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AUDMP
Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation News - February 2002
This month's issue includes
the following features:
Should you wish to receive
the News by e-mail please send a message to the AUDMP Information
and Networking Coordinator at ccapikul@ait.ac.th
Please
click here to go to AUDMP monthly activity highlights
IUDMP’s draft national
policy widely supported
The National Coordinating Board for Disaster Management
in Indonesia (BAKORNAS PBP) in collaboration with the
Indonesian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program (IUDMP)
conducted a workshop on the “Development of National
Policy for Urban Disaster Mitigation in Indonesia” on 14
February 2002 in Jakarta. It is the third in a series of
workshops on this theme since 1998. The draft policy
document discussed at the workshop was prepared by the
Institute of technology Bandung (ITB) under the IUDMP,
based on the results dervied from the previous workshop
on 18 April 2000.
The workshop’s objectives were to discuss the concept of the national strategies on urban disaster mitigation
and to prepare the national strategies document for inter-ministerial approval. Thirty-nine representatives from fifteen national institutions related to disaster management attended the workshop.
One of the important roles of BAKORNAS PBP is the
formulation of policies for disaster and refugees management.
Mr. Buda Atmadi, Deputy Secretary of BAKORNAS PBP,
expressed his appreciation to the ITB for preparing the draft
document. He then presented the highlights of the draft to the
participants. They recognized the absence of appropriate
disaster mitigation efforts in Indonesia and emphasized the need
to focus on pre-disaster management.
During the workshop, the participants provided new inputs on
development of hazard monitoring, prediction and early warning
systems, and the integration of existing sectoral policies on
disaster mitigation. Based on recent disaster experiences, the
workshop also raised the need for institutionalized strategies
within local government organizations for disaster management.
The workshop encouraged the BAKORNAS PBP to adopt the
draft policy document. As a follow-up of this workshop, an
inter-ministerial meeting will be held by BAKORNAS PBP to
seek approval and adoption of the urban disaster
mitigation strategies proposed in the draft document as national
policy.
The 7th annual Working
Group Meeting coming up in March
The 7th annual Working Group Meeting of the AUDMP
organized jointly by the ADPC and the Institute of
Technology Bandung (ITB), Indonesia, is scheduled to
be held in Bandung, Indonesia during 19 to 21March
2002. The theme for this year’s meeting is ‘public
awareness’ in urban disaster mitigation.
The Working Group Meeting will bring together
representatives from project partner institutions in the
region to review progress of the program and discuss
future directions. Over fifty participants will attend this
year’s meeting, representing an extensive coalition of
partner organizations including local and national
government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions and
others from 10 different countries in which the AUDMP’s
projects are being implemented.
Discussions during the meeting will focus on issues
pertaining to public awareness for urban disaster
mitigation as well as the strategies for
institutionalization and replication of the demonstration
activities within and outside the target countries.
The Working Group Meeting will be followed by the
one-day Core Group Meeting in which representatives
from the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), AUDMP’s core funder, will meet
with the AUDMP’s representatives to discuss the
progress of the program, which is now in its seventh
year.
ISDR links
disaster reduction with sustainable development
The Secretariat for the United Nation’s International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) released a
background paper detailing its vision and direction on
integrating disaster risk reduction with sustainable
development in order to address environmental
protection and social and economic development. The
paper outlines the framework and strategy the
Secretariat hope the upcoming World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) will include in the
Program for Action.
The WSSD will not open Agenda 21 for revision, but it
will seek consensus on the general assessment of
current conditions, and on priorities for further action in
new areas or new issues. WSSD will assess the legacy
of Rio, UNCED-92 (including ratification and
implementation of conventions; Climate Change,
Biological Diversity, combating desertification).
A Johannesburg Program of Action is expected to be
adopted for renewed commitment to the
implementation of Agenda 21 based on clear commitments, targets delivery mechanisms, resources
and monitoring.
You could all contribute to the process leading to the
Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August
to 4 September 2002 by raising the awareness of the
relevant national authorities or stakeholders working
on sustainable development issues for the need to
include the disaster reduction issues in the agenda to
be discussed during the Preparatory Committee in New
York as well as in the Program for Action of
Johannesburg.
ISDR’s background paper can be downloaded in PDF format from: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/backgrounddocs/unisdr%20report.pdf or http://www.unisdr.org/unisdr/indexpage2.htm
BUDMP: The SICs
well-equipped for implementation of structural mitigation through
trainings
On the eve of the commencement of work on
structural mitigation measures in two municipalities,
namely Tongi and Gaibandha, CARE-Bangladesh
organized a two-day training exclusively for the Scheme
Implementation Committees (SICs) and direct project
beneficiaries in order to navigate them towards a
better understanding of structural mitigation measures
implementation.
The training was implemented at the community level
through courtyard meetings in a hope to enrich more
community involvement in the mitigation measures. A
total of 208 participants from 7 batches in Gaibandha
and 71 from 2 batches in Tongi attended the training.
The SICs, who are expected to oversee the
implementation of structural mitigation measures, were
formed during the preparation of engineering estimate
of structural mitigation initiatives in June and July last
year. Their duties include management of all structural
mitigation activities, maintenance of records on
expenditure and disbursement of funds. They are also
encouraged to mobilize the communities in affected
areas to ensure active participation in implementation
of structural mitigation measures and to increase the
component of counterpart contributions.
The structural mitigation measures are scheduled to
begin under the BUDMP in March 2002.
Regional workshop on
legal and institutional frameworks, and planning in disaster
management
Bangkok, Thailand – A regional workshop on legal
and institutional frameworks and planning in
disaster management will be jointly organized by
AUDMP and the project of Partnerships for Disaster
Reduction - South East Asia (PDR-SEA) during
24-26 April 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand.
A need for organizing such a workshop has been
raised on several occasions by various organizations
in the Asian region, including both AUDMP’s
partners and PDR-SEA’s partners, as they were
facing difficulties in implementation of various
disaster management (DM) measures due to lack of
sound policies and institutional structures. In May
1999, the AUDMP made an initiative attempt in
identifying the need to undertake a more detailed
study of DM legal and institutional frameworks in the
institutionalization of mitigation efforts at the Regional
Sharing Workshop in Bangkok.
In August 2001, a comparative study was undertaken
to study policy and institutional arrangement and
disaster management planning processes in four
DIPECHO countries, namely Indonesia, the
Philippines, Lao PDR and Camdodia, examining the
current status of policy development and institutional
arrangement in these countries.
As one of its objectives, the upcoming workshop will
provide an opportunity to share and discuss the
findings of the study and bring into the discussions
of experiences of other countries covered by the
AUDMP since several AUDMP’s project partners
have earlier taken initiatives in reviewing legal
and institutional frameworks in disaster management
at the national level. For example, the Sri Lanka
Urban Multi-Hazard Disaster Mitigation Project
(SLUMDMP) and Indonesia Urban Disaster
Mitigation Project (IUDMP) have organized
workshops on review of policies related to natural
disasters.
The workshop will also distill lessons learned and
best practices related to DM policy and legal
framework and the institutionalization of DM in Asia
and establish linkages and networking among
individuals and institutions involved in DM in the
region.
The participants will include partner organizations
and representatives of national disaster management
organizations (NDMOs) from countries covered by
PDR-SEA and AUDMP, researchers and individuals
working in the field of DM.
The workshop is expected to bring about an
enhanced understanding of issues related to DM
policy, legal and institutional frameworks, linkages and
networking among individuals and institutions involved
in DM in the region and the publication of document
covering these aspects of the countries in the region.
Get "Safer
Cities"...before disasters strike
This month ADPC launched its first case
study of the Safer Cities series, which presents
strategies and approaches to urban disaster
mitigation derived from analyses of real-life
experiences in Asia initiated by the AUDMP. This
user-friendly resource allows readers to explore a
city’s experience through a pair of “thematic”
spectacles, providing decision-makers, city and
community leaders and trainers with an array of
proven ideas, practices, tools, policy options and
lessons for urban disaster mitigation. It also
includes broad-based participation, partnerships,
sustainability and replication of success stories.
The first Safer Cities case study focuses on
community-based disaster management under
AUDMP’s Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk
Management Project (KVERMP). It highlights
lessons learned from a pioneering community-based
disaster management process developed in Ward
34 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the
implementation of a participatory approach in
KVERMP’s School Earthquake Safety Program.
In the pipeline are two more case studies from
Cambodia to be published in March 2002. They
showcase ways in which Cambodian communities
have empowered themselves to reduce disaster
risks. Other upcoming themes include: risk
assessment, action planning, emergency
management and response planning, risk-based
urban planning, public awareness, information and
networking, training and school earthquake safety
program.
If you would like more information on the Safer
Cities series, please contact Christine Apikul,
Information and Networking Coordinator at:
ccapikul@ait.ac.th
Stonecretes improves
lives
Nepal - Last month’s AUDM News highlighted breakthroughs
of the Kathmandu Valley Earthquake Risk Management
Project’s (KVERMP) School Earthquake Safety Program in
training masons on earthquake-resistant building techniques
in Kavresthali. This initiative has not only made the Kavresthali
safer but has significantly improved the livelihood of its
people. One obvious example is the increased fee rate charged
by trained masons from NRs.200 (US$2.60) to NRs.300
(US$3.90) per day thanks to their skill improvement during the
training sessions.
Another significant change occurred during the demolition of
the Kavresthali School for reconstruction. The school was made
of stones and once knocked down produced the large heap of
stones, which was difficult to ignore. Instead of being dumped
as a useless waste, the dismantled stones were creatively
transformed into something useful by villagers. They were
broken into small pieces and then filled into hollow concrete
blocks that could be easily molded by villagers themselves,
creating a new and uniquely strong building material called
‘stonecretes’.
According to laboratory tests, “stonecretes” were found stronger
than ordinary bricks. Besides, they are more affordable. With
the invention of ‘stonecretes’ as an alternative building
material, the community was able to reduce the cost of
building construction. Furthermore, a new livelihood option was
initiated – making stonecretes during periods of field fallow.
This would bring about a better economic condition in the
community.
The next month’s issue of AUDM News will demonstrate how
Nepalese masons introduced the technology of “stonecretes”
in the reconstruction of Patanka Village of Gujarat after it was
hit by a major earthquake on 26 January 2001.
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