Case
Study: Indigenous
Technology in Disaster Mitigation
Community-based initiatives in Phu Vang District,
Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam
Citizenry-Based
& Development-Oriented Disaster Response
Book by Annelies Heijmans and Lorna P. Victoria
INDIGENOUS
TECHNOLOGY IN DISASTER MITIGATION
Community-based initiatives in Phu Vang
District, Thua Thien-Hue Province, Vietnam
In November
1999, exceptionally high rainfall for five consecutive
days caused flooding, the likes of which have
not been seen since 1886, in villages along
the Southeast bank of the Huong River. These
villages are not protected by dunes, and are
among the poorest, and hence most vulnerable,
in the region, with precarious houses made of
bamboo and mats. A year after the flood, CODEV
Viet-Phap, in collaboration with the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
and the Vietnam Red Cross of Thua Thien-Hue,
and with funding support from the European Commission
Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), started a project
to build safe havens above the flood water level,
to increase early warning and rescue capacities,
and to train schoolteachers in disaster preparedness.
The project targeted the villages of An Truyen
(Phu An commune), Thuy Dien (Phu Xuan commune),
Luong Vien (Phu Da commune) and Ha Giang (Vinh
Ha commune).
Flood
Shelters
| |
| Flood
shelter designed using indigenous knowledge |
People
living in flood-prone communities often develop
innovative capabilities either to avoid or mitigate
the effects of flood on their lives and properties.
They develop coping means and designs that may
look ordinary and simple, but are effective
in dealing with the kind of risk to which they
are most vulnerable. Such capability results
from folks' practical, experience-based understanding
of how to get around on things and surmount
difficulties.
Local
knowledge offers rich insights in developing
ingenious methods that are too frequently taken
for granted. Engineer Jean Brunot de Rouvre,
CODEV Viet-Phap Representative and Manager of
the ECHO-funded project, observed that houses
along the riverbanks have foundations made of
bamboo posts, that support and elevate the floorboards.
He figured that such a design is effective enough
to secure the household once the water level
rises. He therefore developed a structural design
for a two-storey house-like structure on stilts
that would serve as a safety relocation point
in communities frequently hit by floods. The
structure measures 9 m long, 8.1 m wide and
6.9 m high, and its elevated floorboards are
2.5 m above the ground. The room and lobby on
the second floor serve as the Red Cross early
response post. A 6 m high galvanized steel pylon
with lights and sirens makes up the warning
system. During non-flood times, this structure
is utilized as a village primary school.
Three
such structures have already been constructed
in Phu An, Phu Da and Vinh Ha; a fourth is under
construction in Phu Xuan, on the southern bank
of the Thuan An lagoon.
Early
Warning System
| |
| Lighthouse
with pylons fitted with lights and sirens
for early warning |
Early
warning of an impending flood empowers individuals
and communities to act in a timely and appropriate
manner so as to reduce the possibility of loss
of life and damage to property. A 20 m high
lighthouse made of concrete and brick was constructed
at the mouth of the lagoon on the northern bank,
with five 12 m high stainless steel pylons fitted
with lights and sirens for early warning. Located
near the lighthouse is the office of the communes'
People's Committee, which receives and disseminates
warning messages.
Rescue
Boats
| |
| Rescue
boats built using traditional
craftsmanship |
Fast and
secure transfer of flood victims from one point
to another is an important consideration in
flood rescue operations. Such rescue operations
require necessary equipment and facility. In
flood stricken areas, a rescue boat is indispensable,
a vital transport facility and means to deliver
basic services when land and air rescue services
become ineffective or are hampered by natural
factors.
Using
traditional craftsmanship, the first prototype
rescue boat was built with riveted aluminum
sheets and resembled the sampans used in Hue
province. It is 3 m wide and 6 m long, with
lateral caissons and a double hull, which make
the boat very stable and hard-to-sink. The motor
is removable, allowing the boat to glide or
be carried through obstacles. It is designed
to carry up to 40 people.
Three
rescue boats have so far been built, with the
last two using an improved design of the first
prototype. At 7 m, these later versions are
longer and rounder for greater hydrodynamic
efficiency.
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