Annex 4: Examples of Good Practices DRR in Natural Resource Management
Title of the Good practice/case
Societal transformation and enhancing disaster resilience
study
through education and training to disaster prone coastal
communities
Which key area/questions the
Area5, DRR in Natural Resource Management
example contributes to
Abstract
Introduction of disaster education in undergraduate
courses of the Community College and training of local
community through field based activities have helped
to enhance the resilience of disaster prone coastal
communities apart from the impact on societal
transformation. Nemmeli is an important coastal “hot
spot” on the north-eastern part of Kancheepuram
District, which has a cluster of about 10 coastal hamlets
with majority of fishing community. About 230
students have enrolled for 2011-12 and 2012-13
academic year courses and all them are first generation
learners from a family background with below poverty
line. As the area is prone to cyclone almost every
northeast monsoon the students and the local
community have realized about the importance of DRR.
An elective course on Disaster Management has been
introduced in their curriculum and also conducted
awareness campaigns through National Social Service
(NSS) programmes. Citizens’ alliance has also formed
with the support and guidance from SEEDS India to
mobilize and sensitize the local community in DRR,
which is taken up as an extension activity of the
College.
Context
Each village has a population of about 500 and all the ten
villages under Nemmeli Panchayat was facing the problem
of cyclone and flood every year apart from the impact of
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Five villages are located on the
edge of coast directly facing the sea and another five
villages away but surrounded by the backwater, which has
direct connection to the sea make the entire region prone to
hydro-meteorological disasters.
How the problem was addressed?
Trained the college students through an elective course on
Disaster Management, which includes both class room
teaching and field training in their villages. Under National
Social Service (NSS) programme and the collaboration with
SEEDS India and Kyoto University “A Citizens’ Alliance for
DRR” has been evolved in which village representatives are
trained on DRR.
As a host institute the University of Madras Arts and Science
College has played a key role in these initiatives with
technical support and guidance from SEEDS India and Kyoto
University.
Making the participation of local people was the greatest
challenge, which was achieved by inviting the students’
parents as members of our citizens’ alliance.
Local community has the capacity to prepare themselves to
a considerable extent in the event of disasters. It was also
witnessed that they have a change in their mindset to opt
for alternate livelihood and relocation from the place of
vulnerability in the event of getting alternate income
through the employment of their wards.
Providing higher education to the wards of disaster prone
coastal communities is found to be an timely task in order to
improve their literacy level and also for easy relocation due
to white scholar jobs in industries and organization. The
long term struggle by the local government especially the
relocation of vulnerable community mainly due to the close
proximity to the sea without any natural as well as
man-made protection structures has been achieved during
the last three years through the establishment of
community college and its extension activities in the
villages.
Results
More understanding on the importance of DRR including the
responsibilities of local community in the preparation and
implementation
of
village
panchayat
level
disaster
management plan.
The key elements of success includes the following:
1. Preparation of local level disaster management plan
and
implementation
mechanism
through
the
participation of local community,
2. Enhancing the level of their understanding on the
importance of higher education and related jobs in
industries and organizations, and
3. Knowledge
skills
in
entrepreneurship
and
the
utilization of local resources for income generation.
Measuring success
The success rate is being measured through a questionnaire
survey and the results will be published in due course.
HFA 1
Have the result contributed to HFA1 progress in the
country?
o This may the first initiative in the country to achieve in
DRR through higher education and the extension activities
of a community college
Did HFA1 play a role in enabling this initiative?
o The collaboration with SEEDS India and Kyoto University
since 2007 helped to carry out various field based
activities
including
higher
education
in
disaster
management, which is the root cause for the present
study.
Potential for replication
Sharing of this experience to similar institutions along
coastal India will be useful for replication. This may be
achieved by the networking of similar institutions and also
through publications.
Contact
Dr. R. R. Krishnamurthy
Principal, University of Madras Arts and Science College
rrkrishnamurthy@gmail.com
+919677045519
Mr. Sivamani
Village head, New Kalpakkam Kuppam
+919940543806