222893e

WATER EDUCATION AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTCoping with extreme weatherand water-related disastersKaoru Takara, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, JapanExtreme weather events frequently take place in manyparts of the world, causing various kinds of waterrelateddisasters such as wind storms, floods, high tides,debris flows, droughts, and water-quality problems. This isa key issue for the sustainability and survival of our society.Interdisciplinary educational systems are necessary at all levelsfrom elementary to higher education, as well as social educationincluding the general public, industries and policymakers.Extreme weather and water-related disastersThe Asia-Pacific region is one of the most disaster-prone areasin the world. It is adversely affected by natural hazards such ascyclones (typhoons), rainstorms, floods, landslides, and tsunamiscaused by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions under the sea. TheseA community water post in a slum community in Ahmedabad, India; the communityset the tap below ground level to improve water pressureImage: Dr Akhilesh Surjan, GSS Programme, Kyoto Universitynatural hazards bring severe disasters to all countriesin the region where social change, in terms of populationand economic growth, is the most dynamic inthe world. 1Growth in this region has not, however, led toadvances in disaster risk management. The situationis getting worse because infrastructure developmentcannot keep up with growth. Policies for poverty reductionand alleviation are insufficient and the differencebetween the rich and the poor is increasing.Vulnerable populations are often those hit worst byhazards and disasters. As the world’s cities expand tooccupy greater portions of the world’s flood plains,riversides and shorelines, the risk of flooding willcontinue to outpace both structural and non-structuralmitigation efforts.“A natural hazard strikes when people lose theirmemory of the previous one.” This quotation is fromDr Torahiko Terada (1878–1935), a former Professorof the University of Tokyo who influenced manyJapanese people as an educator, physicist and philosopher.People tend to forget bad memories if they do notexperience a similar event for a long time. This ignoranceand lack of experience increases the vulnerabilityof society to disasters.Typical examplesIn 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit areas of the Caribbeanand the east coast of the United States. Economic lossfrom this hurricane in the US was estimated at morethan US$50 billion and more than 170 people werekilled. Another famous example is Hurricane Katrinain 2005, which killed at least 1,833 people and forwhich total property damage is said to have beenUS$81 billion.Hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons often causeserious damage due to strong wind, heavy rainfall andflooding in riverine and coastal areas. It is often saidthat their power will be increased by climate change,which means that more serious damage will take placein the future in many parts of the world.African countries and other arid and semi-aridregions suffer from water shortages, droughts, anddesertification. These are also brought about byextreme weather conditions that continue for longerperiods in wider areas.[ 103 ]