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

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That’s not to say that vulnerability is only used when referring to poor populations,as the term is most often associated with. In industrialized countries technologicalor technocratic vulnerability can be equally devastating, taking the example ofHurricane Katrina in the United States. For the most part, however, developingcountries suffer a higher number of fatalities, and there is a chronic inadequacy offorecasting and evacuation programmes. In comparison to developed countries,the overall financial damage may appear quite low, but its long-term impacts andeffects on sustainable programmes and will suffer harsher repercussions (ECLAC,2003).2.1.3 Disaster Mitigation and PreparednessThe terms mitigation and preparedness are used together in most cases, resultingin their definitions becoming somewhat confused and incorrectly applied. Mitigationis defined as “a type of long-term, pre-disaster planning which involves sustainedexpenditures on structural and non-structural efforts to reduce or eliminate futurerisks. Mitigation plans and activities are, in practice, usually medium to long term,and mitigation is the cornerstone of emergency management since it is an examplewhere thinking ahead pays off in the long run. Terminologically, mitigation isrelated to two other concepts of long-term planning: reconstruction andpreparedness.”(http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/431/431lect10.htm).Preparedness refers to “measures taken in anticipation of a disaster event toensure that appropriate and effective actions are employed. Disaster preparednessdeals with long-term policies and programs to minimize the impact of disasters.Legislation, urban and physical planning, and building and public works areexamples of long-term planning. Disaster preparedness is a complex concept thatstarts well before a disaster strikes and can continue into the emergency itself. Awell-planned disaster preparedness plan will have been practiced and learned bygovernment agencies, churches, NGOs and the local citizenry, so that in the eventThe Role of NGOs in Disaster Mitigation and Response – A Case Study in Uttarakhand, Northern India 17
of a disaster everyone knows how to act, where to go and what to do.” (Habitat forHumanity, 2007).2.1.4 Disasters and DevelopmentNatural disasters have no consideration of the area they affect; they are borderlessand strike irrespective of developed or developing environments. In this sense,natural disasters inflict more suffering on disadvantaged, vulnerable people at alllevels of their economic, social and political environment. These conditions arealso a contributing factor to people living in areas highly prone to disasters. Thevulnerability cycle is difficult to break. Since 1991, two-thirds of the victims ofnatural disasters globally were from developing countries (Govt. of India, 2002).Most development programmes are aimed at reducing poverty in an effort toalleviate these poor conditions. It is of paramount importance that a dimension ofdisaster preparedness be incorporated into such programmes or the processstands to be repeated. (Benson et al., 2001). In many cases the root is usuallytraced back to poverty (ODI, 2005), so where a disaster, such as an earthquake ortsunami, may be inescapable, poverty is a preventable pathology (HumanDevelopment Report, 2005). Therefore fighting poverty is considered as a startingblock for instigating “positive change” and thereby reducing vulnerabilities incommunities. Of course, this is a major factor in development but it is impossible tospeak in absolutes. Development embodies much more than simply combatingpoverty, a substantial component of development focuses on enhancing basichuman capacities such as education, good governance, and access to health careand improved physical and social infrastructures (Allen and Thomas 2004, O’Reilly2006).The impact of a disaster is directly proportional to the level of development(O’Reilly, 2004). Therefore, an important component of reducing vulnerabilities in aregion stems directly from an increased level of development. A cognisance of towhat degree a region is developed will help in creating more sound developmentprogrammes, etc. Generally speaking, the less developed a country, the greaterThe Role of NGOs in Disaster Mitigation and Response – A Case Study in Uttarakhand, Northern India 18
Page 1 and 2: The Role of Non GovernmentalOrganis
Page 3 and 4: Table of contentsChapter 1 - Introd
Page 5 and 6: List of figuresFigure 1.1: Study re
Page 7 and 8: preparedness, and has potential to
Page 9 and 10: This case study investigates the im
Page 11 and 12: • What are homeowner perceptions
Page 13 and 14: Seismic activity in this area is du
Page 15 and 16: The study comprises two regions: St
Page 17 and 18: 1.4.1 - b Study Area B- Almora dist
Page 19 and 20: etc. operational). The study involv
Page 21 and 22: Chapter 2 - Theoretical Orientation
Page 23: 2.1.2 VulnerabilityVulnerability is
Page 27 and 28: disaster management in the country,
Page 29 and 30: Despite the apparent increased cons
Page 31 and 32: 2.3.1 Disaster Mitigation and Prepa
Page 33 and 34: save lives. This event marked a pri
Page 35 and 36: Systems technologies and education
Page 37 and 38: As suggested previously, there is a
Page 39 and 40: on the main agenda (Benson et al, 2
Page 41 and 42: Frame structureFramed structures ha
Page 43 and 44: The curriculum of the PSI workshops
Page 45 and 46: Figure 2.2a: Community based disast
Page 47 and 48: district irrespective of the fact t
Page 49 and 50: etrofitting, monitoring and homeown
Page 51 and 52: structures as an alarming forty-fiv
Page 53 and 54: Reponses for what features masons t
Page 55 and 56: trained masons in the Study Area A
Page 57 and 58: ecommended that a similar study be
Page 59 and 60: 3.1.2b Awareness and Dissemination
Page 61 and 62: It is interesting to note that when
Page 63 and 64: Community based disaster preparedne
Page 65 and 66: 3.1.3 - Section 3 Housing Impact As
Page 67 and 68: Load-bearing1.single steel rod in e
Page 69 and 70: The overall proportion of newly bui
Page 71 and 72: etween stirrups of 6-12 inches. Alt
Page 73 and 74: Table 3.7: Percentage of safe house
Page 75 and 76:
3.2 DiscussionThe discussion segmen
Page 77 and 78:
In Study Area A the number of earth
Page 79 and 80:
2) mitigation measures were taken i
Page 81 and 82:
3.3 ConclusionsIn conclusion, the s
Page 83 and 84:
ReferencesAlexander, D., 1997. The
Page 85 and 86:
Guptasarma, D. 1996. Is the Seismic
Page 87 and 88:
Telford, J. and Cosgrave, J., 2007.
Page 89 and 90:
Annex I - Earthquake safe featuresT
Page 91 and 92:
The Role of NGOs in Disaster Mitiga
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
Page 97 and 98:
Annex 2 - Mason Interview ResultsSt
Page 99 and 100:
11. How to make such a course more
Page 101 and 102:
sloped roof 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 1 2.78s
Page 103 and 104:
17. Do homeowners request earthquak
Page 105 and 106:
light roof 1 0 1 2.78 0 0.00RCC 1 3
Page 107 and 108:
6. How long have you lived in the v
Page 109 and 110:
16. Do you have an emergency commun
Page 111 and 112:
26. What activities related to the
Page 113 and 114:
36. Would you prefer traditional ma
Page 115 and 116:
Appendix IV - Breakdown of earthqua
Page 117:
Appendix IV - Breakdown of earthqua
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