Sharing Knowledge on Disaster Risk Reduction in the Himalayan Region:

From the Abstract:


"This report is the last in a series of publications prepared under the project ‘Living with Risk - Sharing Knowledge on Disaster Preparedness in the Himalayan Region’, implemented by [International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development] ICIMOD during 2006 and 2007 and funded mainly by the European Commission through their Humanitarian Aid department (DG ECHO) as part of the Disaster Preparedness ECHO programme (DIPECHO) in South Asia. The book (published on-line only) documents the results of two workshops - one early in the project which looked at the status of disaster preparedness planning in the region, and one at the end of the project which looked at social inclusion in disaster preparedness plans. It provides a short background to the project and workshops, a synthesis of the major findings and recommendations, and details of the proceedings."

The 53-page report states that because "[t]he impact of a disaster is influenced by the community’s vulnerability to the [natural] hazard, [v]ulnerable and marginalised people - e.g., women, elders, the poor, the disabled, and Dalits (‘low caste’) - are more affected than others. Hence, disaster risk reduction is of great importance from the perspective of development and poverty alleviation....The focus [of responding to disasters] has thereby gradually shifted towards ‘disaster risk reduction’, meaning the broad development and application of policies, strategies, and practices to minimise vulnerability and risk of disaster throughout society by avoiding (prevention) or limiting (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts of hazards."

On the national level in Bangladesh, Nepal, India, and Pakistan, National Disaster Management Plans are being established along with national institutions for their implementation. However, as stated here, linkages between poverty, gender, and the environment are often missing. "There is also a lack of provision for coordination mechanisms. Sharing Knowledge on disaster risk reduction in the Himalayan Region between different stakeholders and the absolutely necessary focus on community empowerment is often inadequate....There has been a lack of decentralisation and devolution of power and resources to the local government level to implement local plans. Government officials and politicians are still, to a great extent, in the relief and response mode; however, as indicated, a paradigm shift is currently occurring, and the region will witness great changes in the near future."


The document points out that discrimination and social exclusion occurring in the cultural environment also occur in disaster relief in some of the following ways: "The burden on women has increased and they face more exploitation and violence and as a result women have faced more trauma and distress. Children have suffered serious disruption in critical stages of development and have become vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation. Separation and experiences of death of their parents have created traumatic conditions and bases for long term mental health problems. The disabled have not been given due priority and sometimes have even been left out during evacuation operations. Early warning systems are not disability friendly. Relief workers are generally insensitive to the needs of the disabled. The majority of short- and long-term shelters - including latrines, health care, food and water services - have not been accessible for disabled people." The document calls for extensive sensitisation and capacity building at the community level to address these inequities, while still for accounting for local knowledge, practices, and contexts. It recommends "build[ing] project acceptance, ownership, mutual trust, and sustainability."


Local versus state management is also discussed, including the recommendation to find "innovative forms of governance...required to address the complexities and uncertainties associated with [globalisation processes]" and to [b]uild...upon local knowledge and practices that capitalise on local strengths whenever relevant [in order to] decrease dependencies on external aid".