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southasiadisasters.netJanuary 2015 1

southasiadisasters.net January 20152

CLIMATE COMPATIBLE PREPAREDNESS

Odisha Moving Towards ClimateSmart Disaster Risk Management

The Odisha State DisasterManagement Authority(OSDMA) has shown successfulefforts in its response to 2013 cyclonePhailin and 2014 cyclone Hudhud.

Result of long-term efforts atdifferent levels by OSDMA andconcerned agencies are nowbecoming visible.

The capacity building efforts by thegovernment and humanitarianagencies are becoming visible at thecommunity level.

The OSDMA is moving several stepsahead from reducing death toll toreducing loss and damage in anypossible emergency in Odisha.

The capacity building of differentstakeholders is the key for achievingthe above mentioned results.

The OSDMA under GoI-UNDPproject on 'Enhancing Institutionaland Community Resilience toDisaster and Climate Change'conducted a Training Needs Assessment(TNA) on Disaster Risk Reductionand Climate Change Adaptation.

This is the first ever training needassessment in Odisha leading toclimate smart disaster risk reductionsaid Shri Ambika Prasad, UNDP.Only one other state in India hascompleted such assessment.

Training Needs Assessment: Linking Disaster RiskReduction and Climate Change Adaptation

The state wide exercise wasfacilitated by All India DisasterMitigation Institute (AIDMI). AIDMIis author of Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change (IPCC) globalreport on extreme climate events.

All the stakeholders came together onDecember 19, 2014 to contribute toTNA. It was attended by keydepartments' heads, districtadministrations, NGOs and INGOs.

The TNA has focused on closerintegration between risk reductionand adaptation to climate change.The collaboration between DRRcommunity and climate changecommunity will be furtherstrengthened based on the TNAexercise, said Shri (Dr.) Taradatt, MD,OSDMA.

The efforts should now be morefocused towards reducing loss anddamage in vulnerable urbanlocations of Odisha, said Shri BrindaD., Additional Commissioner,Bhubanashwar Municipal Corporation.

Odisha should emphasizeknowledge management andsharing at regional level with focuson coastal areas of Bay of Bengal saidShri Mihir Bhatt, AIDMI head. Headded Odisha has so much to offerfrom its experience.

Published in The Pioneer, Bhubaneswar,December 23, 2014

ABOUT THIS ISSUEDisasters in India can be easilyidentified with extremeweather events like cyclones,heatwaves, cloudbursts and flashfloods. There is an increasing bodyof data that points to theincontrovertible link between suchdisasters and climate change. Thislink has led a lot of practitioners inthe field of humanitarian action tostress the importance of pursuingclimate compatible development inIndia. A climate compatible agendatries to integrate the exigencies ofclimate change adaptation andthose of disaster risk reduction intooverall development planning.

This issue of Southasiadisasters.netfocuses on the important theme ofClimate Compatible Developmentin India. As an emerginghumanitarian ideal, climatecompatible development can bedescribed as the interface betweendevelopment, disaster riskreduction and climate changeadaptation. It strives to initiateshort and long term adaptationmeasures that can lead to a resilientfuture and help in the achievementof nationally and internationallyagreed development goals. Thisissue of Southasiadisasters.netcontains articles that provide someof the experiences and expertise ofthe individuals and organizationsthat have strived towards this idealin India. The scope of this issueranges from Odisha's efforts tomove in the direction of climatesmart disaster risk management tothe protection of India as a regionalenergy node from the onslaught ofdisasters.

Consisting of the best practicesfrom the leading agencies andgovernment departments to furtherthe cause of climate compatibledevelopment in India, this issue ofSouthasiadisasters.net is a must readfor all who are interested in thisimportant theme.

– Kshitij Gupta, AIDMI

• The OSDMA has successfully responded to Cyclone Phailin and Cyclone Hudhud.

• The focus now is on Climate Compatible Development.

• The OSDMA authorized a TNA to facilitate greater integration betweenClimate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction.

• This TNA helped in identifying key areas where integration is possibleand desirable.


In a recent conversation withAhmedabad-based All IndiaDisaster Mitigation Institute’s(AIDMI) Mihir R Bhatt, FrancesBeinecke, a global expert on climatechange shed light on the importanceof Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan.

Beinecke is the former president ofNatural Resources Defense Councilgroup (NRDC), which had a key rolein development of the plan, made incollaboration with AhmedabadMunicipal Corporation (AMC).

“Ahmedabad is at the forefront ofclimate change adaptation to heatwavein the world”, said Beinecke.

She observed, “Ahmedabad’s HeatAction Plan describes both immediateand longer-term actions to increasepreparedness, information-sharing,and response coordination to reducethe health effects of heat onvulnerable populations especiallythe poor and women who workoutdoors in summer season”.

“City-to-city links are mostimportant as cities learn faster andbetter from other cities”, she pointed

ACTION PLAN

Ahmedabad at Forefront of Climate ChangeAdaptation: Frances Beinecke

FRANCES BEINECKEBeinecke is the former presidentof Natural Resources DefenseCouncil group, an internationalNGO fighting for environmentprotection and against adverseclimate change. She currentlyserves on the boards of the WorldResources Institute, the EnergyFuture Coalition, the NicholasInstitute for EnvironmentalPolicy Solutions, andConservation International’sCenter for EnvironmentalLeadership in Business.

Global leader on climate change & env protection was commenting on city’s Heat Action Plan

Frances Beinecke with Mihir R Bhatt.

developing the action plan.The HeatAction Plan is a part of Ahmedabad’smajor efforts to prepare better forfuture extreme heat events aftersuffering the deadly heat wave inMay 2010. Temperatures at the timespiked to 46.8°C (more than 116°F),and hundreds of people died.

US-India Relationships Over ClimateChangeNRDC is working with key policymakers in India and the USA tosubstantially increase bilateralcooperation on climate change andadaptation. “Our work inAhmedabad is one of the foundationstones of this effort” said Beinecke.

In the United States, NRDC isproviding information and analysisto government officials, media, and thepublic about the efforts India is

making to address climatechange. “The positiveefforts of citizens ofAhmedabad are makingtheir way in the USA” sheadded.

“Our efforts are increasingawareness andunderstanding in bothnations about the other’sclimate change actions,”she said.

Published in DNAAhmedabad,

January 12, 2015

out. NRDC aims to take Ahmedabadexperience to cities such as Surat andRajkot in Gujarat over the comingmonths.

NRDC plans to take the Ahmedabadexperience to key cities likeBhubaneswar and Guwahati. Thereis potential for regional spread ofAhmedabad’s experience in SouthAsia, said Beinecke.

Ahmedabad’s Heat Action PlanNRDC helped to develop the HeatAction Plan for Ahmedabad withsupport from Climate DevelopmentKnowledge Network (CDKN) afterthe heat wave of 2010. CDKN helpedin tracking the impact of heatwaveon citizens and created the actionplan with AMC. The city-basedIndian Institute of Public Health(IIPH) also played a vital role in

• The National Resources Defence Council (NDRC) of USA has helped theAhmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in preparing a Heat Action Plan.

• Frances Beinecke, a former president of the NDRC was in Ahmedabadto deliberate upon replicating the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan forother cities in India too.

• Collaborations like this are a key to increasing consensus between Indiaand USA on vital policies and practices related to Climate Change.


COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE

HFA2 Implementation Challenges andOpportunities: A Nepalese PerspectiveNepal is an agrarian mountainouscountry situated on thesouthern slopes of the centralHimalaya. According to Maplecroft2010, Nepal is the fourth mostvulnerable country in the world toclimate change. It is estimated thatmore than 1.9 million people arehighly vulnerable and another 10million are exposed to increase risks(MoEnv, 2010). The analysis oftemperature trends of 56 stations forthe period of 1975-2006 showed thecontinuous warming at the rate of0.027 per year (Sharma K, 2009) andalso reveals the variation intemperature trend due to variationin altitude. The average annualrainfall is 1800 mm with markedspatial and temporal variations(NCVST, 2009, MoEnv, 2010).

At the World Conference on DisasterReduction (WCDR) in January 2005,168 countries adopted the HyogoFramework for Action (HFA) as aguiding framework on DRR (2005-2015) which aims to build resilienceof nations and communities todisasters. For this purpose, strategicgoals, outcomes and 5 priority areasalong with indicators have been

identified. In this context, inDecember 2012 the UN GeneralAssembly Resolution (Resolution67/209) decided to convene the 3rdWorld Conference on DRR in Japanin early 2015 to review theimplementation of HFA and developa post-2015 framework for DRRreferred to as HFA2.

National Challenges for Nepal

The national level challengeshighlight the following sectors:

• Mass poverty and Inequality• Economic dependency• Low level of investment• Widespread unemployment• Implementation of Policy, plan

and programs and its constraints• Preparedness to disaster• Inadequate administrative setup• Gap in information sharing

and capacity enhancement• Duplications of DRR work• Lack of integrated

implementation• Lack of scientific data of climate

and disasters

Some of the factors contribute in theHFA 2 implementation which can

affect the above mentionedchallenges are listed below:

Land Use and Fragile Ecosystem:Unstable slope, fragile geology ofyoung mountains with heavymonsoon rainfall leads to a widerange of geological and hydrometeorological disasters across thecountry.

Demographic Changes and Absentepopulation: According to theNational population census 2011, theannual population growth rate is1.35% and showed the demographicchange within the three ecologicalbelts. The census reveals that thepopulation living in the Terai hasincreased by 2% leading to 50% ofcountry's population whereassettlement in hill and mountainregions decreased by 1%. OutMigration and Absentee populationwhich reflects aging society, sex ratiowhich is continuously decreasingfrom 99.8 to 94.41. Thesedemographic patterns should beconsidered while assessingvulnerability and designing disasterrisk reduction programs (CBS, 2011).

Agriculture Practice: Agriculturesector contributes nearly 35% of theNepal's GDP and supports thelivelihood of more than 74% ofNepal's Population (NLSS, 2007 andCBS, 2012). Only about 25% ofNepal's surface area is suitable foragriculture purpose. About 21% ofthe land is cultivable of which 54%has irrigation facilities (MoAD, 2012)and remaining is the rain fed. Theagriculture practice is governed andguided by rainfall and totallydependent on climate. Due toincreasing population, safe land isscarce and people are occupyingmarginal lands for their livelihood

Marginalized agricultural practice and sedimentation in cultivated land makingmore vulnerable to Disaster (Photo: Paudel K.)


Participants of HFA2 Roundtable discussion held in October, 2015, Kathmandu.

thereby increasing susceptibility todifferent types of hazards.

Climate change and its Impacts:Nepal is affected by many naturalHazards and recent data shows thatthe frequency of natural disasterssuch as floods, landslides, etc. hasincreased. Nepal has witnessed anincrease in the frequency andintensity of disasters such as floods,landslides, forest fires, etccontinuously which affects the largenumber of population (mainlyindigenous, poor and women),livelihood, and infrastructure due tolow adaptive capacity.

Loss from water induced disasters:The analysis of hydroelectricity andalternative climate model revealsthat 20 – 100% increase in theintensity and frequency of riverflows. The direct economic costs ofclimate change on water induceddisasters at the national level wereestimated to be an additional US$ 100– 200 million/year by 2050,equivalent to 0.6 – 1.1% of currentGDP per year with an upper estimateof almost 3%. (IDS Nepal et. al., 2014)

Opportunities:Besides all these challenges, there areseveral opportunities for HFA 2implementation. Because DRR is ahighly prioritized sector in Nepal itis incorporated in the plan, policy

and programs of Nepal Government.In 2010—2013, Government plan hasfocused on Natural DisasterManagement for sustainabledevelopment. In addition, GoN hashighlighted the role of privatesector, local body, NGOs, CBOs andinvolvement of security forces hasensured for the effectiveimplementation and sustainabilityof the programs. The governmenthas prepared different legalframeworks for the disastermanagement in Nepal: NationalStrategy for Disaster RiskManagement in Nepal 2009, DisasterPreparedness and Response Plan(DPRP) in Districts 2010, NationalAdaptation Programme of Action(NAPA) and Local Adaptation Plansof Action (LAPA). The main goal ofthese frameworks is to improvepeople's livelihood through climatechange impact mitigation andadaptation and its promotion innational and local plans. Still Nepalis in political transition phasemaking its constitution from theconstitution assembly and yet to bedecided as federal state which willbe helpful in the implementation andmaking local body accountable inDRM sector.

– Dr. Dinesh Chandra Devkota,Policy Advisor; Mr. Keshav Paudel,

Environmental Officer; andMr. Sujit Karmacharya, Program

Coordinator, IDS Nepal

References:1 CBS (2011), Environmental

Statistics of Nepal 20112. CBS (2012), National Population

and Housing Census 2011, (VillageDevelopment Committee/Municipality), National PlanningCommission, Central Bureau ofStatistics, 2011

3. MoAD (2012), StatisticalInformation on NepaleseAgriculture, Government of Nepal.

4. MoEnv (2010), NationalAdaptation Program of Action(NAPA) to climate change. Ministryof Environment, Nepal.

5. NCVST (2009), Vulnerabilitythrough the Eyes of the Vulnerable:Climate Change InducedUncertainties and Nepal'sDevelopment Predicaments,NCVST, Kathmandu.

6. NPC (2010), Three Year Plan (2010-2013). Nepal Planning Commission,Government of Nepal, Kathmandu:NPC Publication.

7. IDS Nepal, PAC and GCAP (2014),Economic Impact Assessment ofClimate Change In Key Sectors inNepal, IDS Nepal, Kathmandu

8. IDS Nepal (2014), Making theHFA2 work: South Asiaroundtable, Kathmandu

9. NPC (2011), Climate – ResilientPlanning: Working Document,Government of Nepal, NationalPlanning Commission, Kathmandu,Nepal

10. IDS Nepal, GCAP and PAC(2014),Economic Impact Assessment ofClimate Change for Key Risks inNepal, http://idsnepal.org/navigation/50-brochures.html


CLIMATE CHANGE AND RESILIENCE

Training Needs Assessment on DRR-CCA inAssam: Reviewing ResilienceAs Assam being the gateway ofNorth-eastern states, glimpsesvarious avenues of development,hazards of various origin put aconstant threat to its prospect ofdevelopment. Every year asignificant volume of developmentaloutcome is being eaten away due tothe states vulnerability to thesehazards. To name the most dominantand visible in this regard is flood andriver erosion in both the reverinevalleys (Bramhaputra and BarakValleys). A significant amountpressure had been persistent on theState exchequer to deal with menaceof flood and erosion every year.Further, Climate Change has beencontributing in both increasing thefrequency and magnitude of thishazard in multiple ways such aserratic heavy rains, melting ofHimalayan glaciers etc. All this haslead to the emergence of a differentoutlook for thinking, planning andpracticing measures for reducing theimpact of these hazards byincreasing the capacity of differentsegments of vulnerable population.

It has been recently accorded highpriority to increase investment inDisaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in thepublic domain. As the nodalgovernment agency to coordinateand implement the disaster riskreduction initiatives in the state,Assam State Disaster ManagementAuthority (ASDMA) had beenimplementing different projects andprograms for promoting andsustaining disaster risk reduction ofwhich capacity building ofstakeholders through training hasbeen a dominant area. Between 2009and 2013, a total of 1818 trainingprograms involving 5, 47,062participants were conducted. Thefocus was manifold ranging from

Search and Rescue, First Aid,Planning for DRR in Schools andHospitals, Mass CasualtyManagement and many other suchareas involving participants likegovernment officers, teachers,children, doctors, civil societyorganisations and others., For thesetrainings, ASDMA had conducted aTraining Needs Assessment in 2011which had its exclusive focus onDisaster Risk Reduction. But, climatechange as a concern in both cause andeffect relationship was not consideredin-depth in that assessment.

As the global community wasmoving towards strengthening thevision of DRR through thedevelopment of post 2015 framework(HFA 2) which focuses on sevendifferent areas of priority forensuring the goal of sustainabledevelopment integrating climatechange concerns, ASDMA alsoenvisioned to incorporate andintegrate climate change concern inits ongoing DRR initiativesparticularly the training andcapacity building ones. As Assamforms a part of the targeted State forGoI-UNDP Program on "Institutionaland Community resilience to disastersand climate change" which was leadby ASDMA in the state, it was anopportunity for ASDMA to retrospectthe entry points for climate changeconcerns with a systematicallydesigned study. Thus, the Training

Needs Assessment for DRR-CCAwas visualized with the primarygoal to suggest options for valid andsustainable integration of disasterrisk reduction and climate changeadaptation. This study was designedand conducted by the All IndiaDisaster Mitigation Institute.

The study followed a bottom upapproach and incorporated the viewsand expressions of differentstakeholders. As a part of themethodology, different tools wereused such as literature review,district level search conferences, statelevel workshops etc. The focus wason bringing out a feasible andinclusive pathway for integration.

It was interesting to see that the studyhighlighted the level of awarenessamong the participants on climatechange concerns. The participantsthemselves in large majority vowedabout the existing gaps in theirknowledge and skills which createdthe insufficiency for dealing withclimate change and disasters.Though there was the State ActionPlan on Climate Change in placeAssam along with National Plan ofaction of India, the participants werehardly aware and involved in anysorts of actions associated with them.The SAPCC no-doubt is the bestavailable and easiest possibleliterature for understanding the localcontext and projections related to

• The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has takenseveral measures to safeguard Assam from the adverse impacts ofrecurring disasters ailing the state.

• A Training Needs Assessment (TNA) was conducted by ASDMA tofacilitate integration of climate change concerns with its larger capacitybuilding initiative.

• The TNA exercise highlighted a lot of areas of integration such as DRR,Community Based CCA, involvement of children etc.


climate change. These existing gapsin knowledge and skills make itmore imperative to strengthen thebasics and the best possible solutionas recommended by the study wasintegration. This integration basedapproach facilitates new informationto be incorporated into the planningof programmes and plans and createsthe opportunity to identify whatneed to be changed or added. Thestudy basically highlighted inclusionof local projections and climatechange and also suggested topics suchas DRR and CCA, Community BasedClimate Change Adaptation. Thestudy also suggested involvement ofall concerned sectors, using childrenas "active agents" in leading thechange. As different departmentspecific measures of both trainingand non-training requirements werehighlighted in therecommendations, it will beobviously interesting to see thepathway through which theprogresses are lead by the concerneddepartments and agencies.

It is imperative for the ASDMA tomove up with the recommendationsand facilitate such an environmentwhere effective integration can beachieved. The knowledge and skillsgaps must be highlighted to theconcerned departments throughadequate sensitization. The furtherdesign and implementation oftrainings must be dynamic andshould incorporate the ongoingdevelopments in the field. There isno doubt that the study has given aroad map to the state for leading theinitiatives on DRR-CCA integration,it would really an interesting matterfor observation how effective theimplementation of therecommendations are achieved inthe near future. The investmentmade in this regard is praiseworthybut is really a beginning and acrossthe nation, eyes' will be on Assam tosee the changes which structuredintegration can bring in the state.

– Sonali Das, AIDMI

INFORMATION SHARING

Self Study Programme at NIDMNational institute of Disaster Management (NIDM)Under the National Disaster Management Act 2005, the National Centrefor Disaster Management of the Indian Institute of Public administrationwas upgraded to National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) inOctober 2003. Union Home Minister is the President of NIDM. The mainrole of NIDM is in human resource development, capacity building,training, research, documentation and policy advocacy in the field ofDisaster Management. National activities are done under key academicdivisions namely Policy, Planning and Cross Cutting Issues; Geo-HazardsRisk Management; Hydro-meteorological Hazards Risk Management; andResponse and training. Apart from various trainings, NIDM givesconsultancy services to the officials and local authorities and performsknowledge integration on disaster management in the country. NIDMalso hosts the SAARC disaster management centre and publishes journals,newsletters, reports and training modules.

The All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) is introducing theidea of integrating Disaster Risk Management (DRM) with CommunityBased Adaptation (CBA) in India with NIDM.

Self Study Programme on Disaster Management for YouthNational Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) offers self studyprogramme on disaster management. The course would benefit thosewho work or wish to work to manage disasters in India. The course aimsto raise the level of knowledge on disaster management of governmentofficials and other officials as also create interest and awareness on disastermanagement to general public. Citizens can register online atwww.nidmssp.in to any of the ten listed courses of NIDM web basedprogramme. The registration is free of cost. The users can access theprogramme anytime and from anywhere after login.

All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) is working with NIDM todevelop integration of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) with CommunityBased Adaptation (CBA) in self study courses.

Online Courses on Disaster Risk Management for YouthLooking at the need to enhance the capacity and to develop a sense ofpreparedness among communities, NIDM in collaboration with the WorldBank, Washington conducts online courses for various key stakeholdersin the field of Disaster Risk Management (DRM). This flexi time course isinteractive and convenient for users. Apart from one basis course with afee of Rs. 1500/- the institute offers nine thematic courses with a fee ofRs.1000/- each. These thematic courses are open to those who havecompleted the basic course or have basic subject knowledge. These ninecourses focus on DRM such as Comprehensive Framework, CommunityBased, Earthquake, Identification, Assessment and Analysis, Safer Cities,Gender Aspect, Financial Strategies, Damage and Reconstruction NeedsAssessments. – AIDMI Team


CASE STUDY

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture

In the backdrop of a persistentenergy crisis and raging debate onlack of coal linkages in India,Greenpeace has released itsassessment report on RenewablePurchase Obligation (RPO) titledPowering Ahead on Renewables:Leaders and Laggards, whichdecides ranks of all states and theirperformance in renewable energysecurity and their supply. At higherauthorities' level, it just calls forrevision of RPO mechanism basedon equity principle. Now, thesemechanisms have limits with nofocus to deal sector specificsituations such as household andsmall enterprises which endure themost.

Women have always been responsivefor managing household energysystems, and tribal households inJeypore, Odisha, India are nodifferent. Past studies haveestablished the role of improvedcooking stoves (ICS) in rural areasby reducing workload of womenand enhancing health while

increasing efficiency in fuel–woodsupplies.

Crop production in home gardens(HGs) through the use of residuesfrom the ICS is a widespread practiceobserved in the study region.Substituting clay stoves with ICS islikely to play an important role in

Fig. Step to Build Solidarity to Endorse Rural Women Livelihood using Clean Cook Stove Approach.

Improved Cook Stoves and their by-product (Biochar) Application into Soil: A case study fromKoraput District, Odisha, India

• As energy crisis debate rages on in India, the use of improved cookingstoves in the tribal households of Jeypore, Odisha has emerged a goodpractice that can be replicated in other parts of the country as well.

• The advantages include reducing the drudgery of women, improvingtheir health, improving the efficiency of fuel-wood supplies.

• Since Odisha is known to be highly vulnerable to disasters and climaticextremes, up scaling such innovations can help the state in fosteringresilience.


reducing drudgery and improvingsoil health. The Alleviating Povertyand Malnutrition (APM) in Agro-biodiversity Hotspot project madean attempt in making use of top–litupdraft gasifier stove whose residue(biochar) was applied blend withcompost (BioC+) in HGs to enrichsoils.

The research study concludes that: (i)the adoption of ICS and BioC+application have genderimplications, (ii) use of the ICS hasreduced women and men's labourand time spent for Fuel-woodcollection, (iii) increasingopportunities for women and mento be involved in growing crop forenhancing their well–being, (iv) thisadaptation practice has multiple

environmental benefits and(v) froma policy perspective, study aiminginto consideration priorities, rolesand interests of women concurrentlydevelop appropriate skill sets.

Odisha can take a lead on aconstructive policy on renewableenergy through domestic andinstitutional sectors ICSs. Recentunderstanding in both sectors, alongother sectors on renewable (biomass,biofuel and biogas, solar, etc.),Odisha has achieved less than 35%,the proposed activity emerged asleader in terms of driving aconstructive policy for renewables.Odisha is backward but they candisplay astuteness by accepting thefact that decentralized system cangenerate livelihood at remote areas

where opportunity and access ofgovernment plans are really lacking.This state is also famous for naturalcalamities (Ex–heat waves, flood,drought), severe migration andlosses of natural biodiversity, whichdirectly, indirectly impacts theclimate change and GHG emissionand above steps can supportpurchasing power of individual butpositive effect will bemultidimensional in long term.

– Jay Anand with ChaudhuryShripati Mishra, B. Chandra

Guptha, Trinath Taraputia, andV. A. Nambi, Climate Change

Program, M S Swaminathan ResearchFoundation, Tamil Nadu

Acknowledgement: InternationalDevelopment Research Center (IDRC),

Canada, Farmers and Field Technician ofMSSRF

ECOSYSTEMS RECOVERY

Why Local Communities Participate in EnhancingRestoration Mangrove Ecosystems in Odishato Mitigate Impacts of Cyclonic Storms?

IntroductionThe state of Odisha in eastern Indiais frequently affected by cyclonicstorms (Bahinipati, 2014), whichnegatively affect the well-being ofrural households in the coastalvillages. In the past few decades, thestate experienced severe and supercyclonic storms in the years 1971,1982, 1999 and 2013 (Bahinipati andSahu, 2012). These events disruptedthe livelihoods of households livingin the fragile coastal environment.For instance, a loss of around 7397human lives particularly in theundivided Cuttack district in 1971,and 9177 human lives during the1999 super cyclone (Bahinipati andSahu, 2012). It is expected that theseevents are likely to increase in theforeseeable future due to climatechange, particularly in thedeveloping nations.

In the context of Odisha, a few studiesfound that mangroves act as a naturalbarrier in reducing impacts fromcyclonic storms and also providingvarious livelihood opportunities tolocal households (Badola andHussain, 2005; Das and Vincent,2009). Therefore, different activitieshave been undertaken at thecommunity, civil society andgovernment levels to enhancemangrove conservation in coastalOdisha; because of this, an increasingtrend was observed in the recentdecades. For instance, the area undermangroves was 199 km2 during 1987,and increased to 222 km2 as of 2011.

Voluntary Participation ofCommunities to Enhance MangroveRestorationOver the years, it has been observedthat the mangrove ecosystems in

coastal Odisha is affected by multiplethreats, e.g., unsustainable economicgrowth, high population density, sealevel rise and river erosion andgovernment policy (Bahinipati andSahu, 2012). In particular, Upadhyayand Mishra (2008) found thatanthropogenic factors areresponsible for 80% of thedegradation of mangrove forests inOdisha. From this, one can say thatparticipation of the localcommunities is imperative toenhance mangrove ecosystems.Because of its positive externality, italso attracts the attention of both thecivil society and government overthe years to promote mangrovesthrough both action and academicresearch. Afterwards, variousfunding agencies (e.g., TEEB, MFF,etc.) and ministries of state andnational governments (through


integrated coastal zonemanagement) have been showninterest to promote mangroves,particularly in coastal Odisha. Underthis, various activities have beenundertaken such as restoration andafforestation of mangroves,generating awareness about variousbenefits of mangrove ecosystems,enhancing other rural livelihoodopportunities, etc.

With funding from Centre forEnvironment Education (CEE),Rufford Small Grant Foundation,Mangroves for the Future (MFF) andIntegrated Coastal ZoneManagement Programme (ICZMP),APOWA has taken the initiative torestore mangrove forests in thecoastal Talukas of Kendrapadadistrict of Odisha. Since the coastalcommunities have also realized theimportance of mangroves, they haveshown interest to voluntarilyparticipate in the restorationProgramme. At the village level, acommunity network was constitutedsuch as 'Village Mangrove Councils(VMC)' which have taken the entireresponsibility to restore mangrovesaround the village. Because of this,the households in the village arebecoming a watch dog for thesustenance of the mangroves.Simultaneously, other livelihoodopportunities also provided to thevarious households in the village in

order to reduce dependency onmangroves. As a result, some of thedegraded land was restored withmangroves in a few coastal villagesof Kendrapada. We have learnt thatthe vulnerable people in the coastalOdisha are interested to voluntarilyparticipate in mangroveconservation. The governmentprogrammes for enhancingmangroves should consider peoplein the mangrove restoration processand also provide them alternativelivelihood opportunities.

References:1. Badola, R. and Hussain, S. A.

(2005), Valuing ecosystemfunctions: A empirical study on

the storm protection function ofBhitarkanika MangroveEcosystem India,Environmental Conservation,32(1), 85-92.

2. Bahinipati, C. S. (2014),Assessment of vulnerability tocyclones and floods in Odisha,India: A District-level analysis,Current Science, 107(12): 1997-2007.

3. Bahinipati, C. S. and N. C. Sahu,(2012), Mangrove Conservationas a sustainable adaptation tocyclonic risk in KendrapadaDistrict of Odisha, India, AsianJournal of Environment andDisaster Management, 4(2): 183-202.

4. Das, S. and Vincent, J. R.(2009),Mangroves protected villagesand reduced death toll duringIndian super cyclone, ProcNational Academy of Science,106(18), 7357-60.

5. Upadhyay, V. P. and Mishra, P.K. (2008), Population status ofmangrove species in estuarineregions of Orissa coast, India,Tropical Ecology, 49(2), 183-88.

– Bijaya Kumar Kabi,Action for Protection of Wild Animals

(APOWA), Kendrapada, Odisha,India and

Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati,Gujarat Institute of Development

Research (GIDR), Ahmedabad, India

Fencing to plantation site by community members of Chakamohanpur village, Kendrapada District, Odisha.

• In the past, Odisha hasexperienced several devastatingcyclonic storms.

• Climate change is likely toincrease the frequency andseverity of these cyclonic stormsin Odisha.

• Mangroves have emerged as anatural barrier to the adverseimpact of cyclonic storms in the state.

• Various agencies such asAPOWA, CEE and MFF areworking with the communitiesof coastal Odisha to restoremangroves as a means ofresilience against cyclones and asa viable livelihood option.


INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES

Lucknow Declaration on Mainstreaming DRRand CCA in Development PlanningBased on the outcome ofdeliberations and discussionsheld in this Conference, on 20thOctober 2014 at Lucknow, we theparticipants of this workshop arriveat following conclusions which areto be adopted as Lucknowdeclaration on Mainstreaming DRRand CCA in Development Planning:• Need for skilled person-power at

level of SDMA & DDMAs for keyand specific needs of mainstreaming.

• There is need of multi-stakeholderplatforms at various levels (state,regional, district and lower) thatpromote a process of shared learningof perspectives of vulnerabilities,identification, design andimplementation of actions, thatinvolve government, civil society,academia, NGOs and community.

• The assessment of damage fromdisasters is currently based on abroad estimate and is made atmeso scale. Hence, it does notcapture the micro variations (acrossvillages/ towns), and leads toineffective response actions.

• Climate downscaling data isavailable currently at agro-ecological zones (SAPCC) andneeds to be refined at higherresolution (district levels).

• Improper siting of criticalinfrastructure (such as airports,solid waste dumping sites,hospitals, etc.) in hazard pronezones leads to higher damages.

• Infrastructure design codes/standards in key sectors (housing,water supply, drainage etc.) needto be developed for reducing riskfrom disasters and climate impacts.

• There is a need to improve theavailability of data for assessingdisaster damages (/vulnerability)by sectors and to implement themonitoring mechanisms ofadaptation related activities.

• There is need to strengthensystem for monitoring of damagesand vulnerability parameters.One way to address this concernis to have a separate section inDDMP.

• There is need to develop synergybetween coordination andmonitoring committees in SAPCCand DDMA, though both theentities are/will be headed by theDistrict Magistrate.

• There is need for a dedicatedfunding for DRR and CCAintegration though specificbudget provisions exist forDisaster Management.

• Given the greater impact ofdisasters and climate change onpoor and marginalized sections incommunity including women,children and the poor, main-streaming needs to emphasize onaddressing their needs andresponses designed accordingly.

• Disaster Management theme hasstatute (DM Act 2005) and backedup by executive orders (as issuedby Chief Secretary for integratingDRR and CCA in developmentplans). Similar statutes andexecutive orders are absent in thesphere of CCA.

• State level policy/ practice/guidelines are very important andneeded to actualize effectivemainstreaming of DRR-CCA atdistrict and lower levels.

– Ms. Chicu Lokgariwar,India Water Portal

Asia Europe Meeting-East Asia Summit inDelhi in 2014

Many of the member countries of Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM)-EastAsia Summit (EAS) have faced enormous socio-economic losses onaccount of devastating disasters. With the rise of frequency and severityof disasters, ASEM 11th Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM11) in November2013 after the success of EAS-India Workshop on "Building RegionalFramework for Earthquake Risk Management" laid down a RoundtableMeeting on Disaster Management for ASEM-EAS countries. The two daysRoundtable was organised by Minister of Home Affairs and Minister ofExternal Affairs, Government of India on December 4-5, 2014. It focusedon use of technology to save lives and reduce response time and buildingcapacities through sharing best practices, developing joint venturesamongst ASEM member countries and to launch Virtual Knowledge Portal(VKP), deliberations on the board structure and functioning of the VKP.

All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) introduced the ClimateDevelopment Knowledge Network (CDKN) work in the event and thescope of its projects in the region. – AIDMI Team

• The mainstreaming of disasterrisk reduction and climatechange adaptation is necessaryfor the achievement ofdevelopment outcomes.

• The Lucknow Declaration ofOctober 2014 supports thismainstreaming across nationaland sub-national levels in India.

• The main action points of thisdeclaration include the need forskilled person-power at the levelof SDMA and DDMA, the needof micro assessments and multi-assessment platforms.


Do you wish to receive this publication regularly? Write to AIDMI ([email protected]). The publication will be sent byE-mail. Your comments help southasiadisasters.net remain an effective and informative resource for regional issues of disasterrisk management. Please contribute comments, features, reports, discussion points, and essays about your work. Today!

Editorial Advisors:

Anshuman SaikiaRegional Programme Support CoordinatorARO, IUCN (International Union for Conservation ofNature), Thailand

Denis NkalaRegional Coordinator, South-South Cooperation andCountry Support (Asia-Pacific), United NationsDevelopment Programme, New York

Ian DavisVisiting Professor in Disaster Risk Management inCopenhagen, Lund, Kyoto and Oxford BrookesUniversities

Madhavi Malalgoda AriyabanduInternational Strategy for Risk Reduction (ISDR) –South Asia, Sri Lanka

Mihir R. BhattAll India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MD, MPHThe University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell,New York, USA

T. Nanda KumarChairman, National Dairy Development Board(NDDB), Anand, Gujarat, India

ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE411 Sakar Five, Near Natraj Cinema, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad–380 009 India. Tele/Fax: +91-79-2658 2962E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.aidmi.org, www.southasiadisasters.net

AIDMI is delighted to receive generous support of UNICEF (India) towards this issue.

India is a region wide node forenergy transfers in South Asia.The existing node must be protectedfrom disaster risks and the futuregrowth must include protectionfrom disaster.

To understand better the politicaland economic underpinnings thatfacilitate regional energy marketformation and cross border energytrade in South Asia and torecommend strategies for its SouthAsian Regional Initiative forEnergy (SARI/E) program, USAID(United States Agency forInternational Development)engaged Social Impact, Inc. (SI) toconduct a political-economyanalysis of cross-border energy inthe South Asia region in 20121. Morework is needed in this direction.

The study concluded that thecountries of SARI-East (Bangladesh,Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka)

Regional Energy Node and Disaster Risk Reductionare market-focused and poised todevelop commercial tradingarrangements that, in conjunctionwith the "virtual energy grid", canfacilitate the expansion of energytrade among each of its five membercountries. While India represents astable core for SARI-East, SARI-West(Afghanistan and Pakistan) hasneither a stable core nor a centralengine for economic growth; makingit a high risk/high returnenvironment for the development ofenergy projects. Energy projects willlead investment portfolios in SouthAsia.

The concept of a Regional EnergyGrid implies a series of physicalconnections among the countries ofSouth Asia. The anticipatedunification of the Indian electricitygrid by 2014, combined with (a) thedevelopment of strategic, bilateralinterconnections between India andits neighboring countries, and (b) the

potential expansion of existingelectricity exchanges to encompassenergy market transactionsthroughout the region, is buildinga platform for regional energytrade. This "Virtual Energy Grid"represents a realistic goal for SouthAsia over the next 10 years. And alsoan opportunity to creativelyenhance the benefits and set asidethe disadvantages.

India shares a border with each ofits South Asian neighbors, exceptAfghanistan, the Maldives and SriLanka. When India is linked to eachof these countries, as well as to SriLanka, by suitable high-tension,bilateral interconnections, Indiacould serve as the nodal point forenergy transfers around the region.This nodal role is not only importantto climate compatible developmentdebate but also to resilient economicdevelopment of South Asia.

– Mihir R. Bhatt

1 USAID (2012), SARI/E POLITICAL ECONOMY ANALYSIS USAID/INDIA. Final Report: Executive Summary. Thispublication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by SocialImpact, Inc. with Management Systems International, and Nexant.

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