deal with situations that ranged from organizing search and rescue teams, to givingfirst aid training in Chamoli District, Uttaranchal to undertaking flood preparatory measures whichranged from repairing embankments, to storing suitable foodstuffs. It is heartening that responseplans have been formulated in conjunction with representatives Village/Ward, and Gram Panchayatlevels, with the representation of women in all these bodies. So in addition to strengthening theDisaster Management teams at all levels, women have been given special training in areas such asfirst aid, shelter management, water, sanitation, rescue and evacuation.

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houses. After receiving training for 6 days, masonsbuild a Technology Demonstration Unit in each ofthe 201 blocks which will then be used as a controlroom cum information centre. The training forthese master trainers is provided by resourcepersons from ODTF team. Masons and artisans arenow part of self help groups and masons'cooperatives in each block. Control Rooms havealso been set up in Blocks which will help in thedissemination of safe building techniques.

The Masons Training Programme has been onesuccessful initiative under the GOI-UNDP DRMProgramme along with training Programs on firefighting, search and rescue in schools.

Building Capacity to Cope with Disaster RiskManagement

After the two major disasters such as the OrissaCyclone in 1999 and Gujarat Earthquake in 2001,the approach towards disaster management inIndia has changed from relief and response-centricto a balanced approach including prevention,mitigation, preparedness and rehabilitation. Also,efforts are being made to incorporate disaster riskreduction in development planning for which theGovernment has prepared a National DisasterManagement Framework. It covers various aspectsof disaster management such as: Institutionalmechanism; Mitigation/prevention measures;Legal/ policy framework; Preparedness andresponse; Early warning systems; HumanResource Development; Capacity Building;

The capacity building activities undertaken as apart of the GoI-UNDP Disaster Risk Managementproject is an integral part of the national roadmapfor reducing vulnerabilities to disasters.

The GOI-UNDP initiative undertook a series of stepsto build the community's capacity to deal withhazards and to prevent them from turning intodisasters. A National Core Group on EarthquakeRisk Mitigation was set up by the Ministry of HomeAffairs (MHA) to review and validate the plans forearthquake mitigation and advise MHA on policyand planning related issues for earthquake riskreduction. Students of Engineering andArchitecture were made aware of the need forbuildings that were better equipped to deal withearthquakes, floods, landslides, and other naturalphenomena that were likely to cause damage ifbuildings were constructed in areas that madethem vulnerable to natural hazards, or in ways thatdid not incorporate safety features. Selectedengineers from prominent governmentengineering departments (Public Works

Department, Military Engineering Service, theurban Development Authorities) were trained tobuild seismic resistant constructions, and tobecome aware of codal provisions, safety andevaluation techniques, and to advise onretrofitting existing buildings so that they conformto the new safety requirements.

- a Mason trained in the UVERP in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh“Even if earthquake-proof requirements are not part of the plan, I still use what I learnt in the training sessions. They are very useful and practical.”


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CASE STUDY-II

Preparedness minimizing the loss: Flood 2008,Sambalpur

Due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal that wassubsequently intensified to a deep depressionthere was very heavy rain in the upper and lowercatchments of Mahanadi System in September,2008 that resulted in flood. Due to local rain in thedistrict and water discharge from the Hirakud dam,the low lying areas and the back water forced theurban areas in flood like situation. Poor drainagesystem in the district caused water logging in manywards of the municipality and flash flood mainlyin two blocks i.e. Dhakauda and Maneswarbasically affected the people.

Effectiveness of DRM Programme:

GOI-UNDP DRM Programme helped the district inmany ways such as:DRM approach enhanced the level ofpreparedness at the administrative level as well ascommunity level. District Natural CalamityCommittee (DNCC) meeting held in the month ofMarch 2008 (Heat wave) and May 2008 (Pre Flood)to take stock of the situation prior to theemergency season. All the concerned linedepartments were instructed to take necessarypreparedness & precautionary measures to tacklethe situation.The EOC is operational and equipped withTelephone, Internet, VHF facilities, Fax, Rescue

CASE STUDY-I

Preparedness pays…

In Tamil Nadu, the GOI-UNDP Programme is being implemented in 13 districts: (64 blocks, 2463 grampanchayats, 3397 villages, and in 17 Urban Local Bodies). Village disaster management teams wereconstituted to undertake search and rescue, and to administer first aid. In order to get more clarity onthe roles and responsibilities of the teams, mock drills were also conducted.

The creation of regional Early Warning Systems, and Risk and Vulnerability Assessments can be verycost effective to focus on local level and support communities to take simple disaster preparednessmeasures. Forging basic communication chains can help spread warnings effectively and save lives.

In Samiyarpettai, a quiet village by the sea in Tamil Nadu, the GOI-UNDP's efforts to make the villagersaware of the risks posed by natural phenomena such as cyclones were first seen as no more than a diversion.When the Anna school of Management first reached out to the villagers and attempted to involve them inlearning survival strategies to deal with incidents such as cyclones, the women were conspicuous by theirabsence.

For two years later, when the Tsunami struck, the villagers of Samiyarpettai knew exactly what to do toface the calamity. They were aware of how to reach safer, higher ground, to make use of empty barrels asrafts, and were trained in first aid techniques that saved lives, and minimized injuries. The death toll inSamiyarpettai was 22, much lower than in neighboring areas. And the villagers themselves acknowledged,“Many more of us would have been killed if we had not been trained.”

Another initiative that has the potential to make a big difference to the outcome when accidents andother natural hazard or human-induced disasters occur is the awareness and training level of the policeand doctors. The Police are often the first to arrive at the scene of an accident whether it is a trafficaccident, or the scene of a crime, or any other natural or man-made disaster. However, they are oftennot trained to deal with the victims. Doctors believe that it should be mandatory for police personnelto be trained in first aid so that they can provide speedy relief to the victims till the time a doctorarrives or they are taken to a hospital. Doctors from the state government were called upon to trainpolice personnel and this exercise was sponsored by Medisphere Marketing Private Limited. In June2006, doctors trained police personnel in 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh. While this initiative was seento be successful in terms of resource mobilization, forging partnerships between differentdepartments involved with DRM activities, a greater emphasis on the quality of the Programme,and less on meeting targets would, it was believed, lead to better outcomes.

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equipments, powerboats, Search lights, Generatorand most important is District DisasterManagement Plan (DDMP). During emergency thiscenter acts as a nodal point for receiving messagesand transmits to different quarters. DeputyCollector (Emergency) along with the DistrictProject Officer, DRM monitored the whole situationfrom the EOC and acted as the information hub ofthe District.All the grass root level officers were alerted andinstructed to keep close watch on the situation andreport from time to time to the EOC for bettermonitoring.

The trained Volunteers of Disaster ManagementTeam (VDMTs) were kept in readiness to handle theemergency situations. Three DMT members fromDhanakauda and Maneswar block who rescued 4people in a boat mishap (Haradjor Nalla) wereawarded by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Orissaon October 29, 2008 to promote volunteerism onthe eve of Orissa Disaster Preparedness Day.

Formation of DMTs and DMCs - Different Teamsand Committees at all level are being formed forthe purpose of monitoring and taking decisionrelated to disaster preparedness, management &disaster recovery. At District, block, GP and villagelevel such committees are formed. Thesecommittees include decision makers, opinionleaders, traditional leaders, SHG members, villageyouths, teachers, line department, officials etc.The approach of Community based disasterpreparedness is the best form of disasterpreparedness as this advocate for a bottom upapproach for disaster management. It is anacknowledged fact that whatever be thepreparedness at top level it takes some time toreach to the community in the normal condition.In case of severe disaster scenario, this time spandefinitely increases because of various obstacles.Hence, the wise approach is to train thecommunity for self-reliance, self-help, and self-protection. It is realized from the past experiencethat community needs support in specializedtraining in Search and Rescue, First Aid andPsychological counseling in the post disastersituation.

Everyone is aware about the fact that awarenesshas made a lot of difference in our lives. In the DRMProgramme, everyone has been sensitized andmade aware right from community level to theadministration level, which has helpedconsiderably to reduce the losses by taking upprompt preparedness measures well before time.PRIs have taken a lead role in communicating tothe community and acted as the viablecommunication channel for dissemination ofwarning with the help of warning group.

NGOs with support of trained volunteers helpedthe District administration to provide free kitchento the affected people of urban areas. DMT trainingat Urban Areas were organized in which 250volunteers were trained. As the blocks of thedistrict were not much affected by the flood thisyear, but the level of preparedness at all level showsa positive sign towards the effectiveness of theDisaster Risk Management Programme andacceptance of the same by the community and theadministration.

CASE STUDY-III

The spirit of Volunteerism saved many lives inMaharashtra

District Level Volunteers Search and Rescueoperation in Dhule district of Maharashtra is anexemplary example of full preparedness andwell-coordinated team work of the unparalleledrescue operation in Dhule. The DM planpreparation process was identified for 92 of the 676villages in the district spread in four talukas proneto floods every year. As there were heavy rains andfloods in several parts of Maharashtra and theneighbouring states of Gujarat around the sametime in the month of August 2006, in Dhule district,only one rubber inflatable boat and two mediumcapacity boats were available, that too for a shorttime, as against the immediate need of at least fourboats. Yet the DRM District Project Officer andyoung members of the search and rescue team inthe late evening hours of 8th August 2006transported to safe places, 1300 people from 5Villages and provide relief in 3 villages located onthe bank of river Tapi using just one Boat.

Uttrakhand Being a hill state with snake like roads and many religious places disasters like road accidents and landslides due to construction activities arequite common. The state is taking up special Programs to train Police, Revenue, Home Guard personnel and volunteers on search and rescue techniques.More than 720 State Government personnel trained in Search and Rescue through 20 day Programs while more than 56,021 volunteers have been impartedwith basic Search and Rescue skills through 02-03 day programs using the state as well as DRM funds through various specialized training institutes likeHimalayan Adventure Institute and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute etc.

- Abha Mishra (Programme Associate, Delhi, UP and Uttaranchal)


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Recalling the rescue operation, at that moment theonly available boat was engulfed by the spate offlood water currents, leaving no other option forthe rescue members to step out of the boat andwade through the flowing waters clasping handstogether moving inch by inch to safety. Twomembers of the team were able to reach onto theother side of the bank. The floating boat wasretrieved by them and helped residents from thewaterlogged villages. The operation continued tillthe next morning.

The rescue operation, recalled one of the villageyouth, Ishwar Shriram Koli, "We got up in themorning to see our village completely surroundedby flood water, and we were scared when the waterlevels started rising ferociously, it was somethingwe had never seen before. His father, a villagesarpanch and former police officer praised and

CASE STUDY-IV

Empowering the Stakeholders through Capacity Building, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

“Capacity building of different stakeholders, especially Disaster Management Volunteers is perhapsthe most important activity in any community based disaster management Programme” mentionedMr. Suresh Keshavrao Dike, ex-Sarpanch of Jainpur village, Ahmednagar district during an interactionon the capacity building paid dividend. He added that the trainings helped him to build his ownand his peer groups capacity which was so critical in effective and efficient disastermanagement.

Ahmednagar, one of the DRM Programme districts, is the biggest district of Maharashtra in terms ofgeographical area --covering 5.6 percent of the total area of the State. It has 1586 villages and 1310Gram Panchayats spread within 14 talukas. These talukas have been grouped into four sub-divisionsfor administrative purposes. Ahmednagar is a drought-prone district and the average rainfall is about498 mm. However, the year 2006 was different as this district witnessed unprecedented floods.

One of the villages that were devastated by the floods of 2006 is Jainpur. Jainpur village is located inNewasa taluka of Shrirampur sub-division. Mr. Dike, an ex-PRI member, remembers the situation ofAugust 2006 when release of 2.81 lakh cusses of water in Godavari river from Nandurmadhameshwardam in Nashik district coupled with the heavy rainfall in Ahmednagar, wrought havoc across thedistrict. His village, Jainpur, was heavily flooded due to release of water from Nandurmadhameshwarand backwater of Jaikwadi dam. The villagers still remember the exemplary role played by Mr. Dikeduring response operation. As soon as water started entering the low lying areas, he immediatelyinformed the tehsil office as well as the district Control Room on 1077 and kept on updating thesituation of his village. Leading from the front, he with the help of village talahti, police patil, otherPRI members and a few volunteers, undertook the evacuation task. The local vehicles were used forshifting people to safer places. With the help of Saibaba Sansthan and Shaneshwar Sansthan, thefood packers were arranged for the evacuated population. The rainfall was relentless and hencewater level was rising. As a response as well as precautionary measure, Mr. Dike with the help ofothers arranged a private hodi [small boat] from the nearby village for the rescue operation. On

thanked the search & rescue team members forbeing trained to use the Rubber Inflatable Boat aspart of ongoing DRM training on search and rescueoperation and for ferrying the nearby villageresidents to safety.

Shailaja Joshi, the tehsildar of Sinkhede also apartof Village Disaster Management team, showedcourage and sense of duty after being trained toused the Rubber Inflatable Boat. He rescued thetrapped people by going from village to villagefrom early morning to late night consecutively forfour days during till the flood waters could recedein August 2006. The flood search & rescue teamincluding the DPO was awarded certificate ofhonour by Honorable Guardian Minister of theDistrict, Shri Ravindraseth Patil on 15th August2006 at the collectorate, Dhule District,Maharashtra.

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Replicable good practices

The training of the selected engineers from prominent engineeringdepartments as well as students of Engineering and ArchitectureInstitutes, made them better equipped to deal with earthquakes,floods, landslides and other natural phenomena that were likely tocause damage. They were trained to build seismic resistantconstructions, and to become aware of other safety and evaluationtechniques.

The creation of regional Early Warning Systems, and Risk andVulnerability Assessments can be very cost effective to focus onlocal level and support communities to take simple disasterpreparedness measures. Forging basic communication chains canhelp spread warnings effectively and save lives.

The training of Masons is another good practice since the actualconstruction of buildings is done by masons, making them awareof the need for safety, and the methods that would make thispossible, can be the best safeguard of all against the loss of lifeand property that occur when a building is damaged or destroyedby an earthquake.

Uttar Pradesh Earthquake don’t kill but buildings kills is a well known statement which indicates the need for capacity building of all stakeholders involvedin construction activities. This was translated into action under DRM+ in Uttar Pradesh by ensuing that not only Engineers and Architects in large numbersare trained in the state using State funds besides the DRM funds. Today more than 10,000 masons, 900 engineers and 50 architects have been trained inearthquake resistant construction in 13 districts (183 blocks) and 6 cities.

- Abha Mishra (Programme Associate, Delhi, UP and Uttaranchal)

further rise of water level in village, he contacted the tehsildar and then the district control roomand two columns of army was pressed into evacuation task.

Considering the importance and usefulness of the training Programme, Mr. Dike has been attendingmost of the disaster management training Programs conducted at tehsil and district level. He is alsobeing called for experience sharing during community level training Programs conducted underthe Disaster Risk Management Programme. Mr. Dike whose wife is the sitting Sarpanch, revealedthat the training Programme conducted in May 2006 for the Panchyati Raj Members, helped him tounderstand the nuances of disaster management especially, flood management. Importance ofcoordination, two-way communication, pre-flood planning, identification of safe shelters, usage oflocal resources, toll free district control room number, etc were also some of the takeaways of thetrainings for Mr. Dike. The training Programme had covered topics namely, Introduction ofDisaster Risk Management and Disaster Risk Management Programme, Disasters and typesof disasters, Role of PRI members in disaster management including awareness generation,emergency response and availability of resources and Preparation of Village DisasterManagement Plans.


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Chapter-III


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InstitutionalizationLaying the foundation stone for a better tomorrow!

We must act now. We must deliver this planet to our succeeding generation in a more environmentallysustainable way.

Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

Copyright @ Tom Pietrasik/UNDP 2008 23

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Emergency Operation Centers (EOC)The Construction of EOCs is another step to makethe people aware about the safe constructionpractices and earthquake resistant houses. ThisEOC construction is also being used as ademonstration unit for enabling construction ofseismically resistant houses in the district.

Well equipped Regional Rescue Centreswith latest technology are being establishedat Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat andGandhidam with the objective to minimizethe response time and for effective responsein any emergency.

The EOC is strengthened with theCommunication Equipments like underDRM Programme.

Mobile phone, Fax machine, Hand Set(Walkie talkie), Portable Diesel Generatorset, Desktop Computer (including modem,UPS, CDRW), Printer, Scanner, Fax (MultiUtility Machine)

A Winning Strategy- Corporate Partnership

The government of Uttar Pradesh made astrategic decision, to team up with a corporatehouse, TATA-TISCON to combine strengths andcreate a pool of engineers, architects, and masonswho were made conversant with earthquake safetechniques in the earthquake prone areas of thestates of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Since thiscorporate house is in the business of making andmarketing steel products that go into theconstruction of safer buildings, and indeed,advertise this fact in various media, this is an

“We got food in the mega camps. Doctors were also available there. Our children were fed with milk and biscuits apart from their meals. The family kit wewere given at the camps was also useful since most of our things were washed away by the flood.”

Kunkun Sada, Resident, Kehera Toola, Saharsa (Bihar)

Introduction

Disaster Risk Management Programme (DRMP) has taken strong roots at various levels ofadministration in the states. All heads of the state departments have been oriented on thesubject of Disaster Risk Management from time to time. Disaster Management Committees are

formed at various levels and are assigned the task of implementing the programme. Representationfor these committees are drawn from elected representatives ,officials of line departments, professionalbodies, Civil Defense, NFO and CBO representatives and local opinion leaders. Women participation inDMCs has been especially encouraged to address the special needs of gender, particularly at the timeof disaster and post-disaster situations. DMCs are involved in preparing disaster preparedness andmitigation planning at all levels to ensure sustainability and integrating management plan intodevelopment plan at various levels.

Capacity development Programs are organized by conducting meetings, workshops, seminars, trainingcamps for sensitization, knowledge dissemination and developing skill sets of various stakeholders atvarious levels.

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example of Private -Public partnership thatbenefits both parties: government, as well as thecorporate house.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan seeks to provide usefuland relevant elementary education to all childrenin the age group of 6 to 14 years by 2010. It aims

to enable children to become familiar with theirnatural environment in a manner that allows thefullest growth of their innate potential. The SSA iscommitted to the safety of its students andemploys masons trained in safetytechniques to build their schools.

A standard operating procedure hasbeen prepared which includesawareness generation, evacuation,search and rescue, first aid, and theformation of a team for site safety.Indeed, in an effort to forgepartnerships among those mostdeeply involved with these issues,representatives from the FireDepartment, Civil Defence, Police,BSES, Residents' WelfareAssociation, Parents-TeachersAssociation, Red Cross/ St John'sambulance Brigade and otherNGOs participated in workshops.

Safety Messages in the SchoolCurriculum

A message imbibed in childhood,makes an immediate impact which remains withus all through our lives. Understanding this basicprinciple and in order to sensitize the youngchildren and to develop their knowledge, aptitude

and skills for disaster management, Central Boardof Secondary Education (CBSE), GOI hasintroduced Disaster Management in the schoolcurriculum of Social Sciences from Class VIII toX and in class XI in Sociology and Geography.Drawing from the positive experiences of CBSE,many state boards have also introduced thesubject from class VII to IX. This being a newsubject, training, orientation and knowledgeupgradation, Programs are being conducted acrossthe country to orient the principals and teacherson this subject and for imparting skills for teachingthis subject to the students. 14 State Boards haveincluded disaster management in the schoolcurriculum (13 in Social Science subject and onein environment science in Tamil Nadu). UNDP hasfacilitated NCERT in developing a chapter inSociology for class XI which focuses on impact ofdisasters on environment and society. UNDP hashelped IGNOU in developing course material onPG Diploma in Disaster management.

In schools for ensuring safety, school safety plansare being prepared by involving both the teachersand the students. Training modules for teachers,educators have been developed in collaborationwith National Council of Education Research and

Training (NCERT) to focus on thehealth, safety and well being ofthe School Children.

A large number of Teachers'training programs are beingcarried out to help the teacherstransact the subject in theclassroom effectively.National Institute of Open

Schooling (NIOS) is in the processof incorporating DisasterManagement in their textbooks.Development of Teacher's training

module by CBSE with support fromUNDP and UNESCO is in theprocess

Training modules have beendeveloped in collaboration withNational Council of EducationResearch and Training (NCERT) to

focus on the Health, Safety and WellBeing of the School Children.UNDP has helped IGNOU in developingtextbooks for its course on PG Diploma inDisaster management.

As part of the SarvaShiksha Abhiyan a trainingmodule t it led “DisasterManagement- a SchoolManual” has beendeveloped in Gujarat,which is used during thetraining Programs.

Copyright @ Tom Pietrasik/UNDP India2008


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CASE STUDY-I

Integration of Disaster Management in the Training Programme of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan inJajpur District

Teachers play an important role in Disaster Management especially in awareness generation(amongst both students and community), formation of School Disaster Management Committeeand preparation of school safety plans. Capacity building of the teachers in Disaster Managementis a pre requisite for preparation of school safety plans across the district. It can also be realizedthat even the teachers are also playing a major role in preparation of the Village DisasterManagement Committee though they are members of the VDMC and Counseling Teams in theirrespective villages. In DRM Programme there is a component of sensitization of School teachers atDistrict & Block level but it is not sufficient to reach out to all the teachers in the district. Henceconvergence is essential with the ongoing training Programs for the school teachers under variousPrograms of Education Departments of the district for raising the awareness on DM initiativesamong the school teachers.

In Jajpur District in Orissa, the state nodal agency, OSDMA was involved in a Programme to involveteachers in building awareness and increasing the sensitization of the community, as also amongstthe students of educational institutions on DRM. However, though sensitization of School teachersat District & Block level is an objective, it is difficult to reach all the teachers in the district. Henceeducational training Programs of school teachers under different Programs of the EducationDepartments of the district can increase the awareness of DM initiatives among the school teachers.

During the year 2003-04, a training Programme for school teachers was organized at the Districtand block levels under the DRM Programme, in which 311 high school level teachers in the districtwere oriented in Disaster Management. As a result, the funds available under the DRM Componentfor the teachers training Programme were exhausted. Hence, it was proposed that DisasterManagement would be included in UDAY–IITraining Programme. Uday-II is a 7 day trainingProgramme for teachers of classes VI & VII onthe upgraded education pattern andmethodology under Sarva Shiksha AbhiyanProgramme and is being carried out in 19centres of the district. The Sarva ShikshaAbhiyan Programme of the district, will thustake the DM topic to all the school teacherswithin a specified time limit and without anyfunds from the DRM Budget. It can thereforebe called an effective way to sensitize schoolteachers and their students.

Mainstreaming Disaster Management intoDevelopment

The Government of India has adopted mitigationand prevention as essential components of theirdevelopment strategy. The Tenth Five Year Plandocument has a detailed chapter on DisasterManagement. The plan emphasizes the fact thatdevelopment cannot be sustainable withoutmitigation being built into developmental process.Each State is supposed to prepare a plan schemefor disaster mitigation in accordance with the


approach outlined in the plan. In brief, mitigationis being mainstreamed into developmentalplanning.

In order to mainstream disaster management intoregular departmental activities, the Chief Secretary,Government of Maharashtra has included DisasterManagement as a parameter in the performanceappraisal of departmental Secretaries.

The Relief and Rehabilitation Department, thenodal agency for disaster management in theState, instructed the District Collectors to dovetail

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disaster mitigation and preparedness activitiesas envisaged under the DM Act, 2005 in the annualdistrict development plan.

Linkages with corporate sector were earlierestablished with the regional chapter of CII.establish a mechanism for regular interactionbetween administration and industry associationsfor dissemination of DM agenda throughorganization of sensitization-cum trainingPrograms at various industrial clusters.

The PRI functionaries are the key players and bestequipped to undertake multifarious stepsrequired before, during and in the aftermath of adisaster. The Disaster Management Act of theCentral government envisages a District DisasterManagement Authority in which the Chairman ofthe Zilla Panchayat will be the Co-Chairpersonalong with the District Collector. This wouldensure close co-ordination between the civiladministration and the local self-government. Itwill help to decentralize the DM Programme too.

The Government of Orissa plans to createDivisional Monitoring Committees for DM,headed by the Revenue Divisional Commissioner(RDC) and composed of local MLAs and MPs, andthe President of the Zilla Parishad as its members.The Collector would be answerable to thiscommittee. As per the Central DM Act, the Stategovernment is also expected to put in place amatrix for allocation of specific responsibilitiesamong local authorities – the PRIs and theMunicipalities.

CASE STUDY-II

A step ahead towards the goal: DisasterManagement Institutionalized in Sikkim.

In the state of Sikkim, the disaster managementcomponent got its due recognition in the stategovernment and after years of dedicated work inthe field of disaster management, the officials havebeen absorbed in the State Government as regularemployees solely working in the field of disastermanagement.

Sikkim being a small state, when the DRMProgramme was started, there were no resources,man power, absolutely nothing at all. But today,the state has set an example for others to emulate.A dedicated Disaster Management Unit underthe State Government. Their success story asshared by them summarizes the mechanism stepsthey followed:

Beside the work plan activities, EOCs (EmergencyOperation Centre) in the heart of Gangtok City wasconstructed under the funding of the Governmentof Sikkim.

Quick Response Teams representing East, West,North and South districts were appointed. They aretrained in Search and Rescue Operation andEmergency First Aid. These teams will remain inEOCs round the clock and shall respond to anyeventualities as first respondent. The salarycomponent is being provided by Government ofSikkim.

The District Project Officers initially appointed oncontract under GOI,UNDP are now absorbed in theregular establishment of Government of Sikkim.

As many as 24 field facilitators (FF) were trained,who were responsible for conducting andorganizing various training Programs under PRIs

One of the major concerns of Disaster Risk Management is reducing the impact of disasters andprotecting the most vulnerable members of the societies which include children. Thus, Delhiprioritized schools over all the logical units identified under the Programme to initiate a SchoolSafety Programme. Today, more than 4000 Schools have taken up sensitization Programs,prepared their plans and conducted mock drills besides training their Disaster ManagementTeams on basic techniques of First Aid and Search and Rescue. The Education departmentinstructed all the schools to conduct mock drills.


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and are under disposal of Sikkim Institute of RuralDevelopment ( SIRD). Besides their routine workactivities these FFs have scheduled DisasterManagement in every Programme at their ownand they have identified the State Project Officerand Districts Project Officer, as resource person. Tilldate they have organized 34 DisasterManagement Programme (24 at Block level, 7GP level and 3 at village level).

All institutions viz Police Training Centre,Emergency Operation in all four districts, all ULBsand Block Panchayats are fully equipped withSearch & Rescue and Emergency First Aidequipments which has been procured from 10%CRF as well as from the DRM funds.

This clearly indicated the systematic approachtaken in institutionalizing Disaster Management inthe state and giving it a logical end.

CASE STUDY-III

Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)

Delhi Disaster Management Authority has been setup under the Chairmanship of the Hon’bleGovernor of Delhi on October 9, 2004 with itsSecretariat located at the Office of the DivisionalCommissioner. The major objective of the DDMAis to institutionalize Disaster Management in theState with complete participation of all majorGovernment Departments and other Stakeholders.At District level Disaster ManagementCommittees have been constituted in the all nine

Districts under the chairman ship of DeputyCommissioners.

GoI-UNDP Disaster Risk Management Programme(DRM): Disaster Risk Management Programme isone of the major initiatives undertaken by theAuthority to facilitate Disaster Preparedness,Mitigation and Response in the State. The primaryobjectives of the Programme are to facilitate massawareness generation, capacity building at variouslevels with special emphasis on Community BasedDisaster Management. A State steering Committeehas been set up under the Chairmanship of theChief Secretary to monitor implementation of theDRM Programme.

Towards ensuring sustainability, DisasterManagement in Delhi has been mainstreamed intothe Plan Scheme of the Government and funds havealready been allocated for the purpose of DisasterPreparedness activities for the year 2006-07.

Delhi Earth Quake Safety Initiatives

The Government of NCT of Delhi incollaboration with Geo-Hazards Internationaltook up an innovative project of retrofitting fivelifeline buildings in the Capital on a pilotproject basis. These five buildings are DelhiSecretariat, Delhi Police Head Quarter, DelhiDisaster Management Authority Secretariat,Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and Ludlow CastleSchool. The project includes structural andnon-structural mitigation in these buildings.

In West Bengal strong institutional mechanism up to block level is one among many meticulous lessons learnt for implementation of the Programme. Theprovisions of funds for disaster management and risk mitigation has always been positive, leading the road forward to a long term DRM institutionalizationand sustainability

-Subhasish Debnath (Programme Associate, West Bengal)

Mainstreaming of Disaster Management in Plan Scheme, Delhi

Disaster Management has been mainstreamed into plan scheme of 2006-2007 and in the currentfinancial year (2007-2008) to conduct activities under the head of Disaster Management. Adequatebudget has been earmarked to carry out the activities under the head of Disaster Management.The funds have been largely proposed for preparedness measures such as information disseminationand awareness programs through information, Education and Communication (IEC) material, toraise the sensitivity to imminent disasters among the communities like Resident Welfare Associations(RWA), schools, medical institutions and offices etc. through street plays, training programs on searchand rescue, first aid etc. Budget was also earmarked for strengthening of Emergency OperationsCenters (EOC) with communication equipment that can link with different coordinating agenciesand other necessary peripherals that can provide support and keep the administrative functionsactive in times of disasters. The EOC’s are already operational in South, South West, East, North East,Central districts. Efforts are being made to operationalize other EOC’s as well.

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Mason training programme through Tata Tiscon partnership is one of the successful initiativestaken under the GoI-UNDP DRM Programme.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan is another step towards integrating the DRM in to the developmentinitiatives. The CBSE has introduced Disaster Management in the school curriculum of socialsciences.

The Teachers' training Programs that oriented the teachers in various aspects of the DisasterManagement and helped them to transact the subject in the classroom effectively.

Inclusion of Disaster Management as a parameter in the performance appraisal of departmentalSecretaries to ensure mainstreaming disaster management into regular development initiativesby the state government is successful initiative towards sustainability.


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Chapter-IV


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Involvement of Community:a step towards Sustainability

Of the people, by the people, for the people!

Volunteers play a crucial role in the period immediately after a crisis or disaster in reconstruction andbringing societies together.

Ad Melkert, UNDP Associate Administrator

Copyright @ Tom Pietrasik/UNDP India 2008 33

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Citizen Leaders ensure sustainability, SitapurDistrict, Uttar Pradesh

To ensure the sustainability of its Programs, theDRM Programme proposed interventions aimedat developing the capacities of institutions andindividuals so that they can play a lead role beyondthe Programme. In Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh,a promising initiative has prepared a large teamof responsible women and men as Citizen Leaders.These Citizen Leaders are playing a direct role inincreasing local resilience and addressing the rootcauses of vulnerability. Since most of these CitizenLeaders are women, their unique role in effectivelymobilizing the whole community is worthhighlighting.

National Youth Schemes

India has the largest youth population in the worldwhich constitutes a vibrant and dynamic segmentof the country’s population and is potentially themost valuable human resource. In view of the largestrength and countrywide presence of the youthvolunteers of the NSS and NYKS schemes and totap the constructive and creative energies of theyouth, interaction was initiated with the Ministryof Youth Affairs and Sports, Govt. of India pursuesthe twin objectives of developing the personality

of youth and involving them in various nation-building activities.

National Service Scheme launched in the MahatmaGandhi Birth Centenary year 1969, as a studentyouth service Programme, aims at arousing socialconsciousness of the youth with an overallobjective of personality development of thestudents through community service. The schemecovers all the states and union territories, 174universities, 7500 colleges and institutions ofhigher learning, 16 senior secondary council and2000 senior secondary schools. One NSS unitconsists of 100 student volunteers led by a teacherIncharge called "NSS Programme Officer".

Importance of sensitization and awarenessgeneration among the communities to their

Introduction

The strong community-based approach, supported by institutionalization of disaster riskmanagement in policy framework is the very foundation for the programme sustainability. Withtrained human resources made available at village level, at the State and District levels and the

entire DM planning process linked to development plans, UNDP Programme implementation supportcould gradually be withdrawn from all programme districts. Mainstreaming risk management andvulnerability reduction activities in the development plans and enhancing capacities of the Governmentfunctionaries ensure that the achievements of the programme are sustained, even after the programmeduration is over.


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vulnerabilities and the need to manage them hasbeen felt at the highest levels in Government. Withthe help of volunteers to sensitize and reach outto communities in rural as well as urban areas, theMinistry aims to make Disaster Management a partof the everyday life of a common man.

Over the years, the NSS, NCC, NYKS, and evenBharat Scouts and Guides Programs have beeninfluencing the young minds to extend a helpinghand towards addressing social problems in thecountry, and have been motivating them to tackledevelopment issues in India. The Ministry of YouthAffairs has been spearheading these nationalmovements that have had many successes invarious spheres of development includingresponse to natural disasters, especially in therecent major disasters, Orissa super cyclone andGujarat earthquake.

NYKS/NSS volunteers have traditionally been in theforefront of assisting the civil administration intimes of national crisis – be it natural disaster orcivil strife. The organization has been active in reliefmanagement and distribution. These trainedvolunteers are also facilitating the process ofbuilding disaster-resilient communities byfocusing on disaster mitigation preparedness andresponse related Programs.

In the area of Disaster Management the primaryactivities of these organizations is to focus upon,in accordance with their presence and strength onfacilitating community based disasterpreparedness planning process as part of theircommunity work, generating awareness amongthe common people about the mitigation andpreparedness measures, undertaking school/college level disaster awareness and safetyPrograms especially in the case of NSS since theyinvolve young student volunteers and developingthe capacity of the youth in their capacity in firstaid and search and rescue so as to enable them toassist the civil administration in times ofemergencies.

The Programme envisages an important role for theyouth volunteers in facilitating community plans tocope with disasters, identifying members of taskforces and training them in different aspects ofdisaster management. These youth volunteers are

trained in facilitating development of community-based disaster management plans, awarenessgeneration activities and in implementation ofschool/college awareness and safety plans.Amongst the success stories under this Programmeare several initiatives in the states of Assam andOrissa.

Ministry of Home Affairs is providing support (bothtechnical in terms of expert trainers under the DRMProgramme and financial) for the training andcapacity building of the officers and volunteers.Regular interaction is being done to upscale theactivities.

Youth Volunteers’ network to institutionalizedisaster preparedness

One of the key elements of Disaster RiskManagement (DRM) Programme is to establish andsustain partnership linkages with importantstakeholders. One such partnership with NehruYuva Kendra Sangthan highlights the potential ofpartnering with a youth volunteers’ network ininstitutionalizing the DRM Programme. Women

“Working with the people was the motivation to join the DRM project.”Bipin Chaudhry, UNV volunteer, Supaul (Bihar)



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volunteers from NYKS are striving to enhance theparticipation of women by supporting the districtadministration. Their efforts have succeeded ingenerating interest among women and persuadedthem to come forward and contribute to buildingthe disaster preparedness of their community.

Civil Defence, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sanghatan(NYKS) Volunteers and Anganwadi workers

30 volunteers from Civil Defence and NYKS weretrained in Delhi in March on Community BasedDisaster Management Planning to facilitate theprocess of Disaster Management Plan DocumentPreparation, including an evacuation plan, alongwith Resident Welfare Association and Market TradeAssociations in the South District. 500 Anganwadiworkers were trained in Search & Rescue and FirstAid as part of the preparedness measures.

CASE STUDY-I

Vigilance, Courage and Efficiency of Volunteers ofDisaster Management Team saved the life of sixschool children In 2007, during the incessant andrelentless heavy rainfall in the monsoon season, amaster trainer of the disaster management team,Mithilesh Kumar Nishad, resident of Nevari GaraKulrat village, received a phone call from thecontrol room of the disaster management office,Gonda instructing him to go to the flood affectedvillage Sillo situated about 1.5 kilometers away, toparticipate in the rescue and relief operationsbeing carried out there and to keep the controlroom posted about the current position of theoperation. The heavy rainfall had submerged allthe agricultural fields of Sillo and the main roadwas filled with nearly three feet under high water.Mithilesh Kumar Nishad continuously informedthe control room at the district level about theprogress made by the disaster management teamin providing relief to the flood affected people.

One day when he was on his way to the Sillo village,he stopped for tea at the tiny tea stall between thehigh school and primary school near the Akarivillage. It was raining heavily at that time, and theentire area was filled with water. While sipping teaMithilesh Kumar casually watched six children whowere studying in the primary school, going to theschool wading through the water. Suddenly oneboy fell into a big hole on the side of the roadwhich was not visible because of the water whichhad filled the road, and started drowning.Immediately the other children accompanying

the boy started shouting “burat ba, burat ba” (heis sinking). On hearing this Mithilesh Kumar putdown his cup of tea, jumped into the hole andrescued the boy. By that time many other peoplehad gathered at the tea stall. They all praisedMithilesh Kumar for acting so fearlessly.

Mithilesh Kumar’s bravery and courage granted anew lease of life to a five year old boy. When heinformed the control room about the incident theSDM and Tehsildar made arrangements for boatswhich would make it easier for people to move tillthe flood water receded.

As a result of the vigilance, courage, location andskills developed among volunteers by the DRMinitiative the life of the child was saved.Coordination with government officials andproper communication network appears quitevisible out of the event.

Building Safe Shelters

Having gained a lot of relevant experience in themassive reconstruction effort after the 1993earthquake in Latur, Maharashtra, Mir SajjadHussain, a civil engineer, has been overseeing theconstruction of schools, public health centers andwhole townships in Gujrat.

When district officials in Bhuj were urgentlyseeking the services of engineers who had anyexpertise in reconstructing earthquake devastatedregions Mr. Hussain joined the team of 30 NationalUN Volunteer engineers coming in from the Laturregion to help. When most of his colleagues wentback, he stayed on making sure that buildingscould resist further earthquakes. He has observedthat awareness raising among the local populationis even more important than secure constructions.“Community involvement is a must for any post-disaster rehabilitation to succeed,” he says.

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CASE STUDY-II

Resilient Community Volunteers instrumentalin Bihar flood response

The strength of disaster mitigation andmanagement depends on the level of communityinvolvement. UNDP’s Disaster Risk Management(DRM) project has been able to mobilize volunteersthrough the initiative. This sense of civic engagementhas proven an asset during the recent floods in Bihar.

No one would ever guess that Kiran Devi, a frailand shy woman, can display strength andresilience when facing a disaster. But the 35 yearold homemaker with two children was one of thecommunity volunteers that made a differenceduring the Bihar floods.

“People poured into Duwania Chowk (Supauldistrict, Bihar) in hundreds and thousands. I think Iwould have made food for at least 2000 peoplewhose homes and lives were washed away by theflood. Families just sat crowded in front of myhouse and they kept coming, even in the night.Together with my neighbours, we made food forthem. You couldn’t but want to do somethingwhen you saw their devastated expressions”, saysKiran. She becomes animated as she remembersthe days when the Kosi River came roaring intotheir lives. However, the dreaded Kosi did not stopher from wading through 4 feet of water and alsocarrying food for people in camps about 3kilometres away from her home.

Kiran has also undergone first aid training as partof UNDP’s disaster risk management (DRM) projectin the latter half of 2007. Master trainers who weretrained in the state capital Patna were deployedto train volunteers at the community level. InSupaul, training sessions in first aid, search andrescue and other disaster management techniqueswere concentrated in Pratapganj, Basantpur andRaghopur blocks (each block is a group of villages).Kiran was trained in Pratapganj. She says, “I wasable to help several people because of my first aidtraining. I tended to the injured.”

She has a daughter and son, who are in highschool. When asked if she has taught them how toadminister first aid, she laughs saying “not yet; Ithink it should be introduced in the schoolsyllabus.”

There is a tone of disappointment in her voicewhen she says that it would have been nice to getsome recognition from the local government forher work during the floods. But she is most pleasedbecause the people who she helped have notforgotten her, “A lot of people have returned totheir villages. And whenever they pass by this townthey make sure to visit me. We have a cup of teaand talk for a while. That gratitude makes me feelgood.”

It is volunteers like Kiran who can make disastermanagement more effective. In Bihar’s Supauldistrict alone, there are 150 such volunteers whohad put their lives on the line to save others.


A team of committed volunteers that modelcitizenship in the community is a criticalresource that also provides sustained follow-up to the Programme activities.

Young people coming forward on their ownaccord leads to long term communityownership and sustainability. The potential ofthese Citizen Leaders may be utilized for abroad range of social development initiatives.

Thus under DRM Programme, communitypreparedness implies that both men andwomen design a community action plan orto get the support of stakeholders -officialsor leaders or neighborhoods. Such a plan ofaction worked successfully since the corequestion, i.e., “participation by whom, forwhose benefit and on what agenda”, was triedto be answered with gender sensitivestrategies.

Coordination with other popular non-governmental organizations working in closeassociation with the local communities can beused as an effective stepping-stone toestablish an element of credibility of theProgramme in the minds of the men andwomen.


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Chapter-V


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Gender MainstreamingEmpowering Women!

Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is precondition for meeting the challenge of reducingpoverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.

Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General (1997-2006)


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Women act as a major change agents in any awareness Programme. The main objective ofthe Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Programme is sustainable reduction in disaster risk.One of the critical indicators of disaster risk reduction is gender equity in disaster

preparedness. Thus, in this programme a strong emphasis has been laid on representation of womenin disaster management committees and teams to ensure their increased and sustained involvementduring different stages of disaster resulting in gender equitable community preparedness.

Attention has been given towards much greater equality, particularly, in the context of disastersand inclusive and sustainable development. Based on the lessons learnt so far, particularly fromthe experiences of developing countries, there is a clear indication that disasters expose the existinginequities and imbalances in a society-economic, social or gender inequities. They have a differentialimpact for both men and women (It is also seen that worldwide those living in poverty are morevulnerable to disaster impacts, out of which 70% are women) In India, the horrifying memories ofTsunami are still fresh where it is estimated that 75% affected persons were women and children.

The impact of disaster has also been seen on women’s economic and social burdens. It has increasedtheir vulnerability to violence and exploitation in disproportionate ways. And yet they carry onwith the caring tasks they are principally responsible for and which are central to the re-establishmentof social cohesion. It was therefore, an imperative for UNDP that the occurrence of disasters is seenin the context of gendered social systems, and addressed through gender sensitive disaster riskmanagement programs.

To address the gender gap, Training of Trainers manual was also developed and extensive genderconsultations were held on Gender Mainstreaming in Disaster Risk Management in various regionsof the country. Under the disaster risk management Programme in thousands of villages acrossIndia, a growing number of ordinary people are learning to deal with disasters better and recoverfrom them faster. This growing force includes many illiterate women trained to protect themselvesand other during floods, earthquakes, rural fires and tsunami.

In all the 17 states, women have shown remarkable enthusiasm during the first aid trainings andsearch and rescue drills. An experience from the gender component of DRM has seen emergingone effective strategy which is to involve and organize village groups and women SHGs can be agood route. This ensures substantial gender participation and offers an already organized set-up.Socio-cultural imperatives also ensures that involvement of the woman in a public activity moretimes than not, ensures the involvement of the household's men, sooner rather than later. Secondly,the CCF, be it a grain bank or a cash contribution to maintain the village emergency shelter, is seento be serving as a rallying point. They ensure regular village meetings and sustained commitmentand ownership of DRM activities in normal times as well as during calamities. However, successcould depend on existing or creating strong leaderships including women.

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The prime objective of GOI- UNDP Disaster RiskManagement Programme is risk mitigation andpreparedness for early response. This is aProgramme with focus on communitypreparedness and building resilience of thevulnerable groups. The Programme envisagesstrengthening the decentralization processes(strengthening of the capacities of the states andlocal self Governments) and promoting genderequality, which are the two UNDAF (UnitedNational Development Assistance Framework)objectives.

Thus Gender Equity in disaster preparedness is aclearly stated goal for Disaster Risk Managementprogramme (DRM) in India. Two Programmecomponents that vividly highlight gender equityin community preparedness are – a) Constitutionof Disaster Management Teams and DisasterManagement Committees with adequaterepresentation of women at all levels. b) Capacitydevelopment of Disaster ManagementCommittees and Teams with special focus ontraining for women in first aid, sheltermanagement and search and rescue.

Women are involved in all preparedness activitiesfrom the formation of teams up to mock drill acrossall the Programme states. The following analysispresents how women are involved in disasterpreparedness and mitigation through out theProgramme cycle.

Women involved in resource mapping Men and women of DMC & DMT during a sensitization workshop

Formation of DMT and DMCs

The Programme guidelines emphasize that amongDisaster Management Committees and DisasterManagement Teams that were formed at differentlevels from District to village, representation of atleast 30% women is mandatory. It is observed thatacross the country level of women’s participationin teams and committees is varying from 10-30%.

Gender action plans are being implemented tohave increased /equal number of women, soProgramme is witnessing a progressive change. Weneed to keep in mind here, that women’sparticipation is a gradual social process inter-linkedto social conditions and structural relations in apatriarchic society.

Sensitisation and Orientation of members

Members of Disaster Management Teams ( DMT)& Disaster Management Committes ( DMC) aresensitized about the need for communitypreparedness in disaster management. Thesensitization and orientation is done throughcommunity consultations, trainings, focusedgroup discussions and participatory mappingexercises. In these Programs women’s participationis encouraged through gender sensitive planningand design of events and preparing extensive IECcampaigns to communicate to both men andwomen equally.

It is noticed that women’s participation is relativelyhigh in states of Assam, Gujarat, Meghalaya, TamilNadu, Tripura and Uttaranchal. Moderate levels of

“Disaster never strikes with prior information. The simple skills those we learnt would be useful during small incidents at our own household or inthe neighborhood, we do not have to wait for a disaster.”

- Gitaben Vaghela

Gender Equity In Disaster Risk Management Programme


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participation are reported from Orissa,Maharashtra, Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim andManipur and women’s participation is not veryencouraging in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Specialgender initiatives are being executed to ensuregender equity in the Programme. The followingcase study presents the experience of a womenDMT member about beingprepared for disaster.

Plan Preparation: As apreparatory exercise, avolunteers training isconducted in each block onpreparation of DM Plan.Volunteers are imparted thedetail procedure of Village DMPlan preparation including ademonstration in the nearbyvillage. Standard plantemplates are the guidelinesbroadly based on whichcommunity plans are made atall levels. These templatesincorporate gender concernsand collect gender disaggregated data. Thisensures gender equity in plans that result in bettercommunity preparedness.

Skill training- Special emphasis is laid in theProgramme to involve more women in all skilltrainings that enhance their capacities to meet risksduring a disaster. So we see ever increasing

Women’s participation in First Aid and Search and Rescue Trainings

women’s participation in Search and Rescue(S&R),First Aid (FA) and Psychological First Aid (TraumaCounseling), Shelter Management ,Health andSanitation trainings. Women Self help Groups(SHGs), Anganwadi workers and womenvolunteers are playing a lead role in disaster

management preparedness.

Under this Programme,women constructionworkers were trained in lowcost disaster resistant saferconstruction technologies.The participants shared theirviews on overall trainingprogramme. The participantswere planning to shareknowledge with the familyand realized that learning willbe helpful in practical manner.

A resource pool of mastertrainers from the governmentagencies/ line departments iscreated to facilitate capacity

development of stake holders in Disaster RiskManagement. These master trainers imparttraining in various platforms with great communityout reach. They also simultaneously support inmobilizing women’s increased participationthrough sensitization of administration, PRIs andSelf – Help Group networks.

Replicability: Gender equity is nevera complete process rather evolvingand context specific. Disaster riskmanagement Programmeunderstands and operates with thisperspective. These strategies arereplicable as DRM Programme involveswomen from initial stages of makingwomen equal members of committeesand teams and making them equalpartners in community needassessment, plan preparation anddisaster management skill

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Jashpar village, 45 kilometeres away fromLimbadi, the Block headquarter inSurendranagar district is one of the leastdeveloped villages without the basicfacilities such as all season roads, basictelephony, drinking water and adequatealternative livelihood for people. During themonsoon, the lone approach road to thevillage gets cut off and people often use therailway track which is slightly on a higherground to approach the village. Incase, therail track gets flooded, Jashpar becomesunapproachable. It has already experiencedsuch a worst scenario during 2005 and 2006flood.

Vasantben P.Dharajiya of Jaspar village inSurendranagar district is member of first aidDMT. She is a physically challenged andsurviving with a ten year old daughter aloneafter being divorced. She has to run the homeand fulfill the responsibility of both theparents towards her only daughter.

But she accepts these challenges with graceand living a life with dignity. She believes thatit is social taboos and customs weighingheavily against women of her village that areresponsible for the less participation ofwomen in development. Being a proactivewoman member from Jashpar, she comesforward to take part in the formal Gram Sabhaat the village Panchayat. Elaborating uponsome of her past experiences at meetings,she quipped, “if she suggests any thing or putacross an opinion, male leaders would retortthat “TAMNE TO VATO KARVI CHE KAM KAROTO KHABAR PADE” (you just know how to talk;you would realize how difficult it is to getthings done.)

She has received First aid training under thecommunity capacity building initiativeunder DRM Programme. When the

constitution of other DMT’s was taking placeat Jashpur during the Gram Sabha, as per hercommitment, she had mobilized around 35women SHG members and Anganvadiworkers at the Gram Sabha held during March2007. Due to her effort, these women too tookactive part during the deliberations at GramSabha and discussed various issues pertainingto women and their concerns particularlyduring and post-flood scenario. She alsoarticulated the need among the fellowmembers to enlist their names in S & R andwater and sanitation and relief distributionteams.

With the acquired skills, she has turned into agood helping hand to the local PHC healthworker. Presently, Vasantben is being given astock of basic first aid medicines by the localPHC health worker which she uses for treatingcommunity members, women and childrenin case of an accident.

When asked, how she is going to utilize thefirst aid skills and motivate other communitywomen of the village on disasterpreparedness and response, she told, thereis an urgent need to change the mindset ofmale members of our society and for that weneed more forward looking and courageouswomen to come forward and take the lead.She is quite positive about her effort. She wassure, in due course; she would be able to helpthe community women, through her MahilaMandal and would ensure that they have asay in the village affairs. She was also confidentthat with the help of her group she wouldeducate and train fellow village women onunderstanding their special needs and makingthem realize about their potential tocontribute to general awareness andpreparedness of the village community.

CASE STUDY-I (FROM GUJRAT)


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CASE STUDY-II

Promoting Gender Equity in Search & Rescue Training

Vagda cluster in Palanpur Block of Banaskantha district comprises of 6 villages Lalavada, Jabalpur,Vagda, Fatepur, Kharodiya, Sadarpur, Karjodiya and Sangra The cluster is prone to accidents as itclose to National Highway. A search & rescue training was organised for the village DMT membersof these villages at Vagda on 12th May 07.

Considering the earlier experience of low participation of women in S & R training, a differentmobilization strategy was worked out. Out of 39 total participants, only 8 women were DMTmembers. Looking at the less number of women members in the DMT, District Project Officer , Mr.Mukesh Chavda thought of contacting the local CBO-Seva Nidhi Foundation. After an interaction,Mr.Rameshbhai, the CBO representative suggested to contact Mrs.Bhavnaben Prajapati who runs atailoring class at Vagda village. Women from surrounding villages learn tailoring under hermentoring. Mr.Chavda met Bhavnaben and explained her the utility of learning simple life savingskills by women and told her about the kind of role women could play in case of an small incidenteither at home or in the livelihood or in case of natural disaster. Impressed by the briefing, Bhavnabenasked all her friends to attend the training Programme. Result was- out of total 66 participants, 39women volunteers took part in the training.

Mr.Chavda, prior to visiting the village had made official communication to Talati (village Patwari)and Sarpanch, Village Disaster Management Committee Chairman and Secretary. Even adequateadvocacy was made for equitable participation of women in capacity building Programs at thevillage level.

Participation: Training was started with a general introduction followed by gender sensitizationof participants. Women members themselves practiced different types of tying rescue knots,preparing stretcher out of bamboo and a piece of cloth for shifting an injured and bandaging and soon. More probing questions came from the women participants.

Lessons Learnt:

Women participation would be less in a Search& Rescue training is a mindset of the practitioner.If we would try to articulate the need of greaterparticipation of women in this crucial sectorspecific training we could elicit greaterparticipation.

Role of local NGO and CBO and the womenleaders here was vital for mobilizing the womenvolunteers.

Advocacy on need of involving more womenand appreciating their role at the community level helped in containing the initial resistance andbreaking the gender stereotype i.e., search and rescue is the job of male members.

“We are convinced now that a female could also carry an injured. One just needs to know the skill.”- Daxaben Prajapati

48“Say a doctor has not visited a mega camp in a few days. In 24 hours a doctor will be deputed to that mega camp from somewhere in the district. Ourresponse time was very quick.”

Rabi Ranjan Pandey, UNV volunteer, Saharsa (Bihar)


Women Leaders addressing Differential Needs,Bhadrak Distt, Orissa

In Bhadrak district of Orissa, promoting womenleaders under the Disaster Risk Management(DRM) Programme has paved the way for greaterinclusion of women at the village level. Womenleaders have emerged as role models for villagewomen and the larger community. The communitycan now visualize women in new roles, surpassingthe traditional gender divide between men andwomen and bring them to a common platformthat enables them to participate in decisionmaking.

Women Volunteers shaping a gender equaltomorrow, Puri Distt, Orissa

The DRM Programme in Puri District of Orissa hasengaged young women as master trainers toimpart training on first aid techniques and otherrequisite skills. The devastating super-cyclone thathit Orissa in 1999, led to a surge in communityresponse and participation in developmentinterventions. In their attempt to involve women,the DRM Programme functionaries decided toengage young women as master trainers. Thesemaster trainers would further facilitate inpreparing the communities in building a genderresponsive community disaster risk reduction plan.

Self help groups linking disaster managementto development, Latur District, Maharashtra

Latur District in Maharastra is a region that is nostronger to disaster. Although the people of Killari(a village in Latur), welcomed the Disaster RiskManagement (DRM) Programme, a low responsefrom women was experienced especially in the

rural areas, as they are more reticent inparticipating in public. In order to address thischallenge, an initiative to train Self Help Groups(SHGs) was undertaken. This initiative hassuccessfully ensured increased participation ofwomen in orientation meetings, participatoryactivities and trainings.

Accredited Social Health Activists as rolemodels, Nagaon District Assam

Assam is prone to natural disasters likeearthquakes, floods, landslides, cyclones andoccasionally even droughts. The Disaster RiskManagement Programme was launched to reducethe vulnerability of the communities to naturaldisasters in this multi-hazard disaster prone area.In Naogaon district, the Programme was launchedin 2004 with the help of “Accredited Social HealthActivists” (ASHA workers) who are a link betweenthe public health centres and the villagers. Theyare drawn from the community where they serveand are therefore conscious of the needs andavailable resources. It is these women who havedared to step out of their houses to take upcommunity responsibilities and act as powerfulchange-agents to influence women in the village.

ASHA workers became members of the DisasterManagement Teams (DMTs) and inspired otherwomen to join in the DMTs as well. ASHA workersalso facilitated first aid and search and rescuetraining for large number of people. The DRMtrainings especially search and rescue trainingshave enhanced their confidence and they feel thatthey are capable of handling any situation duringa calamity.

Women Volunteers as essential change agents

In Mayurbhanj district, women’s role in development initiatives has traditionally been restricted to theso called “women related activities” because of gender bias and resistance by the community to acceptwomen as change agents. In this background, the DRM Program’s interventions promoted andencouraged women volunteers to spearhead community preparedness for hazards/disasters. TheProgramme initiatives in the community not only involved these women as the entry points for reachingout to the other women in the villages, but also mainstreamed their efforts and participation.


49“It is the long-term disaster management preparedness that helped us handle this emergency crisis situation.”

Rabi Ranjan Pandey, UNV volunteer, Saharsa (Bihar)


Women volunteers are a strong influenceamong the women in the community. Thispotential could be harnessed to rope theminto long-term community initiatives, thusmainstreaming their presence andcontribution.

It is necessary to sensitize the largercommunity about the wider role that womencan play and the responsibilities that they candischarge in time of a crisis.

The perceptions of society regarding thetraditional notions on women’s abilities needto be changed Taking the help of theanganwadi women is an extremely beneficialpractice, as they share a close bond with thelocal women and are in a good position toencourage them to participate.

The ASHA workers were aware of the availableformal mechanisms and played the lead role inthese women’s groups and ensured that theirneeds were addressed. The groups have cometogether to form a gender advocacy and a networkfor social action that works to meet the mostpressing needs of the community. This networkinghas brought to the fore their common needs,concerns and the views of the community.

Aanganwadi supervisors as an all-women firstaid team, Kolhapur District, Maharashtra

Aanganwadi supervisors have a considerable rolein the development activities of local communitiesby virtue of their profession, as they coordinate andguide aanganwadi workers of different villages/habitations. Their association with any Programmelends to it an element of credibility in the eyes ofthe local people, especially the women. Realizingthis, the District Project Officer of Kolhapur districtcollaborated with the integrated ChildDevelopment Scheme(ICDS) to form all-womenfirst aid team with anganwadi supervisors. Theresult of this was that fifty aanganwadi supervisorswere selected from across the twelve talukas ofthe district, for specialized training in first aid atKolhapur city.

Involving women has had a very positive influenceon the participation of other women in thisProgramme at the taluka and village levels. The factthat the aanganwadi women have taken lead intraining on first aid also inspires communitywomen to be more than mere observers or passivesupporters due to the comfort level by womenfunctionary /trainer.

Gender and Disaster Management, Delhi.

It has been noted from the experiences of variousdisasters in the past that men and women wereaffected by disasters differently and most of thedeaths were of women, children and aged personsduring disasters. While access to resources,gendered division of labour, women’s primaryresponsibility towards domestic responsibilitiesmake women more vulnerable to disasters,inadequate facilities, lack of control over domesticeconomic resources, inadequate availability ofnutritious food especially for nursing and pregnant

mothers etc., make women vulnerable in a postdisaster situation. Recognizing the fact that menand women need to be responded to andprepared differently due to their varying needs, ina post disaster situation, the Disaster RiskManagement Programme aims at integrating agender sensitive environment cutting across all itsinitiatives. Special emphasis has been given ontraining women volunteers in search and rescue,first-aid, fire fighting etc., which will help not onlyprepare the women community members, but alsohelp children and the aged in crisis situation.Special attention is being paid to train womenvolunteers in all the districts especially womencommunity members, teachers, aanganwadiworkers, etc. these volunteers will go into thecommunity to spread awareness and train womencommunity members on the do’s and do not’s incase of a disaster.

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Chapter-VI


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Convergence and PartnershipsUnited we stand!

The global work of the United Nations is not without reason compared to that of a family - striving fora common goal in concert with all members for a better future.

Kofi Annan


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For bringing NGOs into the government loopunder the Programme, NGOs are largelyinstrumental in activating and motivating thecommunity and the CBOs. As such, the NGOs arean indispensable part of disaster management –they can push the Programme ahead or let itlanguish. In Kendrapada district, NGOs working fordisaster management have formed aconglomerate, which equips them to deliver moreeffectively.

NGOs such as Netajee Social Organization (NSO) amember of the Kendrapada NGO conglomerate,on receiving flood warnings as Mahanadi Rivercrossed its danger levels, organized its DRM villagelevel volunteers and organization members. Theywere again oriented on possible emergencyoperations. NSO volunteers continuously maderounds in the vulnerable flood zones exhorting

Involvement of the elected representatives have proved to be a motivating factor for any type ofdevelopment in the communities, but lack of political will remains one of the major hurdles in theDRM activities in the State. It is observed that involvement of the PRIs and MLAs could partly addresssome of the bottlenecks and on-going activities under the Programme and yield better results.Questioning on progresses in the disaster management front during Assembly sessions by MLAscould also go a long way in getting various government departments to think of DRM and includeDRM in their plan and expenditure. A total of 87 Members of the State Legislative Assembly havebeen sensitized, another 81 participated in the awareness generation Programme organized in theState Assembly hall while 6 members were taken on an exposure field trip to Keutunga village inGop block of Puri district. The DRM concept and community based strategies of course place PRIsat center-stage. In some cases also the Sarpanchs do take lead role in preparation andimplementation of DM plan using their Gram Panchayat funds. But their numbers are notencouraging.

Active participation by Panchayat Raj Institutions PRIs members as “Stakeholders in the DRMProgramme, particularly the PRI functionaries seem to require constant prodding”, observes Dr.Arvind Padhee, District Collector, Jajpur. Dr Pramod Meherda, District Collector of Rayagada couldnot agree more, “PRIs are the key players. They not only need to be sensitized much more, theyneed to be given a financial responsibility. Without funds at their disposal they may not be inclinedto commit themselves too much”.

people to move to safer places, to stock up on dryfood, firewood and drinking water. The volunteersremained the communication conduit betweenthe block administration, the district control roomand the marooned people. Besides distributingcooked food to people and fodder for cattlestranded on the National Highway, they helpedOrissa Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF - atechnical unit set up under the Orissa State Policefor meeting disaster related emergencies likeremoving roadblocks, constructing temporarybridges etc) rescue four men and three goats.

During the recent floods, NGO groups howeveralleged that the administration initially refused toshare a working relationship of trust andtransparency with them.

This barrier between administration and NGOs isnot new. However slowly, the barrier is seen lifting

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thanks to the DRM Programme. The Jajpur DistrictCollector meets NGOs working under the DRMProgramme every fortnight to review activities.Being part of the loop works as an incentive forNGOs to perform well.

Such positive partnerships are seen to contributeto overall success of the DRM Programmeeverywhere. In Rayagada again, when non-governmental agencies like LEPRA and CAREimpart training to their volunteers, DRM teams areinvited to learn of leprosy and nutrition and ORSand the agencies' volunteers in turn are sensitizedin first aid during disaster management. Such crosscapacity building would be of great benefit duringemergencies.


The Confederation of Indian Industry and theNational Disaster Management Framework

Working in tandem with the Frameworkdeveloped by the Ministry of Home Affairsenvisioning strengthening and development ofcapacities at all levels for holistic disaster riskmanagement and sustainable development, theConfederation of IndianIndustry (CII) has up scaled thescope of its association with thenational disaster managementagenda and has emerged asthe flag-bearer of initiatives forintegrating the same into thefunctioning of the corporatesector. Extending its support inthe area of disastermanagement since 1999especially in disaster response,rehabilitation andreconstruction, CII has partnered with theGovernment initiatives and developmentorganizations like the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) for effectiveimplementation of disaster risk reduction activitiesand has been regularly organizing summits andsymposiums to promote the same. The “Public-

Private-People (PPP) Partnership for NaturalDisaster Risk Management” is the off-shoot of theseinitiatives. In order to vest its initiatives vis-à-visdisaster management for corporate sector and thecommunity a greater depth and substance and inconsultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs, theCII has delineated a sustained Programme of actionto deepen and strengthen its work addressing theentire socio-economic sector. It is intended tominimize the impact of natural and man-madedisasters and to preclude disruption of economicactivity impeding achievement of nationaldevelopmental goals. The joint work plan evolvedwith the Ministry of Home Affairs primarily entailsassociation of CII in the entire gamut of issuesconnected with integrating disaster managementconcerns in the developmental efforts of theprivate sector.

Promoting Safe construction throughInstitutional and Corporate Partnership:

The GoI-UNDP Disaster Risk ManagementProgramme is implemented in 17 most multi-hazard prone states and 38 earthquake vulnerablestates across the country. The Programme adopts

a multi-stakeholder approachkeeping the community at thecentre stage. Recognizing theimportance of integrating thecorporate sector and theirnodal organizations in disasterprevention, mitigation andpreparedness agenda, theNational Disaster ManagementFramework drawn up by theMinistry of Home Affairs,Government of India envisages“ involvement of corporate

sector in awareness generation and disasterpreparedness and mitigation planning” throughsensitization, training and co-opting of thecorporate sector and their nodal bodies inplanning process and response mechanismsUEVRP Ahmedabad in collaboration with the L Dcollege of Engineering has undertaken the

Networking with district level departmentslike Education (MTs of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan),Universities for developing ULBs micro plans,Health Department for first aid training hasbeen established. Youth and PRDs. CBOs likeYMDs and MMDs, representatives ofpanchayats at all level, local NGOs and districtand block level govt. Schemes like IFADproject, Watershed Management SampurnaRojgar Guarantee Yojana etc. was madeduring the period from January –March, 2006in Tehri Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh.

NSS unit in Tripura is playing a lead role in establishing networks between GOs and NGOs, by involving cultural groups, local NGOsin preparing different awareness strategies for easy inception in educational institutions and communities. SIPARD (State Instituteof Public Administration and Rural Development) in Tripura has included a half-day session on Disaster Management during PRItrainings.


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construction of Earthquake Resistant ConstructionUnit. Being the state’s resource Institute, it haspermanent set up of Earthquake EngineeringLaboratory in the premises of Applied MechanicsDepartment. Under the UEVR Project, a permanentDemonstration Unit (10”-10” ft.) would be set upwhich would have all visible earthquake resistantparameters that can be visited by constructionprofessionals/ Govt. Engineers/ Engineeringstudents/construction workers/masons. Ondisplay would be all the IEC posters and bookletspertaining to earthquake resistant constructiontechnology.

The unit would be one of the best examples ofinstitutional and corporate partnership. L & Tand L.D Engineering College, Ahmedabadbeing the partners.

Anganwadi & ASHA workers equipped ascommunity’s managers

After a whole month of havoc, when the waters ofthe 2003 floods finally recededafter affecting 29 lakh people,diarrhoea, fever and fungalskin infections continued toplague many; a number ofpeople had died of snakebite.Had medical resources been athand, much of this could havebeen contained. With thislesson in mind, Khordhadistrict administration hastaken an initiative to equipfirst-aid and home nursing skills to the Anganwadiworkers.

Of the targeted 1000 AWWs, 220 had already beentrained (evaluated and certified) prior to the 2006floods in the flood prone blocks of Balianta,Balipatna, Khordha and Banpur, were able toprovide on the spot basic emergency healthservices during the calamity.

The AWW trainings are an example of admirablemulti-partnership - while civil defenceorganizations and St John Ambulance provide thetechnical training and District Red Cross Societymeets the trainers’ cost and gives the certificate,Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan bears the trainingProgramme cost. Each of these organizations andgovernment departments already has a DRM

component incorporated into their larger workplan.

Another effective strategy that emerges from theGaukhana case study and has been implementedin Jajpur district as well is the desirability ofinvolving more AWWs in DRM activities beyondmedical and first aid. They can play effectiveleadership roles as they already have a well-respected status (in their position as AWWs) withinthe community. They are conversant and in touchwith all families and are more knowledgeable thanmost, while their contact with the governmentsystem is also already established.

In Jajpur district, AWW are even intenselyintegrated into the DRM activities. On the DistrictCollector's orders, 432 AWWs of four blocks havebeen orientated in preparing and upgradingVillage Disaster Management Plans (VDMP). InKorei block, after undergoing capacity buildingtraining as master trainers in psycho-social first-aid(a capacity well discharged by women), AWWs are

now imparting training tovolunteers or counselors ofSantwana Dal or ‘consolationteams’ (the immediate need fortrauma counseling for longterm recovery of victims aftermajor disasters was acutely feltafter the 1999 super cyclone.For those who had lost familymembers a strong sense ofhopelessness and lethargyhindered their resumption of

normalcy. The American Red Cross who specializein disaster mental health has imparted the trainingunder the DRM Programme at present)

Pramila Mahapatra and Basanti Mahapatra are twosuch trained first aid volunteers from Gundilo

In Gujarat, under the aegis of Gujarat SocialForum (GSF), a 10 day long event wasorganised in Ahmedabad in March 2006.NGOs and CBOs working on multi-sectoraland cross-cutting issues across the state cametogether to discuss, deliberate and share theirexperiences on a common platform. Thisevent featured seminars, workshops, plenarysessions, exhibitions, displays, cultural eventsetc. Lakhs of people from different crosssections of society visited the exhibition.

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village of Patapur gram panchayat in Dharmasalablock of Jajpur district. Pramila says the 15 youngwomen (each of them having passed HigherSecondary), who were trained gave yeomanservice during the recent floods. She demonstrateshow to tie the blood block for snakebite. Thevolunteers generated awareness among thecommunity about using clean drinking watersources, distributed ORS and other medicinessupplied by a local NGO.

CASE STUDY OF MASON TRAININGWORKSHOP IN VIJAYAWADA ORGANIZED

UNDER THE UEVRP

Introduction

Under the Urban Earthquake VulnerabilityReduction Project, UEVRP, Vijayawada MunicipalCorporation had organized a Mason Trainingworkshop during the month of April 2008. Theworkshop was co sponsored by the Tata Tiscon asper the MOU they signed with MHA and UNDP tosupport the mason training workshops in the DRMstates where the project is implemented.

Selection of Site and Resource Person for theTraining

The Engineering Department of Corporation andthe Commissioner felt that training can be givento the Masons who are involved in the ongoinghousing projects under the Jawaharlal NehruNational Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), a GOIproject which is also taken up in Vijayawada City.It was decided to have the training Programme inthe Payakayapuram Housing site where nearly 350houses are under construction.

Selection of the resource person was discussed andit was felt that instead of hiring an academic person

from the local Engineering college, a person whois involved in the training of Masons in a practicalmanner will be ideal for this Programme.

Selection of Participants

The participants were selected from the ongoinghousing projects in the city under the JNNURMhousing projects. It was felt that it is not sensibleto impart training to masons alone, but to involvea few Rod benders and supervisory level staff(Diploma Engineers) from the sites also to be givenproper training so that they can take up this in theirfuture projects also. Tata Tiscon, a co sponsor forthis training Programme was also consulted andthey agreed to provide few masons and rodbenders from the other locations of the city. It wasfinally decided to conduct a 10 days trainingProgramme comprising of two batches of themasons, rod benders and supervisor (50 per batch).

Funding and Budgeting

As per the MOU with the MHA, Tata Tiscon co-sponsored the project in all the project cities, thelocal representative for Andhra Pradesh wascontacted and they readily agreed to sponsor theProgramme and also provide participants for thetraining. The Total budget for the 10 days trainingwas about 240,000.00 which include loss of wagescompensation for the participants @ 150 /day asmost of the participants depend on their dailywages.

Model Demonstration Unit

It was felt that the training will not becomprehensive if the participants were only taughton theoretical aspects, rather involve them in thepractical demonstration so that they can easilyunderstand by doing it practically. Initially it wasthought to have a technological demo unit (TDU)as it is done elsewhere in such type of trainings,


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but bearing in mind the number of days and utilityof the TDU after the training will be idle, it wasdecided to construct a complete structure whichcan be used as a community utility room. TheEngineering department was asked to come outwith an estimate (203 Sqft) for the same and putup for the Commissioner’s perusal and approval,which was agreed by the Commissioner andapproved for the budget. Tata Tiscon was alsoinformed about this and requested them to givetheir share of 40 % which they readily agreed.

Apart for the work shop expenses, about130,000.00 were allocated for the construction ofModel Demonstration Unit. The total budget forthe workshop is 370.000 out of which 148.000 wasgiven by Tata Tiscon. (60: 40 as per the MOU).

The Model Demonstration Earthquake ResistantUnit has the following Earthquake Resistantfeatures in it: Pile Foundation as per the soilcondition of the site (back cotton soil); PlinthBeam; DPC; Door and Windows Sill Band; LintelBand; Rod bending and binding techniques(Stirrups); Reinforcements of the Rods;

The Training

The training Programme was held in thePayakapuram Housing site from April 18-27, 2008.The Inaugural function was graced by the SubCollector and Commissioner Incharge, Shri GauravUppal I.A.S and officials from the VMC and TataTiscon. The Training Programme was successfullycompleted and the participants were awarded thecertificates in the valedictory function graced bythe officials from the Vijayawada MunicipalCorporation and the Representatives of Tata Tiscon.

Engineers Sensitization Session

During the inaugural address of the mason training workshop, the Commissioner has stressed theimportance of the construction of the earthquake safe building in the city and mainstreaming thesame in all ongoing construction activities under the JNNURM and also the day to day constructionstaken up by the Corporation. He also advised the resource persons to visit few sites where theconstructions are going on to see if we canincorporate features of the earthquake resistantstructures.

Taking the note of Commissioner’s advices, theCorporation organized a Sensitization Session forthe Engineers from departments of Engineeringand Town Planning, The Resource Person took a 3hours session which covered topics on Earthquakevulnerabilities of the City, How to mainstream theStructural Safety Measures in the on goingprojects and in the future projects which are tobe are taken up by the Corporation. The sessionswere very interactive and the Engineers clarified the doubt about the Structural Safety measures to bemainstreamed in ongoing projects.

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Chapter-VII


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From the fieldMainstreaming Disaster Risk Management Programme in Flood Operation

Copyright @ Tom Pietrasik/UNDP 2008

A Case Study-Flood 2008 Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management Programme in Flood Operation

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Cuttack district is a narrow strip of landspreading from east to west.Topographically, Cuttack has two

prominent divisions i.e. Hilly terrain on the westand Mahanadi delta plain on the east. The highlyfertile and densely populated land is criss-crossedby hundreds of rivers and rivulets. Large portionof the land mass is low lying and gets submergedduring flood. People of Cuttack largely dependupon agriculture as the primary means oflivelihood. The vast network of irrigation canalsestablished by the Britishers after the great famineof 1866 is the backbone of agriculture. Cuttack cityis still the commercial capital of Orissa with theMalgodown controlling the trade throughout thestate .

Cuttack district is highly prone to natural disasterslike flood and cyclone due to its geographicallocation. An unprecedented super cycloneaffected this district during 1999 and flood inmajor rivers in the year 1972,1973,1975,1978,1980, 1982, 1984, 1991,1999,2000,2001,2003 and 2006 causing heavy loss to livesand property.

Magnitude Of Flood

Due to low pressure in the Bay of Bengal onSeptember 14, 2008 which was subsequentlyintensified to a deep depression there was veryheavy rain in the upper and lower catchments ofMahanadi System, which resulted in an almost

endless nightmare for the people of Cuttack.Suddenly the discharge of flood water in river Teland Hati at Pathrola and Khairmal started rising tomore than 13 lakh cusec on September 18, 2008.The first heavy flood came on September 19evening when more than 15 lakh cusec waterpassed through Munduli. Naraj is the point whereMahanadi divides in to Mahanadi & Kathjodisystems. Discharge above 9 lakh cusecs at Naraj isdangerous for the embankments and villages ofMahanadi delta area. The nightmare started atmidnight when the flood peaked 15.81 lakh cusecof water at Munduli with 26.70 ft. gauge atBelliview. Crossing the danger level at all pointsthe flood water started breaching theembankments like an expert bowler hitting awaythe ninepins. The water level at Bellevue remainedconstant around 26.70 ft. for almost 12 hours on20th September 2008 with a discharge of 15.81lakh cusec. Such a high Flood coupled with heavyrains experienced after a gap of 26 years made thelives of the people miserable. The magnitude ofthis Flood was at par with the 1982 Flood whichcreated havoc among the people of undividedCuttack district.

Strategy Developed To Combat Flood

Preparation- Preparation against disasters is thebest step to face the disasters. Cuttack was slowlybuilding on the achievement of the disastermanagement team and its training process largelydue to the initiatives under Disaster Riskmanagement process. The development of EOC,Formation of District Disaster Management Team,awareness generation and a defined StandardOperating Procedures for Emergency SupportFunctions has helped combating the disastersalong with taking some on-the-spot measures formanaging flood. The preparedness measures thatclearly played a key role are:

Structural measures- The structural measuresincluded strengthening district as well as Block

A Case Study-Flood 2008 Mainstreaming Disaster Risk ManagementProgramme in Flood Operation

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Emergency Operation Centers through increasedtechnological presence. The blocks are equippedwith VHF sets, Emergency Operation Kits etc.These Kits were used for demonstration purpose;the VHF sets help in quick dissemination ofwarnings and messages with zero cost at day today basis during the disasters. The districtemergency operation centre is equipped withTelephone, internet, VHF facilities. Duringemergency this centre acts as a nodal point formessage receive and transmit to different quarters.These modern gadgets have helped in managingflood 2008 in all respect.

Planning - After 1999 super cyclone when thecommunity preparedness and evolved copingmechanism to alertness was stressed. It wasrealized that without community involvement andparticipatory planning for disaster management,the long term goal of saving community for thefury of disaster is not possible. Again as CuttackDistrict is vulnerable to number of disasters therecannot be separate plans for each of these disastersas this will only add confusions. The plans need tobe unique & integrated with mainstreamdevelopment process. Various multi hazarddisaster management plans have been preparedin 1752 villages so far. These plans have beenprepared with the support of community basedorganization. District project Officer posted onbehalf of the Orissa State Disaster ManagementAuthority (OSDMA) looks after the preparation ofvillage plans. Till date the 306 GP plans have beenprepared. All the 14 blocks and District haveprepared their plans. These plans are regularlyupdated.

Formation of Disaster Management Teams/Committee - Different Teams and Committees atall level are being formed for the purpose of takingdecisions related to disaster preparedness,management & disaster recovery. At District, block,

GP & village level such committees are formed.These committees include decision makers,opinion leaders, traditional leaders, SHG members,village youths, teachers, line dept. officials etc.These committee/ teams meet twice in a year toassess the vulnerability and prepares the measuresto be under taken for disasters at different levels.

Community Capacity Building - Communitybased Disaster Preparedness is the best form ofdisaster preparedness as this advocates for abottom up approach for disaster management. Itis an acknowledged fact that whatever be thepreparedness at top level it takes 24 to 48 hoursfor reaching at community in the normalcondition. In case of severe disaster scenario, thistime span may vary. Hence, the wise approach isto train the community in rescue operations, firstaid and psychological first aid for self reliance. Inorder to build up community repertoire of skill theselected youths of the village be imparted trainingin chosen subjects. Till now under DRMProgramme, 5234 youths have been trained onSearch and Rescue skills. Similarly 1745 nos. ofyouth have been trained on First Aid and 645are trained in Psychological First Aid.

Specialized Trainings - Disaster Management isa huge subject and it has number of componentsas a whole. Some of the selected youths have beenimparted training on Gender inclusion,mainstreaming vulnerability in disastermanagement practices. Specialized training to PRIshave also been imparted under Disaster RiskManagement Programme

Women Empowerment - Women constituteroughly 50% of population of Cuttack District. Tohave a compound impact in any Programme, it isvery important to include women. Inclusion ofwomen in the planning as well as executionprocess reduces their vulnerability anddependence on male counter parts. TheSpecialised needs of the women at the time ofdisaster can be taken care off, if they are trained.Hence, it has been made mandatory to involvewomen in the trainings.

Training to other Stake holders - Similarorientation & awareness trainings are alsoimparted to other stakeholders such as teachers,NSS/NCC volunteers, AWW workers, SHGmembers, Government officials etc. on differentaspects of disaster management.


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Awareness Generation - Being aware of aparticular disaster reduces 50% of our losses. Thusawareness generation through various initiativeslike distribution of IEC material, Wall Paintings hasbeen the main focus of the disaster managementProgramme.

Mainstreaming with development process- Most of the time disasters gives us an opportunityto amend the faulty constructions and designs.However, people have now realized that it is betterthat the designs or development processes beangled from the perspective of disaster. Thus, theCommunity Contingency Plans prepared at thevillage level people are looking at theconstructions from the point of view of disasters.The actions as specific as raising the height of theroads, strengthening the village embankments arefew of the initiatives taken up at village level toreduce disasters.

Deployment of Senior Officers - Keeping in viewthe gravity of the flood situation, the districtadministration deployed senior officers to threesub-divisional head quarters and differentvulnerable blocks to assess and monitor thesituation in flood affected areas as well ascoordinate the relief and rescue operations.

In additions to the above measures, the officialswere constantly on the vigil, till the time thesituation was under control. Following steps weretaken

The District Control Room was functioning roundthe clock to keep constant eye on the floodsituation.

Similar control rooms are also functioning roundthe clock at the Sub-division / Blocks / Tehsils level.

The VC, BDA cum supervising officer deputed byGovt. personally monitoring the situation.

All Executive Engineers of Irrigation Departmentwere instructed to keep round the clock vigil alongall the embankments and weak points and totemporarily restore the breaches immediately.

The situation was closely monitored over VHF andTelephone.

There was a close liasoning with other districts andorganizations for relief, personnel and otherrequirements.

Daily review was made to keep close track ofsanitation, Health , Drinking Water supply andVeterinary Sectors and to prevent out break ofepidemics in the flood affected areas.

Hourly gauge readings of Hirakud reservoir,Bellevue (Kathajodi River) and river Mahanadi werebeing maintained at the control room.

Country boats were mobilized from Ganjam andBhadrak District for relief operation

- This case study has been extracted from report of OSDMA(Orissa State Mitigation Disaster Mitigation Authority)

Roles played by Disaster Risk Management Stakeholder other than Government.

Control Room Management- The District Project Officer appointed by OSDMA-UNDP was assignedto look after the management of control room. He was assigned to receive and transmit messages,prepare daily situation report, transmit reports to several quarters, liasioning with NGOS, CBOs, andFBOs for resource leverages etc. The DPO was also key personnel in handling information related toboat engagement, food stuff allotment, compiling information on causality etc. For three days heremained in charge of the control room on a 24 hour basis and transmitted information to allconcerned.

During this specific time frame he took innovative steps as such opening up of new email id’s forEmergency Operation Centre, Cuttack, alerting DMTs and DMCs wherever possible as well played keyrole in linking service provider agencies with that of block administration.

DM plan updation - As a part of the DRM Programme, the district disaster management plans wereprepared and updated on regular basis. Prior to this flood also the plan was updated. The blocks areasked to prepare their own contingency planning and update it. Similarly the DPO ensured the VHFsets, internet facilities etc remain upto date. For accepting changes the plans were uploaded in thewebsite.

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DMT & DMC mobilization - As soon as the flood warning was received it was transmitted to theblock /Tehsil and other line dept officials for alert purpose. The areas with frequent disaster historyare passed on the message from the control room. The DMTs and DMCs are alerted and they areasked to pass the message to the common people.

Search and Rescue Activities - The DMTs & DMCs of Bilipalda village of Banki after receiving themessage started sending people to the safe areas. Similarly in Jasorajpur Village of Mahanga blockthe DMT rescued people from drowning people. The DMTs of Nagaspur G.P kept a close look on theweak areas of the bunds and ensured it did not break by filling the weak areas with that of sand bags.In Bahugram GP, the DMT volunteers went for a mock drill two days before the disaster in order toensure every thing is in place. The NGO Janamangal mobilized volunteers when a breach occurred inNischintakoili Block. These volunteers played key role in finding out alternate routes and smoothrelief distribution among villagers.

First Aid - The first aid activities of the DMT teams are praise worthy. This was even highly appreciatedby district administration. The NGO OMRAH in constitution with local DMT members organized twohealth camps in Tarat GP of Nischinta koili Block. The ODCAW NGO in collaboration with Help AgeIndia organized two health camps in the Katikata and Asureswar GP. Apart from this number of DMTmembers went to administer first aid and psychological first aid services to the people

Relief - A total of 40 NGOs in the district supported the district administration in relief distributionactivities. Out of them 26 are our DRM partners. Other DRM partners which could not be connectedwith district administration because of road cut off provide cooked food, water pouches, dress materialsetc. The NGOs involved in the operation supported in health, education, food distribution, dressmaterial distribution, maintaining law and order as well as developing effective sanitation practice inthe area.

In the post flood aftermath the NGOs, DMTs involved in the programme assisted district administrationin damage assessment, post flood sanitation restoration etc.


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Chapter-VIII


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Moments of TriumphThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...

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During the emergency response to the flood in Bihar, the StateGovernment paid special attention to the needs of the children. Atthe mega camps (Government relief camps), children were provided

with special nutritional biscuits and milk.

copyright@Benita Sumita/UNDPIndia 2008


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Women are actively participating in Search and Rescue operations,which has been a male prerogative so far.

copyright@Tom Pietrasik/UNDP India 2008

Good Practices in Community Disaster Risk Management

70

Awareness generation activities are carried out through the medium oftraditional folk forms like street theatre/nukkad natak etc.



71

WOMEN IN ACTION!

A college girl being trained in First Aid.



72

SCHOOL SAFETY INITIATIVES

Mock drills are regularly conducted in schools and students aretrained in First Aid and Search & Rescue operations.



73

The Disaster Management Plans are operationalised and testedthrough the Mock drills conducted at various levels. Thus enabling

people to deal with any emergency situation.



74

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION!

“The spirit of volunteerism saved many lives during floods inBihar”!

copyright@Sephi Bergerson/UNDP India 2008


75

THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS RESILIENCE

Community people coming together to make Disaster ManagementPlan of their village.


76

Gender Equity has been a core area of DRM programme. Throughvarious awareness initiatives, the perceptions are slowly changing.Now, women have started coming out of the confines of their homes

to attend the training programs.



77

Women and children are the most vulnerable group duringemergencies. Thus training them is the first step to reduce their

vulnerability. Women play an important role in bringing about achange and they have a compound impact on any development

initiative.


Documents

Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk … Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Management i Foreword IV Genesis of the programme VII Implementation Modalities VIII