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| Consultation on Post-Disaster
Management and Prevention Strategies |
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| Chennai, India 13-14 May,
2005 |
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| M. S. Swaminathan Research
Foundation |
| in collaboration with the |
| International Development
Research Centre (IDRC), Canada |
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| Background: |
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| On December 26, 2005, a tsunami
triggered by an earthquake off the cost of Sumatra
devastated several countries in South and South
East Asia, and even as far as East Africa. In
India the tsunami caused massive destruction and
casualties in the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, the Union Territories
of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Pondicherry.
More than 10,000 people lost their lives and many
were injured. In addition, the tsunami caused
the destruction of infrastructure, housing, and
livelihoods. The environmental impacts were severe,
including large amounts of coastal land being
contaminated by seawater. Beyond the visible effects
of the tsunami, the lives and livelihoods of countless
people and communities were severely impacted,
and may take years to rebuild. |
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| Many organizations and NGOs
responded very quickly to the situation and provided
emergency relief and supplies to help the affected
people. However, beyond this immediate assistance,
a number of longer-term issues have emerged. These
issues affect the coastal areas in general and
would need to be addressed in the future. The
tsunami underscores the vulnerability of coastal
regions, which are also susceptible to other natural
disasters such as cyclones and/or flooding. |
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| Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Efforts: |
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| Measures to ensure that vulnerable
groups benefit from reconstruction efforts and
to minimize destruction and devastation caused
by future natural disasters include: |
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| Ecological Rehabilitation |
Including the establishment
of a bio-shield along the coast involving
raising plantations of mangroves and the
preservation of estuaries, lagoons, backwaters,
tidal creeks, and the development of a proper
land use plan around the wetlands |
| Agronomic Rehabilitation |
Including the development
of a detailed strategy for helping farm
families affected by seawater ingress |
| Reconstruction |
Reconstruction strategies
and their impact on people, housing and
resettlement issues |
| Livelihood Rehabilitation |
Creation of new livelihood
opportunities and/or providing appropriate
schemes for livelihood restoration opportunities,
including fisheries. |
| Information Empowerment
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Involving access to
information and knowledge through various
ICTs such as the Internet, TV, and mobile
phones, and the development of a network
of coastal knowledge |
| Disaster preparedness |
Ensuring access to
early warning systems in remote areas and
training on disaster management |
| Community participation
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Ensuring community
views in reconstruction and coastal land
management are gathered through a participatory
action research methodology with local organizations |
| Gender Considerations
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Encouraging the participation
of women in the decision-making process,
particularly with regards to the impact
on women and children |
| Health issues |
Including environmental
health and creation of proper sanitary conditions
for the displaced and homeless families.
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| In addressing the above mentioned
issues, research should help to strengthen the
resiliency and minimize the vulnerability of people
living in the coastal regions. Some of the specific
research issues that could be addressed to ensure
longer-term preparedness include: |
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| Adaptive strategies and
livelihood resilience for coastal communities
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- Adaptive management of ecosystems and livelihoods
- Long-term resilience and adaptation of
vulnerable groups, with a focus on comparative
coping strategies for coastal communities
- Rebuilding livelihoods with innovative ecological
and livelihood rehabilitation solutions
- Coastal community governance and vulnerability
to climatic variability
- Linking disaster relief and reconstruction
responses to development strategies by synthesizing
best practices for public participation in
planning and reconstruction efforts. These
efforts include disaster preparedness and
developing innovative state / community organization
partnerships.
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| Information and Knowledge
Empowerment |
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- Research the effectiveness of various intervention
methods for bringing timely and proper information
to the vulnerable coastal communities
- Combining both traditional and modern form
of ICTs to find the most appropriate solution
to restore communications. Potential initiatives
could include applied action research for
testing appropriate, low-cost, efficient communication
technologies (WiFi, WiMax, PCS, Internet Radio,
etc.)
- Tools to develop local governance and participatory
processes
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| Ecosystems Approach to Human
Health |
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- Strategies to provide clean water and adequate
sanitation facilities
- Prevention of water-borne diseases including
malaria, dengue fever etc.
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| Social and Economic Policies |
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- Supporting people, particularly women and
youth, in their struggle to find secure jobs
and earn an income
- Providing opportunities for women and men
to engage equally in national and local development
processes
- Providing equitable access to health and
other public services
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| These issues, among others,
suggest a broad range of research questions, which
would contribute to strengthening reconstruction
efforts and minimizing future disaster impacts.
Given the broad range of issues and their interrelationship,
this research must be conducted by a number of
institutions in related fields but would benefit
from collaboration to share lessons, build coherence
and help ensure capacity-building. Partnership
and coordination are essential to deal with such
large number of issues targeted to same communities
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| Purpose and Objectives of
the Consultation |
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| The MSSRF, as a leading research
institution dealing with the wide range of issues
mentioned above, will be organizing a consultation
on post-disaster management and prevention research
strategies with the collaboration and financial
support from the International Development Research
Centre (IDRC Canada). The purpose of the consultation
will be to identify a range of priority areas
for research, and to identify current and potential
research organizations that are interested in
building a proper research agenda. The agenda
items will discuss how to deal with natural disaster
management and recovery, including such issues
as the vulnerability of coastal areas, and the
overarching strategies for rehabilitation and
prevention. This meeting may result in the constitution
of a collaborative research network which will
develop strategies for strengthening livelihood
resilience, adaptive mechanisms, information empowerment,
and ecosystem health, while taking into account
the dimensions of gender, conflict sensitivity,
and social disparities. It is expected that following
the meeting, a small group of researchers will
refine the research agenda and develop research
proposals for submission to donor agencies and
other funding authorities. |
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| Programme
Schedule....... |
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