SSEAYP 2014 – Preposition Paper

(DG3 Environment: Natural Disaster Reduction)

Advancing Scenario on Disaster Risk Reduction: Cases in Southeast Asia Region

Hijjaz Sutriadi Indonesia Participating Youth for Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) 2014

Representative of West Nusa Tenggara Province

Introduction

Disaster context that will be discussed in this

paper is limited only to natural disaster which is

triggered by nature-related factor and is assumed

absent or much less from human intervention. Natural

disaster occurs when an extreme geological,

meteorological, or hydrological event exceeds the

ability of community to cope with that event (Lindell

and Prater 2003). The prevalence of disaster strike

has caused losses not only damaging infrastructure

and households but also death toll. This abrupt

destruction still remains a challenge particularly for

those who are living in disaster-prone area, overly

dense megacity, and far-reaching evacuation

neighborhoods that may potentially encounter

undetermined strike on time basis.

In today most developed technology,

widespread information particularly early warning

system has become more necessary as it is getting

more attention from disaster response chain in

organizational context. However, the gap that still

prevails in many regions particularly ASEAN has

created a constraint that naturally hinders the cycle of

disaster immediate response. The gap itself includes

lack of organization or governmental coordinating

management, unreliable early warning system,

unprepared disaster-prone society, geographical

barrier and other external factors that possibly sum up

the shortcomings.

Designing advanced scenario and

reconsolidating the existing ones could be a

considerable deal in order to minimize risk of

hazardous event. In cases of ASEAN region, which is

very specific and particular, requires different

approach as in the matter of fact every country is very

entitled to its policy trait and geographical

circumstance. Thus, the forthcoming action should be

adjusted with respective organizational behavior in

every country yet still needs adaptation to more

insightful new method, which is furthermore

expected to unify the region’s strengthening disaster

reduction action and reaping lucrative engaged

partnership

Objective

This paper aims to review disaster risk

reduction efforts by ASEAN countries and to

conclude the writing with suggestion by providing

analysis of the matter and insight of proposed

scenario.

Discussion

ASEAN geographically lies in southeast of

Asia continent that mainly is divided into two

geographical features, archipelagic states such as

Indonesia, Philippines, city state of Singapore,

eastern Malaysia, Brunei, and continental states

which includes peninsular Malaysia, Thailand,

Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos. For its

geographical circumstance, Indonesia and Philippines

are two of some countries in the world entitled to ring

of fire that lead these two archipelagic nations very

prone to mount eruption and damaging earthquake.

Meanwhile continental states as of the rest of

ASEAN countries are subject of landslide and

flooding issue.

Indonesia

A country with more than 17,000 islands has

been long time standing known home of world’s

major disaster. Most recent flash floods and

landslides in Manado, a capital city of northernmost

province North Sulawesi, have paid a serious

attention in national scale which displaced around

40,000 residents. The Indonesian presidential

government allocated IDR 3.3 billion to help the

victims (The Jakarta Post 2014). Meanwhile, one of

the most notorious disasters that strike Indonesia in

the past century is Hindia Ocean tsunami which

mostly damaged east and north coast of Aceh in 2004

triggered by one of biggest earthquakes in the last 40

years (Lay et al 2005).

In response to disaster risk reduction, the

Indonesian government in 2008 officially established

Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management,

a long running disaster related act board under the

official government supervision since first time

initialization in 1945 (BNPB 2014). Additionally, in

Indonesian context, there is another interesting

disaster management system creatively initiated by

local people or affected society. Karnawati et al in

2011 deeply studied community-based engagement in

hazard risk reduction effort in Central Java that

focuses on community empowerment and cutting

edge technology involvement.

The geographical condition of Indonesia,

however, is one of the biggest challenges to

implement the disaster mitigation draft into action

besides uneven local government’s capability in

encountering catastrophic disaster. Thus, in fact, it is

commonly found that both local and international

NGOs takes a part in easing off the government’s

effort and victims suffering from hazard. Post-

tsunami in Aceh has proved a cranking up massive

inflow of international aids as Indonesian government

was overwhelmingly working solely to deal with the

wreckage and victims. In Bantul, Yogyakarta, it has

found that the local government limited capability in

disaster management paves the way for NGOs to

collaborate with both the government themselves and

affected society (Kusumasari and Alam 2011).

Cases in Other ASEAN Countries

Disaster response and risk reduction effort

varies in most ASEAN countries. It is highly

influenced by government capability, economy

situation, people-vulnerability and social-political

situation (Wisner et al 2003). In Malaysia, a country

with relatively very low exposure to mega disaster,

any disaster related responsibility is directly

coordinated and under fully control by National

Security Council. As response to 2004 tsunami,

Malaysia established Disaster Awareness Day in

2005 which is still celebrated annually (AIPA 2012).

In Thailand, disaster is relatively free, suffering only

minor losses from natural hazards through years

(Shook 1997). But, Thailand has become more

vulnerable to disaster exposure as 2004 tsunami hit

its major tourism area. It killed 5,395 people with

more than a half of them is foreign tourists. In

response to that catastrophic event, the Thai

government ever since then initiated the National

Disaster Warning Center which covers two disaster

plans, mitigation and preparedness. This plan

involves related governmental departments, academic

institutions and NGOs (Thanawood et al 2006).

In Myanmar, governmental disaster reduction

board, however, has yet very been established as it

was just launched in 2009 when the Burmese

government in collaboration with UNDP created The

Myanmar Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction

(MAPDRR) in Nay Pyi Taw (UNDP 2014). A year

previously, the country was hit by catastrophic Nargis

cyclone that caused 78,000 death tolls with 58,000

people missing (BBC 2008). Meanwhile neighboring

counterpart Cambodia experiences increasing trend at

natural disaster occurrence over 30 years mostly

dominated by flood, epidemic, drought, and storm.

Average killed per year reaches 63 with yearly loss at

US$ 538,053 (CRED 2014). The Cambodian

government has stepped further to encounter the

disaster risk by establishing National Committee for

Disaster Management (NCDM) under the Royal

Government of Cambodia mandate that focuses on

three main activities such as capability building

activities, emergency relief assistance, and disaster

risk reduction. These three mitigations are closely

linked to NGOs and international disaster relief and

humanitarian organization aids beside local

government participation (NCDM 2006).

In the other part of ASEAN continental surface,

floods and droughts are two major natural disasters

that severely strike Laos PDR. Additionally

conveying storm originating from neighboring

countries has recently contributed to damage in Laos

as the country geographically surrounded by

landlocked border. Thus, the Lao government under

the Prime Minister’s office, the National Disaster

Management Committee is established covering four

main priorities such as early warning, preparedness,

emergency response and relief, and early recovery

and term reconstruction (DRMPPC 2014).

Meanwhile in the other part of ASEAN region, the

archipelagic the Philippines is no exception from

world’s renowned severe disaster. Typhoon has

predominantly brought Philippines into catastrophic

level of country’s loss as it frequently hit the islands

country almost every year as recorded. Most recent

typhoon Ramamsun in July has caused 98 death tolls

with significant loss in agriculture and infrastructure

field (NDRRMC 2014). The government of

Philippines in cooperation with NGOs, civil and

private sectors established the National Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in

2010 as the issue of official gazette heralded. The

articles emphasize on pre, during, and post disaster

response which includes disaster education in school

curricula and for public sector employee (GOVPH

2014). In addition, in the Philippines the community-

based disaster preparedness has been developed in

order to minimize the vulnerability of particularly

those disaster-prone societies toward immediate

strike of hazard (Allen 2006).

Vietnam, like the Philippines, is prone to

typhoon as it is situated dominantly all through

border of South China Sea where most extreme

strong wind formed and passing by. Located in the

end path of tributaries and major rivers makes the

country is also vulnerable to flooding. The 2008

flooding in Vietnam has resulted 47 deaths and

serious damage on crops area (Xinhua 2008).

Disaster management system in Vietnam consists of

Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control,

National Committee for Search and Rescue, and

provincial or district committee for flood and storm

control-search and rescue (Huy 2012).

Singapore and Brunei are two ASEAN

countries relatively less exposed to natural hazard. Its

tiny size and geographical circumstance make these

two countries prevented from serious hazard.

Singapore as well known a single city state, however,

has made itself very well prepared to possible disaster

strike that may origin from neighboring countries,

Indonesia and Malaysia and inside the country alone.

The Singapore Civil Defense Force was formed to

anticipate possible strike not only originating from

natural hazard phenomenon but also man-made

accident (ADRC 2005). Meanwhile the sultanate

state of Brunei in 2006 has established the National

Disaster Management Centre that focuses on

mitigation and prevention, preparedness, response

and recovery (NDMC 2011).

Unified ASEAN Disaster Management

The ASEAN region despite of scattering

countries geographically, has worked hand in hand in

initiating inter-governmental partnership in disaster

management. The ASEAN Committee on Disaster

Management (ACDM) was established in 2003 with

five focused priorities including the action plan,

expertise development, information sharing and

communication network, partnership with relevant

institutions or NGOs and mobilizing financial support

and resource (ASEAN 2014). The partnership,

however, is mostly sounding at high-profile

governmental level. The unified ASEAN disaster

management system reaching lower level of society

is yet implemented or probably it is still on discuss.

Suggestion

ASEAN as single vast regional coverage with

more approximately 600 million people living in is

inevitably a pivotal spot for disaster concern as it is

notoriously categorized hazard-prone region.

However the uneven or could be an extreme gap of

resource and capability distribution toward disaster

mitigation and adaptation still remains challenge to

integrate an ASEAN way on disaster response.

Although, based on experience in some countries as

discussed above, the society-based empowerment

could play a significant and reliable solution in order

to minimize the risk of hazard. Thus, hereby I

conclude some suggestions that may possibly work in

order to encounter the matter of disaster in context of

mitigation, adaptation, and response in the area of

ASEAN region:

Strengthening grassroots participation particularly

youth based community organization (for example

Karang Taruna in Indonesia) in context of disaster

mitigation by providing community training

particularly in dire disaster-prone neighborhood,

creating evacuation pathway particularly in overly

dense neighborhood and overloaded city, and

maintaining regular meeting with local people

regarding to preparedness and the aftermath action.

Creating more solid partnership with youth

voluntary organizations of which focus on

humanitarian, disaster, and related action from

various background (health, education,

psychology, woman empowerment, etc.) in order

to ease off disaster risk and the unexpected

possible forthcoming impact.

Easing off aids transfer and mobilization among

ASEAN countries by implementing more relaxed

urgent permit policy that may help to respond the

disaster quickly regardless where it takes place

within the region.

Encouraging society-to-society local knowledge

exchange and transfer among member countries in

order to deepen disaster adaptation skill and to

increase mutual understanding within ASEAN

community in the meantime.

Eagerly disseminating information and early

warning system to society through creating an

integrated flowing information network that

reaches even remote community by designing

adjustable system that fit to various types of

society. For instance: SMS network coordinated

by leader of the neighborhood or tribe in

cooperation with state-owned or private

telecommunication company.

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