Global Forum for Disaster Reduction
Greetings from GFDR! Once again
October has seen a spate of activities
which have been centered on the
ongoing Gujarat Earthquake Recovery
Status Project. The research team from
GFDR and Anthropology department of
Delhi University has been busy with the
primary and secondary data analysis
and is now diligently working to finish
the report in time. Our progress made in
October on our ongoing commitments
has been highlighted in this update.
Once again I would like to thank you for
your support and invaluable inputs so
far. As always, do let us know what is
going on at your end so we can include
it in the next update.
Ongoing Endeavours
Gujarat Earthquake Recovery
Status Study: When it comes to the
issue of recovery, often the lessons
learnt and best practices have universal
appeal. There is much to learn here and
the documentation of these efforts and
their outcomes only builds the
knowledge necessary for mitigating
future disaster risks. The growing
knowledge bank on disaster risk
reduction has much to benefit from
research and documentation and it is
imperative that we turn disasters into
opportunities for learning and being
better informed. The recovery in Gujarat
has been relatively successful and
sustainable and therefore warrants
documentation. In the light of eight
years of recovery, the report being
brought out by GFDR aims to showcase
the various efforts made in the social,
economic and environmental domain
and attempts to examine this in view of
the international goals of the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005-15. In turn it
throws light on several key areas where
risk reduction has been successful and if
not then why.
The approach of Building back Better than
Before (BBB) has now gained weigh-tage
in the area of recovery. There has been a
paradigm shift in this respect. Recovery
is no longer being seen as effective if it
cannot mitigate the risks that existed
before the disaster. This means that the
recovery of a community needs to
reduce the risks that are present already
so that a safer and better environment
ensues. The agenda of Building back
Better than Before has been a significant
aspect of the Gujarat recovery study. In
order to gain insights into whether this
study has been sustainable, the recovery
has been viewed in the light of the BBB
approach
The study has been based on extensive
primary and secondary research. A
sample of about 500 Households and 50
institutions from both urban and rural
areas has been taken for the purpose of
primary research.
on the handicrafts industry, and
Cooperatives in Gujarat. The case
studies also intend to cull out the best
practices and lessons learnt in these
specific sectors. The research team has
also been simultaneously working on
these studies. The main aim of these
added studies is to gain a focused
understanding of the different sectors
and their respective recoveries.
Collapsed buildings of Bhuj as a
reminder to the earthquake
The research team from Delhi
University and GFDR is working
meticulously towards the completion of
the Gujarat Recovery Status Report. The
material collected through the various
Visits to Bhuj have provided some good
insights into the recovery of Gujarat.
This
primary
data
has
been
substantiating the secondary research
and has aided in documenting several
good practices and lessons learnt during
these eight years of recovery. The report
is in its final stages and will be ready for
submission by the end of the month.
Based on this study the Asian disaster
Reduction Centre will be holding an
international conference in the month of
January. The report submitted by GFDR
will be published and disseminated
following this conference.
There are also six case studies under the
purview of this study. These are key
recovery issues pertaining to sectors ofGender, Public Health, Collaborative
Governance, Livelihoods-with a focus
NGO Khamir- capacity-building of
artisans
KHAMIR began a joint initiative of
National Foundation for Development
and the Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan
towards setting up an education,
training,
demonstration
and
interpretation facility in the areas of
Craft,
Environment,
Heritage
Conservation and Education for Kutch.
This initiative was started with the
objective of long term sustainable
development of Kutch after the
devastating earthquake. The word
Khamir in the local language means
intrinsic pride. The main objective of
Khamir is to revitalize the crafts of
Kutch, in an attempt to ensure that the
practice of traditional skills would result
in sustainable incomes for the artisans of
the area. The NGO participated in the
key informant interviews and the
Focused Group Discussions held as part
of the primary data research for the case
study on the Livelihoods Sector.
Film on Gujarat Earthquake
Recovery: Documenting the Gujarat
Recovery Status Study through visual
media is another aspect of this initiative.
The length of the film shall be 8
minutes. It will be shot in a couple of the
worst affected villages in and around
Bhuj. Some of the best practices like 1)
Recognizing the community’s needs, 2)
Prioritizing needs as per available
resources, and 3) Translating needs into
appropriate action jointly with the
community, will be documented. The
Role of the Government, civil society,
NGOs, community networks etc. would
also be discussed. Ms Archana Kapoor,
National award-winning documentary
maker, will be working with us on this
project.
New Initiatives
‘Linking
Relief
and
Rehabilitation
to
Development’
Workshop:
Disasters have been occurring in the
country with higher frequency and
greater magnitude. Interventions in
these situations call for greater
organizational capacity and joint
operations. Disasters such as the Super
cyclone in Orissa, Gujarat Earthquake,
Killer Tsunami and recurring floods
involve massive investments for both
relief and rehabilitation activities.
An immediate need has been realized to
respond not just in terms of relief and
rehabilitation but also to initiate longterm development programmes in the
aftermath of a disaster. If the
development agenda is not linked with
the relief and rehabilitation measures
then the recovery of a disaster affected
area will be hindered and may even
lead to ineffective outcomes. Measures
to close the gap between relief and
development are slowly moving from
vague concepts towards implementation
among
many
humanitarian
and
development
organizations.
Relief
activities are being restructured to not
only address immediate needs that arise
as a result of natural or manmade
disasters, but also to contribute to
sustainable development and peacebuilding activities.
Over the past decade or so, such
practices have been referred to in a
variety of ways, from “humanitarian
response” activities, to Linking Relief,
and Rehabilitation to development
(LRRD). LRRD is being now seen as one
of the key strategies to enable
vulnerable communities to be resilient
to the recurring disasters and be able to
minimize their impact.
In view of this, a workshop was
conducted on the issue of Kosi Floods:
Key Lessons learnt- community based
risk management and livelihoods
enhancement, in Patna on the 29-30
October 2009. The workshop was a joint
endeavour of Jan Vikas Samiti, Holistic
Child Development India, Caritas India,
GPSCDMRD, Kinder not Hilfe, and
Sewa Kendra. Mr. Anil K Sinha, CoChairman Global Forum for Disaster
Reduction,
participated
in
the
conference and also presented the
Valedictory remarks.
LRRD workshop Panelists Bihar
The main objective of the workshop was
to throw light on the issue of Linking
Relief
and
Rehabilitation
to
Development (LRRD) in the context of
Bihar. Mr. AK Sinha chaired the
Sessions on 1) River Kosi- how people
cope with its impact and role of NGOs
on reducing vulnerability, 2) Flood
Disasters and sustainable development
and 3) LRRD: An Approach to Disaster
Management. The discussions also
brought out some key issues pertaining
to the topic of Climate Change and
livelihoods adaptation patterns in Bihar.
Rafi Ahmad, University of West Indies,
Jamaica in New Delhi on 17 October
2009. Prof. Ahmad is a geologist and
also heads the Center for Disaster
management at the University. He is
also a fellow of Mona Geo-Informatics
Institute at Kingston, Jamaica. Prof
Ahmad has been conducted many
online Programmes and short-term
courses in disaster management through
his work at the Centre. He expressed his
keen interest in working with GFDR in
this respect.
He suggested starting
similar programmes in India as well and
wished to associate with GFDR for such
initiatives.
Global Forum for Disaster Reduction
1 Akbar Villa, Near Old SBI
Marol Maroshi Road, Andheri (E)
Mumbai 400 059 India
Tel +91 22 2925 3086
Fax + 91 22 2925 5279
Website www.gfdr.org
For further details contact: Ms Jennifer Kishan,
Program Manager- Knowledge Management GFDR
Tel +91 9971209663 Email: jennykishan@gmail.com
Mr. AK Sinha at the LRRD Workshop
Short brief on Meeting with Prof. Rafi
Ahmad, University of West Indies,
Jamaica
Mr. Anuj Tiwari, Head (Projects) GFDR,
had the opportunity to meet with Mr.