A Case Study in Uttarakhand, Northern India - Geological & Mining ...

Chapter 2 – Theoretical OrientationThis chapter provides a theoretical orientation or framework for the case studypresented in this thesis; it is divided into three parts. Section 2.1 provides basicdefinitions and theories discussed herein. As the case study was conducted inNorthern India, Section 2.2 provides a background to natural disasters in the Indiancontext and more specifically in the case study region of Uttarakhand, NorthernIndia. Section 2.3 presents a literature review of the current state of the art ofdisaster mitigation and preparedness (DMP) and the roles of NGOs in this domain.Section 2.4 outlines PSI's mitigation and preparedness strategies underassessment in this case study.2.1 Definitions and theories2.1.1 Natural disastersOne of the problems plaguing the field of disaster management is how exactly toappropriately define “disaster”. Alexander (1997) stated that, while the amount ofinformation on disasters and the quality of reporting has increased, there is still acertain degree of ambiguity surrounding what passes as a clear definition of adisaster. The following paragraphs describe commonly accepted characteristicsfound in the literature of what constitutes a disaster:1) Disasters generally have a common pattern with respect to the variousphases in an emergency. This has traditionally been seen as warning, prealarm,crisis, rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction. However, a numberof scholars (Turner, 1979; Slim, 1995) have challenged this pattern bysuggesting that communities themselves are largely responsible for howthey will be affected by a disaster in how well they mitigate and prepare forsuch events.The Role of NGOs in Disaster Mitigation and Response – A Case Study in Uttarakhand, Northern India 14