An-R&R 25 9 04 · 2019-02-09 · on riverine floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh needs greater...

southasiadisasters.net January 20192

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

Since disaster risks donot adhere to national

boundaries, it isimperative to fosterregional cooperationamong nations that areexposed to commonthreats and hazards. Trans-Boundary Early WarningSystems (TB-EWS) are asignificant step to fosterthis regional cooperationon disaster risk reduction(DRR). This is especiallyimportant for a regionlike Asia-Pacific where themajority of disasters havebeen cross-border innature. Similarly in SouthAsia, regional cooperationon riverine floods in India,Nepal and Bangladeshneeds greater attention.

This issue ofSouthasiadisasters.net istitled, 'Trans-BoundaryEarly Warning Systems inAsia' and focuses on theimportant theme ofregional cooperation forDRR in Asia. Communitybased TB-EWS for floodrisk have been givenspecial importance in thisissue because of theirsignificance in South Asia.Such systems enable localcommunities to utiliselocal resources andcapacities to prepare andrespond to and enhancetheir resilience to floodingrisk. Some of the otherrelevant themes exploredin this issue includelivelihood recovery,economic cost of climatechange and protectingchildren in emergencies.

– Kshitij Gupta

INTRODUCTION

The Context of Trans-BoundaryEarly Warning SystemTrans-Boundary Early Warning

Systems (TB-EWS) are set in acontext. And the context – geo, political,economic, social, and ecological –makes a major difference in terms ofthe design and performance of suchsystems.

The All India Disaster MitigationInstitute (AIDMI) has been working onTB-EWS for over seven years all acrossIndia and South Asia. The followingactions on TB-EWS have been drawnfrom AIDMI's work as well as debates atthe recently concluded Asian MinisterialConference on Disaster Risk Reduction(AMCDRR) 2018 held in Ulaanbaatar,Mongolia.• It has been found that wherever TB-

EWS is set up in a just and realityoriented context, the performance ofTB-EWS is better in terms of savinglives and reducing damage.

• It has been observed that TB-EWS mustreach both, men and women. However,the performance of such systems insaving lives is more effectivewherever women, children and othermarginalised communities have beenempowered to respond to EWS.

• In any TB-EWS the communities andthe river, both, are important. Oftenof EWS focus is on communities.Rightly so. But rivers need attention.Embanking, Cleaning Bank Plantation.And more. Whenever TB-EWS hasfocus on both, the community andriver ecology the performance ismore robust and lasting.

What makes TB-EWS work? The TB-EWSworks well when it is communitydriven, where the community has asubstantial and sustaining share in thedecision making process for resourceallocation. For instance, communitybased flood early warning system(CBFEWS) is an integrated system oftools and plans managed by and forcommunities, providing real-time floodwarnings to reduce flood risks. CBFEWS

is based on people-centered, timely,simple and low-cost technology. Itdisseminates information to thevulnerable communities downstreamthrough a network of communities andgovernment bodies. A properlydesigned and implemented system cansave lives and reduce property loss byincreasing the lead time to prepare andrespond to flood on ground level.

It is also been found that TB-EWS worksbetter whenever partnerships among awide range of organisations across diversesectors are struck. Inclusive and open TB-EWS solutions tend to work better.

TB-EWS would also work better in anenvironment of increased regionalcooperation. The regional cooperationacross the countries of the region,primarily India, Nepal and Bangladesh,on riverine floods across South Asia isa major concern that merits immediateattention. Often the destruction onaccount of the floods happens due toinability to obtain timely informationfrom the various institutions that aredesigned to generate, analyse, disseminateand communicate the information to arange of stakeholders at different levelson a trans-boundary basis.

TB-EWS are now set to grow from pilotphase to a more mainstream stageaddressing humanitarian needs anddemands. It is now up to the leadershipof the communities and countries ofSouth Asia to facilitate the spread of TB-EWS by allocating better human andfinancial resources for its growth. Thus,the context of TB-EWS is as importantas the TB-EWS itself.

– Mihir R. BhattReferences:1. Flood Resilience Portal, Regional

collaboration for better flood earlywarning and resilience in India

2. ICIMOD: Community Based EarlyWarning Systems

3. United Nations ESCAP: Initiatives onMulti Hazard Early Warning Initiatives

southasiadisasters.netJanuary 2019 3

REGIONAL COOPERATION

ADPC's Role in Trans-Boundary EarlyWarning Systems and Risk Management inthe Asia-Pacific RegionThe Asian Disaster Preparedness

Center (ADPC) is an inter-governmental organisation andworks with the vision of disaster riskreduction (DRR) and climateresilience (CR) for building safercommunities and sustainabledevelopment in the Asia-Pacificregion. ADPC being a leadingregional technical resource centertakes up focused approach tostrengthen capacities of the countriesof the Asia-Pacific region to strengthentheir multi-hazard early warningsystems (EWS) in various layers.

In the recent years, we haveobserved that various trans-boundary hazards including tropicalcyclones across the borders, floodsin the cross-border basins, trans-ocean tsunami and others havestarted to grow which often requires

trans-boundary actions. ADPC beinga regional organisation is workingwith many trans-boundary partnersfor enhancing the capacity of trans-boundary early warning, riskmanagement and tools developmentand so forth. In these endeavors,ADPC plays various key roles inkeeping the agenda on the forefrontof actions and planning wherecollaborations, sharing, exchange andcoordination are critical for success.

ADPC in collaboration with variouspartners is working on variousprojects and programmes where theissue of trans-boundary earlywarning system was addressed fromvarious fronts. ADPC has workedsignificantly for multi-hazard andmulti-country efforts including: a)coastal hazards early warningsystems across the Asia-Pacific

(under UNESCAP's Trust Fund forTsunami, Disaster and Climate); b)building trans-boundary flood earlywarnings in Mekong (under MRCsupported efforts); c) trans-boundaryearly warning systems and resiliencein India-Nepal (under GlobalResilience Partnership); d) droughtmonitoring and virtual rain-gaugetools development for Mekongregion (under SERVIR Mekong); e)establishment of regional multi-hazard early warning systems(RIMES) for the Asia and Africa; f)supporting the establishment of theIndia Ocean Tsunami Early WarningSystems (IOTWS) and many otherendeavors of trans-boundary nature.

ADPC is also supporting the RegionalConsultative Committee on DisasterManagement (RCC) which includes 26countries of the Asia-Pacific region.


This is a unique forum that bringsthe member countries together forsharing and planning of theimplementation of disaster riskreduction and climate resilience relatedinitiatives to support national,regional and international goals.

In the Asia-Pacific region, ADPC isplaying (also will play potentiallyin future) several proactive roles inthe areas of trans-boundary earlywarning systems that includes thefollowing (but not limited to):

Strengthening National to RegionalMulti-Hazard EWS. Through anumber of projects, ADPC in bothSouth Asia and in Southeast Asiancountries is supporting thestrengthening efforts of NationalMeteorological and HydrologicalServices (NMHSs) includingstrengthening hazard detectionsystems, forecasting capacity,improved visualisation and so forth.Also, the National DisasterManagement Organisations (NDMOs)are supported on the EWS last-milecommunication and warningresponse sub-systems which arecritical part of the overall applicationand success of the EWS in the region.

Implementation of end-to-end EWSfor trans-boundary hazards. ADPCin past couple of decades hasimplemented number of EWS relatedprojects focusing on several trans-boundary hazards such as tropicalcyclone, trans-boundary riverinefloods, tsunami, El Nino forums andso forth. For floods these includedthe Ganges-Brahmaputra river basin,Chao Praya delta, Mekong basin andso forth. For tropical cyclonesseveral WMO tropical cyclone zonesare covered including the areasunder Panel of Tropical Cyclone andTyphoon Committee.

Hands–on Training and capacitybuilding on EWS and Forecasting/prediction systems. One of the regulartrends of supporting the countries inthe region from ADPC is to conduct

timely and needs based training andcapacity building on EWS.

Forging regional-nationalpartnerships, networking andexchange. One of the key roles thatADPC has played in the past decadesis forging partnerships and networkswhere countries can start multi-country, multi-stakeholder and multi-thematic dialogue which can benefitthe trans-boundary risk managementincluding the trans-boundary EWS. Inthis respect, ADPC has worked withWMO, working with regional partnerssuch as AHA center, MRCS and worksas catalysing role for AsianPreparedness Partnership (APP) andRCC.

Research, development andinnovation newer tools andtechniques. As a regional resource

center, ADPC has also supported themember states in innovating newertools and techniques required forTB-EWS and risk management. Inthis respect, various ongoing andcompleted projects of ADPC hashelped the member states to develop,test, apply and mainstream newerapproaches and tools required forstrengthening the trans-boundaryEWS and risk management in theregion. In these endeavors ADPC hasworked with various partners andtried to integrate science-basedinnovations and tests the adequatesystems and application interfacesfor the tools and protocols that areeffective for trans-boundary hazardsincluding floods, tropical cyclone,tsunami and others. – Hans Guttman, Executive Director,

and Atiq Kainan Ahmed, SeniorProgram Manager, ADPC, Thailand

CAPACITY BUILDING AND SOP

Trans-Boundary Citizen Forum for FloodEarly Warning

Large number of communitiesacross India and Nepal borders

get pushed into poverty due to lackof early warning of upcoming floods.

Three out of ten deaths due to trans-boundary floods are caused by lateearly warning.

On December 6, 2018 communitiesfrom Nepal and India met atJainagar in Madhubani, Bihar, India,to find a way to share earlywarning across the boundary andreduce loss of life and livelihoods.

Ghoghardiha Prakhand SwarajyaVikas Sangh (GPSVS) in India andAasaman in Nepal jointly hosted themeeting.

The meeting focused on the need tobuild local capacity to share andreceive Trans-Boundary EarlyWarning System (TB-EWS).

What is central to such TB-EWSCapacity Building is StandardOperating Procedure (SOP) that ismulti-stakeholder and ‘’doable’’.

– Mihir R. Bhatt


COMMUNITY BASED TB-EWS

Transcending Boundaries to Build Resilience:

Introduction: Communityresilience is often regarded as a

form of capacity that is situated atcommunity level but can bestrengthened either by communitypeople themselves or by the effortsof internal-external stakeholderstogether. Effective and well-designed people-centric earlywarning system (EWS) is oneelement to it which can help absorbthe disaster shocks in an ex-antimanner. EWS is proven to be criticalpillar of overall disaster riskreduction (DRR) with its keycomponent: risk knowledge;monitoring-observation andwarning formulation;dissemination-communication,response capacity; and governance ofthese four key components in anend-to-end manner. Thesecomponents are also applied for anyTrans-Boundary Early WarningSystems (TB-EWS) as well.

In the context of South Asian hazardprofile, the trans-boundary hazardsare on the rise. Disasters and impactsof these predominant trans-boundary hazards (i.e. riverinefloods, cyclones, tsunamis) are local,country-context-specific but these aresourced and extended in a trans-boundary context. These are trans-boundary in nature. In recent years,great deal of such trans-boundary

hazards are on the rise. Thesedemanded a great need forestablishing effective TB-EWS acrossthe boundaries of countries, rivers,basins and coasts of South Asia.

While efforts of strengthening TB-EWS are relatively growing in pastfew years harnessing the lessonsfrom these are important for us tomove ahead. The gradualconnectivity between the TB-EWSand resilience building initiativesare growing and some good lessons

have emerged from these in the pastfew year's time. In this short article,we would like to discuss two suchpromising efforts below -- amongmany - which can shed some lighton these new trends of learnings andknowledge sharing from the region.

Endeavor # 1: TB-EWS efforts in theKoshi River and Narayani-GandakRiver Basin through "community tocommunity communications".

In Nepal-India border, two riverbasins – the Koshi river basin (KRB)and the Narayani-Gandak riverbasin – are historically affected bytrans-boundary floods whereLutheran World Relief (LWR) andAsian Disaster Preparedness Center(ADPC) with partners havedeveloped a unique case of trans-boundary EWS and trans-boundary

Emerging Lessons from Trans-Boundary Early Warning Systemsand Community Preparedness Practices in the Asian Countries

While efforts of strengthening TB-EWS are relativelygrowing in past few years harnessing the lessons from theseare important for us to move ahead. The gradualconnectivity between the TB-EWS and resilience buildinginitiatives are growing and some good lessons have emergedfrom these in the past few year's time.


resilience build. These two riverbasins are often termed as "Sorrowof Bihar" and reflect a toughmemory from the past. Colossaldamages reported due to recurrentfloods in these river basins callingfor systematic and people-centricdevelopment of TB-EWS involvingNepal and India. With a few yearsof effort, focused efforts were putinto development of TB-EWSconnecting the Nepal Government(Department of Hydrology andMeteorology) upstream and thedownstream local governments andcommunities downstream in borderside and Bihar side. The effortpioneered the "Trans-BoundaryCitizen Forum (TBCF)" whichcomprised of local citizens fromboth sides of the river-basin andbringing them together to solve theproblem. This effort showed thatTBCF members played an effectiverole in communicating the flood EWinformation among the communitiesand alerted the at risk communitiesahead of time. The governmentformal early warning informationreceived was not sufficient for thembut the citizens through their"community to communitycommunications" have played aneffective and functional role of TB-EWS. This effort also showed thatbuilding resilience for at riskcommunities through systematiccommunity based disaster riskreduction (CBDRR) and engagingthem into TB-EWS can result a highlevel participation and vigilancebeyond the boundaries.

Endeavor # 2: Coastal hazard earlywarning and coastal communityresilience framework in the IndianOcean countries.

Another unique endeavor which hasmade a systematic effort to connecttrans-boundary coastal hazard EWSand community resilience buildingis under "Coastal CommunityResilience (CCR)" initiative. This

initiative was initially developedunder Indian Ocean TsunamiWarning Systems (IOTWS) and laterwidely adopted by manygovernments and civil societystakeholders in the region. CCRefforts have shown that EWS fortrans-boundary coastal hazards suchas Tsunamis, tropical cyclone andothers should be developed in aninter-governmental interface butshould be linked to the solid base ofcommunity resilienceprogramming. These should be donejointly with the 'communities atrisk' and 'sectors at risk' as well.EWS needs linkages with both'short-term' and 'long-term' effortssuch as disaster response andrecovery on one side and sectoraldevelopments (relating to coastalmanagement) on the other. CCRframework and efforts demonstratedthat resilience building should beplanned, implemented and sustained

with the communities and sectors atrisk. CCR efforts provided aframework to connect communitiesand EWS in a systematic manner. Itshowed resilience and TB-EWS arelinked together when the knowledgeand governance happen together.

Conclusions: These two endeavorsare given as examples of how theTB-EWS and community resiliencecan be linked together. Success ofone depends on another. Manyefforts are underway in the regionto find the meaningful ways toconnect these two areas. In thisgrowing practices there has been a'healthy momentum' observed.From practitioner's perspective,these new growing knowledge andlessons on trans-boundary EWS andresilience building need widersharing. How these two areas can beconnected, what can be done toimprove-sustain, what policyadvocacies are essential, whattechnical areas to follow up andmany factors. This is indeed an areato move ahead through collectivesharing, exchange and programming- an agenda to focus together andtranscend beyond one's regularknowledge boundaries.

– Atiq Kainan Ahmed, SeniorProgram Manager, Asian Disaster

Preparedness Center, Thailand

From practitioner'sperspective, these newgrowing knowledge andlessons on trans-boundaryEWS and resiliencebuilding need widersharing.


PERSPECTIVES

Trans-Boundary Early Warning System:Emerging Perspectives at 4th WorldCongress on Disaster Management

The 4th edition of the WorldDisaster Management Congress

(WDMC) was organized by theGovernment of Maharashtra (GoM)in association with DisasterManagement Initiatives andConvergence Society (DMICS),Hyderabad, the Tata Institute ofSocial Sciences (TISS) and the IndianInstitute of Technology (IIT)Bombay in Mumbai from 29th

January to 1st February 2019. Thisevent was attended by a wide rangeof individuals and organizationshailing from over 50 countries.

The overarching theme of WDMC2019 was The Future We Want:Bridging Gaps between Promisesand Action and the Seven Pillars forBuilding Resilience to Disasters, asoutlined in the VisakhapatnamDeclaration and Plan of Actionadopted at the WCDM 2017.

Over 500 papers covering twelvethemes related to disastermanagement were presented at thisevent. The content and relateddebates and discussions were steeredby Dr. Janki Andharia; Dr. RaviSinha; and Dr. Prabodh DharChakrabarti.

The conference per se did not discussthe Trans-Boundary Early WarningSystems (TB-EWS) but this importanttheme did come up in severalsessions including the plenary fordebate and discussion. Some of theimportant information andknowledge shared by theparticipants of WDMC 2019 on thetheme of TB-EWS is distilled below:

In a session on 'StrengtheningGovernance' Animesh Kumar fromUNISDR remarked upon thesignificance of TB-EWS in the Asia-Pacific region. According to him, itis important to stay focused on thepoor who suffer major loss anddamage when TB-EWS is notavailable in the Asia Pacific region.

Simon Croxton, South Africa,drawing from work in Africa andSouth Asia underlined the need forsuch TB-EWS that covers the risksfaced by ecology, agriculture, andlivelihoods.

In his opening remarks, the Hon.Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr.Devendra Fadnavis emphasized theimportance of Early WarningSystems. He mentioned the

importance of having concerted EWSplans and also measures to monitorthe performance of these plans interms of both capacities andcapabilities.

Bottom-up monitoring is also animportant tool to track the resultsof TB-EWS.

According to Dr. Muzzafar Ahmed,former member, NDMA of India,there is a need to bring aboutcohesion in the fragmented TB-EWSin India. In a session on Health andEducation, Dr. Ahmed opined thatEWS for a range of sectors and life-lines remains scattered in India.Thus, it is important to pick up thesedisparate pieces and glue themtogether to form a bigger and betterpicture of EWS in the country.

Loss and damage without EWS canbe ended, and there are efforts inthis directions made in South Asia,but they are uneven. The hotspotsof disaster impacts due to the lackof robust TB-EWS are well known.It is time to take concrete action toreduce the nature and extent of lossat these hotspots.


There is no regional profile of TB-EWS in South Asia. What is needed,is a South Asia Disaster Report(SADR) that reviews the past tenyears' efforts on TB-EWS in SouthAsia. This overarching report couldfocus on the impact of trans-boundary disasters on crops,irrigation, soil erosion, landslidesacross South Asia as some examples.

Cost of lack of TB-EWS is yet to bequantified in human suffering andalso economic losses. Hans Guttman,ADPC, chaired the session onInclusive Disaster Managementwhere the economic cost of nothaving EWS on the citizens was

pointed out as a major gap in theAsia Pacific region.

Another gap identified was thelower standards of TB-EWS deliveryin South Asia. There is a need toimprove these standards in regionby incorporating better technologyand managerial capabilities.

We need to know far more aboutthose who are inside the householdsthat suffer loss and damage due tolack of TB-EWS. This includeswomen, children, and disabled.Professor Tso-Chien Pan, Singapore,drew the Asia Pacific picture ofcatastrophic losses and their impacton infrastructure investment. TB-

EWS can reduce losses suffered byvital infrastructure in Asia Pacific.

In an insightful presentation, Dr.Loyzaga from the Phillipinesprovided the meteorological contextfor such TB-EWS.

In reflecting on the goals and targetsof TB-EWS in the larger Asia-Pacificregion, two distinct ideas emerge.One, to reduce the loss and damagefrom disasters due to lack of TB-EWSto half of its current level by 2020.Two, promote shared EWS byboosting the information flow andoutreach of warning to the bottom40 percent of the affected populationacross the boundary in both sides.

– AIDMI Team

LOCAL LEVEL TB-EWS

Roles of Local Authority in Trans-BoundaryEarly Flood Warning System: A View

Trans Boundary Early WarningSystems (TB-EWS) represent a

new and significant trend in DRR inthe region of South Asia. Thisparticular region is ravaged byintense annual flooding from riversthat flow across different countries.This is why a robust system of TB-EWS based on regional cooperationis essential in the region. In the endthe most important actor in TransBoundary Early Flood WarningSystem (TB EFWS) is the localauthority or government: may it bea gram panchayat or a nagarpanchayat or district authoritylocated on the national border.

Drawing from the view of ongoingTB EFWS work of Christian Aid(CA); Practical Action (PA); Oxfam;Asian Disaster Preparedness Center(ADPC); Lutheran World Relief(LWR); and International Centre forIntegrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD) the following five action

areas are recommended to accelerateand widespread TB-EWS in SouthAsia. The following four action areasare recommended for towns andvillages to be prepared for floodsfrom across the borders.1. Understand local needs to target

resources effectively, fosterparticipation, and increaseaccountability of EFWS.

2. Have a leadership role indeveloping and implementinglocal strategies to implement TBEFWS.

3. Drive national developmentfrom the bottom up by buildingEFWS in cities and villages.

4. Bring together key stakeholdersand provide a platform toengage them.

5. Act locally to address TransBoundary challenges andmanage the impact of TransBoundary phenomena at locallevel (climate change mitigationand adaptation, EFWS).

Civil society and economiccooperation organisations areneeded to contribute in thelocalization of TB EFWS Agendas,implementing local agencies in citiesand villages to reach local and TransBoundary goals. Context specificinterventions that are rooted in theregion's plural cultures are essentialto this localization agenda as well.Local democracy and localleadership are vital tools to driveforward local agendas in a way thatis rooted in the cultural, climatic,economic, political environmental,and economic realities of cities andvillages.

The following are some ways inwhich local governments andleaders can increase their stake androle in TB-EWS.

1. Policy ShapingThe first intervention that canimprove the participation of


NEW IDEAS

New Ideas for Trans-BoundaryEarly Warning System in Asia

local leadership andcommunities in TB-EWS isthrough policies andconsultations. In South Asia, ithas often been observed thatmany laws and policies do notreflect the grassroots reality. Inorder to include theperspectives of local leaders andcommunities in the TB-EWS itis important to include theirperspectives in the planning andpolicy setting perspectives.Thus, adopting an approach thatintegrates TB EFWS throughpolicy consultation,development of communicationtools and strategies for and withlocal governments and theirassociations, and contribute toTrans Boundary cooperation isa first step towards inclusion.

2. Awareness CampaignTB-EWFS is a relatively newconcept which needs to beproperly explained to the localcommunities, governments andleadership before they canreadily embrace this practice. Inorder to do so, massiveawareness building campaignsthat reach out to localgovernments and leadershipabout the benefits of the TB-EWFS should be undertaken.Communicate and reach out towider local governments andtheir stakeholders on theimportance of TB EFWS.

3. Capacity and Capability BuildingAwareness generationcampaign should be followedby capacity and capabilitybuilding campaigns. Onceenough goodwill about thebenefits of TB-EWFS isgenerated, the localgovernments and leadershipshould be trained in the varioustechnology and tools of TB-EWFS. Thus, enabling localauthorities, governments to use

TB EFWS tools and learn frombest practices is the ideal wayforward. May it be tools or skillsor pedagogy.

4. Establishing Linkages andNetworksThe idea of TB-EWS is rooted incooperation and informationsharing. This cooperationshould permeate from theregional to the local levelthrough the establishment oflinkages and networks. Thus,there is a need to promoteexchange through village-to-village and city-to-city TransBoundary cooperation. This can

be accomplished through theexchange of data or technicalstaff or action plans.

Trans Boundary Early warningsystems (TB-EWS) empowersindividuals and communitiesthreatened by hazards to act insufficient time and in an appropriatemanner so as to reduce thepossibility of injury, loss of life, anddamage to property andenvironment across borders. Byadopting the above mentionedpractices, the role of local authoritiesand governments can besignificantly increased in TB-EWS inthe region of South Asia.

– AIDMI

The Asia-Pacific region is themost disaster prone region in

the world. As lives and livelihoodsin this region face newer hazardsand risks, it is time to test newerand alternate ideas in the field ofTrans Boundary Early WarningSystem (TB-EWS). For instance, itis time to apply the concept ofjustice to all the TB-EWSprogramming and goal setting inAsia. Similarly, evolving a newand context driven vocabulary ofrisk and resilience that helps at-riskcommunities in Asia to betterunderstand and manage their riskprofile is also a necessity. Turningto design led interventions thatutilize art for EWS purposes couldalso work well in Asia.

The loss and damage suffered byartisans in the wake of disaster alsoneeds to be added in the loss anddamage estimates when TB-EWSfails. Newer components likedisaster risk in ecological hotspots

and lower river basins in Asia needmore attention within the broadtheme of ecosystem based TB-EWS.In this respect, greatercollaboration and cooperationbetween regional networks likeSAARC and ASEAN can lead to thedesired change.

A reorientation of academiathrough training, education toevolve timely TB-EWS solutions isalso required in the region. Forinstance, the application offinancial technology in recoverycan be a game-changer. Similarly,piloting business led solutions toaddress disaster risks like a'recovery wage' for women andchild disaster victims in Asia canalso assuage the suffering of theAsia's disaster victims. The AsianInfrastructure and Investment Bankcan take a lead in localizing andprioritizing Asia's TB-EWSneeds.

– Kshitij Gupta


TB-EWS IN INDIA AND NEPAL

The Success of Community–Based Trans-Boundary Flood Early Warning Systems

Many rivers and tributariesflowing from the mountains

and hills of Nepal enter the plainsof India forming flat, flood-prone,and partially waterlogged areas.Light to heavy rainfall in the SiwalikHills of Nepal can cause flash floodsand huge losses of lives andlivelihoods downstream. Thoughearly warning systems have beendeveloped at the global, regional,and national levels to provide floodinformation, there are gaps –identified by the Hyogo Protocoland the United Nations ForumConvention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) Special Report onExtreme Events and Disasters (SREX2012) – in getting this informationto communities that are mostvulnerable. To address this

challenge, the International Centrefor Integrated MountainDevelopment (ICIMOD) piloted acommunity-based flood earlywarning system (CBFEWS), anintegrated system of tools and plansin which upstream communities,upon detecting flood risk,disseminate the information tovulnerable downstreamcommunities. This has proved to bean effective preparedness responsemechanism that saves lives andlivelihoods. In 2014, the Momentumfor Change Lighthouse ActivityAward honoured ICIMOD andSustainable Eco Engineering (SEE) -the Kathmandu-based manufacturerof CBFEWS - for their innovative useof information and communicationstechnology.

Why a Community-Based Flood EarlyWarning System?The objective of a community-basedflood early warning system is toenable local communities to utiliselocal resources and capacities toprepare and respond to and enhancetheir resilience to flooding risk. Thissystem is installed in rivertributaries with high flood risk.Upstream communities generateflood information using a simplelow-cost instrument and disseminatereal-time early warning todownstream communities,providing them sufficient lead timefor preparedness. The systemconsists of a transmitter unit, whichis placed on the river bank (at apoint to which the water level riseswhen a river floods) and a receiver


unit, which is placed in ahouse in the nearest village.The house owner, who isthe CBFEWS caretaker, willmonitor the unit anddisseminate informationreceived from theinstrument to downstreamcommunities, localgovernment line agencies,and other relevantstakeholders throughmobile phone/SMS.

CBFEWS in the Ratu RiverRatu is a trans-boundaryriver that originates in theSiwalik Hills and flows tothe northern extension ofthe Indo-Gangetic Plain. Thetrans-boundary nature ofthe river, shared by Indiaand Nepal, provides anopportunity for cooperationbetween the two countriesat the local level to informvulnerable communities about floodrisk and help them prepare forupcoming danger. A CBFEWS withtelemetry is installed at Lalgarh inBardibas, Mahottari District, Nepaland in Bhittamore, Sitamarhi Districtin Bihar, India, and jointlyimplemented by the localcommunities, partner organisations,and the respective government lineagencies, with support fromICIMOD.

The telemetry–based early warningsystem provides early floodinformation to 6,685 householdswith a population of 35,804 in fourvillages in Mahottari District, Nepaland 12,500 households with apopulation of 59,600 in six villagesin Sitamarhi District, India.

Cross Border Local Level InformationFlowOn 31 July 2017, a stakeholders'consultation was conducted inBardibas and Sarpallo, Nepal.

The consultation included adiscussion on CBFEWS and itssignificance to downstreamvulnerable communities. The levelof commitment from localrepresentatives of vulnerablecommunities, the caretaker from theupstream community, andrepresentatives from districtgovernment offices and otherorganisations working in Ratu tosupport the implementation andsustainability of the system wasencouraging.

The cross–border upstream-downstream interaction of the RatuRiver in Sarpallo, Nepal andBhittamore, India provided anopportunity for the caretakers in thetwo countries as well asrepresentatives from localcommunities and partnerorganisations to exchangeknowledge and information. Thescoping and risk assessment,installation of the instrument, andmock drills for preparedness were

jointly conducted toenhance the resilience ofvulnerable populations.Community members andcaretakers in Bardibas andSarpallo promised tosupport downstreamvulnerable communities inSitamarhi by sharinginformation, which willgive them time to move tosafer, higher ground withtheir belongings andlivestock.

One of the womenparticipants fromBhittamore, Patna, India,said, "We have familyrelations across the borderin Nepal and we areexcited to share knowledgeand information whichbenefits bothcommunities."

This bond was further strengthenedwhen the caretakers, representativesfrom local government line agencies,and vulnerable communitiesgathered at ICIMOD for a regionalhands-on training on community-based flood early warning systemsfrom 11-15 September 2017. Duringthe training, participants fromAfghanistan, India, Nepal, andPakistan shared their experiencesand built contacts andcommunication channels that arevital to the dissemination of earlywarning, while they gained hands-on experience in instrumentinstallation and maintenance.

Sustainability Matters!The sustainability of community-based flood early warning systemsdepends on community ownershipand continued financial andtechnical support for the operationof the system. Taking this intoconsideration, ICIMOD has involvedlocal government line agencies, localinstitutions, and community

Figure: Ratu River in Nepal and India


members in the conceptualisation,risk assessment, scoping, andinstallation of CBFEWS and theirregular monitoring. A network ofkey informants has been establishedto share and disseminate earlywarning to relevant stakeholders.The long-term goal is to integratethis system with the annual districtdisaster management plans to ensuresustainability and ownership at thelocal level.

Does it work? – Evidence from the fieldOn 12 Aug 2017, floodwaters fromthe Ratu River reached Shrikhandivillage in the Sitamarhi district ofBihar, India. The people residing inthis Indo-Nepal border district wereprepared. The early warning systemthat was set up by ICIMOD-Yuganter-SEE in the Ratu River nearShrikhandi–Bhitta is different fromthe early warning system operatedby the government.

Unlike previous years, when theflood waters gushed into theirhomes, this time the people had

moved their cattle and othervaluables to safe places. The womenand children were prepared to moveto safer places. The localadministration of the Sursand blockand Sitamarhi district had beenwarned about the impending floods.Thanks to the community-basedflood early warning system, theyhad seven to eight hours of lead timeto prepare for the coming flood. Thiswas made possible because localcommunities and government lineagencies were involved - fromconceptualisation to implementation- in this initiative. In many ways,technology was given a 'humanface'.

Ranjeet Kumar Jha, CBFEWScaretaker at Shrikahandi village, hadbeen keeping constant watch on thereceiver that was telemetricallylinked to the tower at the nearbyRatu River bank. He had been inconstant contact with RajkumarMahato and Mahendra Karki, thecaretakers of the systems at Sarpalloand Badribas in Ratu River, Nepal.

CASE STUDY

Reaching the Most Vulnerable RiverineCommunities in Mahakali Basin: Community-based Flood Early Warning SystemsIntroduction

Mahakali a Himalayan catchmentof Ghagra sub basin of the largeGanga Basin, originates from theTrans Himalayan region of Kalapani(>3600 m) and ultimately drainsthrough the Terai plains of UttarPradesh. Numerous rivers andstreams join the Mahakali from thehigher, middle, lower and outerHimalayas.

Out of its total length of about 350km, Mahakali flows about 223 kmalong the Uttarakhand-Nepalborder. Its northernmost major

tributary on the Indian side is theglacial Dhauliganga (E) or Darma,which meets the Mahakali atTawaghat. Further downstream atJauljibi is its confluence with theglacier-sourced Gori Ganga. AfterJauljibi the Mahakali exits the alpineregion and is joined by the Saryunear Pancheshwar. The latter, mainlya spring-fed river, is the longesttributary of Mahakali. Theirconfluence is also the site of theproposed multi-purposePancheshwar dam. The lastimportant tributary on the Indianside is the spring-fed Ladhiya.

Flood in Mahakali BasinThe Mahakali basin is susceptible toa range of hydro-meteorological andgeological conditions that contributeto monsoon floods in the region. Inaddition, poverty and socio-economic disparity is high along thecorridor. These hazard and socialvulnerability along with poor landuse plan, and unplannedurbanisation have aggravated theflood risks (Paudel et al. 2013).

Some of the major causes of floodsin Mahakali/Sharda river includeheavy rainfall and cloudbursts in the

Jha was not only able to inform hisown village but also six otheradjoining villages, giving them timeto prepare and move. This is thebeauty of a local-level, cross-bordereffort using a community-basedflood early warning system.

Today, Ranjeet Kumar is very proudto be a caretaker of the instrument,as his information was able toprovide sufficient time to vulnerablecommunities to save themselves andtheir precious cattle and goods.Ranjeet, his fellow villagers, andcommunities living downstreamwho benefited from the earlywarning information he shared withhim have realised that informationis power indeed. They hope that thissystem will be installed in otherrivers and save more lives andlivelihoods.

– Dr. Neera Shrestha Pradhan,Senior Water and Adaptation Specialist,

International Centre for IntegratedMountain Development (ICIMOD),

Nepal, and Sanjay Pandey, ExecutiveDirector, Yuganter, Bihar, India


Installation of Sensor in the Kalakot area.

area, together with glacial melting,heavy land erosion, slides and massmovements in saturated fragilegeology. Heavily loaded water flowtriggers further devastation. Morelosses have been observed inunprotected areas and low-levelsettlements. Failure or opening ofwater bodies such as dams andbarrages adds to the floods anddevastation (Feasibility of TBFEWSstudy, Oxfam, 2017).

Need of Early Warning SystemThe Disaster Preparedness andResponse Plan (DPRP, 2018) ofDadeldhura district after historicalanalysis of the water induceddisaster identified Ranoon as one themost disaster-prone watershedscontributing to major flood risk inDadeldura. Hence, OXFAMconducted a feasibility study ofTrans-Boundary Early WarningSystem of Mahakali basin togetherwith Practical Action Consulting in2018. The study report hasrecommended to establish EarlyWarning system in Rangoon andTigram area in the Mahaklai basin.

The area where the CBFEWS wasestablished has existing hydrologicalstation at Kainpani and aprecipitation station at Jogbudaoperated by DHM, however both ofthem are manual and do notnecessarily produce flood earlywarnings with sufficient lead timefor Jogbuda and Simalkhet. Also,

there are precipitation stations atGaira, Siradi and Simalbanda, whichare important for EWS in RangunKhola. In this situation, the CBFEWSinstallation was envisioned inRangoon basin with the lead time isat least 3 hours for flood warning.

Based on the reference of study,ICIMOD with its partner SustainableEco Engineering in consultationwith DHM and Pasurammunicipality establishedCommunity Based Flood EarlyWarning System in Rangoon area.Rural Women's Development andUnity Center (RUWDUC) being alocal partner organisation ofOXFAM helped in site survey andassessment, selection of site andserving as caretaker.

CBFEWS at RangoonRangoon basin covers 481 sq. kmwhich is 31% of Dadheldhura districtand contributes to 10% of its area inMahakali basin. The CBFEWS wasinstalled near Kalakot station toprovide early warning system tocommunities of the Rangoon basin.The CBFEWS has provided the EarlyWarning Information tocommunities to ward number 12,5,6of Pashuram municipality.

On July 12, 2018, a heavy rainfalloccurred in the Rangoon area. Thesensor at Kalakot used to record 25cm of water on other days howeverwater level increased after 4 pm

increasing to 58 cm on that day. Theinformation was shared throughmunicipality to Elaka Police station,WEC members of Jogbudha. Theinformation was passed tocommunity including farmers,teachers so that everyone has accessto the lifesaving information. Thepresident of Pashuram MunicipalityBhim Bahadur Saud expressed hishappiness that the technology hashelped to display information inboard of Municipality and we wereable to share the information tothose communities timely to save thelife of people. Yadab Bogati, thevolunteer near the sensor stationexpressed that he could disseminatethe information to the communitiesand also received phone calls fromthe WEC members.

The Women from WomenEmpowerment Center were alsoengaged in disseminating the floodinformation. "We informed eachhousehold members not to go toriverside, share the information to theirfamily members who are comingthrough the way form the districtheadquarter. Everyone was alert andable to save life". The statement wasshared by Janaki Singh, a memberof Parigau WEC during the recentWEC meeting last week.

Datta Ram Panday, incharge ofIllaka Police office Dadeldhura toldthat the flood data information ofRangoon Khola in the display boardhas helped a lot to mobilise thesecurity forces to be in alert positionand further to the communities. Everyyear, there used to be 3 to 4 casualtiesin the Rangoon. The technology hashelped us to make us alert.

However there the system has notbeen able to cover all the populationof the Mahakali basin and the projecthas planned to build on strengtheningdata compilation and disseminationmechanism in coordination withconcerned stakeholders of Nepal andIndia. – Rajan Subedi,

Team Leader, Trans-boundary Riversof South Asia (TROSA), Oxfam, Nepal


IMPLEMENTING ASIAN REGIONAL PLAN IN SOUTH ASIA

Regional Platform for Multi Hazards EarlyWarning System and Improved CommunityResilience to Natural Disasters in South Asia

Disasters have no boundaries.And therefore early warning of

upcoming natural disasters shouldnot be bound to any geo-politicalborders.

The workshop titled, "RegionalCollaboration Workshop onCommunity Based Trans-BoundaryEarly Warning Communication,Flood Resilience, System andKnowledge Dissemination" was heldin Delhi on September 7, 2018.

Committed group of academicians,policy-practitioners, governmentofficials, and civil societyorganisations from India, Nepal,Bangladesh and Afghanistanparticipated in the workshop andshaped the collaboration.

This collaborative platform isfacilitated by Asian DisasterPreparedness Centre (ADPC) inBangkok; International Centre forIntegrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD) in Kathmandu; Aga KhanAgency for Habitat in Kabul; AllIndia Disaster Mitigation Institute(AIDMI) in Ahmedabad; ChristianAid (CAID) in Delhi, Oxfam India in

Kolkata; Indraprastha Institute ofInformation Technology, Delhi(IIITD).

Mr. MQ Haiddari, Deputy Ministerfor Disaster Management andHumanitarian Affair, Afghanistan,emphasised that collaboration is oneof the major milestones inaddressing the bottlenecks of crossborder and trans-boundarymechanism of Early WarningSystem to save lives. "Such trans-boundary early warning systemswill further improve humanendowment, remove constraints forbetter jobs, and women and poorwill continue to protect livelihoodsand assets" said Mr. Animesh ofOxfam.

"The collaboration builds on AsianRegional Plan of Asian MinisterialConference on Disaster RiskReduction 2018 held in Ulaanbaatar",indicated Ram Kishan of ChristianAid.

"At least one out of three lives canbe saved in the border areas byeffective early warning system in

South Asia", argued Mihir R. Bhattof AIDMI.

"This collaboration would create amodel for engagement of multistakeholders to establish the multihazards Early Warning System(EWS) across South Asia", said AtiqKainan Ahmed of ADPC.

Kamal Kishore, member of NationalDisaster Management Authority,India, stressed, "that the trans-boundary early warning systemshould factor in risk mapping andpreparedness at the local level, andbe effectively communicated to thelast vulnerable individual in SouthAsia".

The TB-EWS collaboration willconsolidate and contribute toongoing local and national EWSefforts, as suggested by ICIMODbased on its work in Himalayas.

Lives must be saved, and now withdigital technology and what is called"Big Data" more lives can be savedin South Asia with collaborativeearly warnings.

– Mihir R. Bhatt


DECLARATION

Delhi Declaration on Regional PlatformHaving participated in the

"Regional Cooperation andInstitutional Co-ordination for anEarly Warning System (EWS) andimproved Community Resilience toNatural Disasters in South Asia", weemphasise the importance of untilEarly Warning System in South Asiaand declare the following:

Preamble:In spite of some of the bestforecasting systems and alertsystems in South Asia, loss life dueto disasters are on rise on continuousbasis and emphasis the need ofrobust EWS, at not only countrylevel but also across the boundaryof the country. Governments areaiming for zero casualty approachand effective end-to-end earlywarning system. Death reports andlosses of life calls for multistakeholder engagement along withthe government to support the earlywarning system from national tocommunity level. Poor orinadequate systems for warningdissemination often leave manypeople stranded or marooned. Gapsin Early Warning System are moreskewed in the last mile. Trans-boundary data sharing on riverflooding, weather pattern andclimate change impact is oftenmarred by lengthy protocols anddone without contextual amendmentin those protocols. When it comesto sharing of critical and life-savinginformation, it should flow freelyacross boundaries. This Regionalplatform can play a critical role toconnect the country informationsharing through multipleengagement of the stakeholders.

Recognising that:South Asia is exposed to a variety ofhazards due to the geo-climaticcharacteristics of the region. Amongall the major natural disasters, floodscount the greatest number of

damages and destructions over theyears. The highest and mostconcentrated flood risk can be foundaround the foot-hills and the flood-plains along the Himalayan belt,along with nearly all of low-lyingBangladesh and many coastal areasin the region.

Recalling:The Sendai framework for DisasterRisk Reduction (2015 – 2030), whichsuggests that addressing underlyingdisaster risk factors through disasterrisk-informed public and privateinvestments is more cost-effectivethan primary reliance on post-disaster response and recovery, andcontributes to sustainable development.Early Warning System (EWS) is onesuch risk-mitigating tool.

Call for:Until the end of 2020, we expresscommitment to, in collaborationwith national and local authorities,private sector, international andnon-government organisations, andother stakeholders and resolve to:

1. Principle areas of collaboration• Established institutional

mechanism as Regional Platformto work with different agencies

and stakeholders to create the bestand well established knowledgepool on EWS to support the SouthAsian EWS systems.

• Develop policy briefs Analysecross border policy gaps for dataor information sharing to suggestthe policy recommendation tostrengthen the cross border EWSsystems with the organisationinvolved in the advocacy networkat the regional level.

• Organise annual workshops onrotation basis to take the stoke ofwork of regional platform as wellas add new ideas and innovation tosupport the regional process of EWS.

• Be part of Regional and Globalprocesses of DM, DRR to share oradvocate for strong understandingabout EWS in different forum andframework.

• Publish reports on EWS.• Undertake a review of our

commitments in 2020 to ensureconsistency with the globaldisaster risk reduction framework.

• Develop the roster of the bestpractices and practitioners of EWSto support the South Asia EWSprocess with government andnon-government initiatives.

Place: New Delhi Date: September 7, 2018


There are widespread gaps thatexist in our society's capacity to

find spaces that protect and nurturechildren after an emergency. Thisemergency may be caused by anextreme natural phenomenon likefloods or precipitated byhumankind's own mistakes likeconflicts and strife.

To address this widening gap, a statelevel workshop was organised bythe Assam State DisasterManagement Authority (ASDMA)and United Nations InternationalChildren's Emergency Fund(UNICEF), Assam on November 14,2018 in Guwahati, Assam, India.

The event titled, "Workshop onChildren in Emergencies:Developing State Level Guidelinesfor Child Friendly Spaces inEmergencies under National SchoolSafety Policy" explored a wide rangeof possible ways to fill in this gap atthe state level with local resources andlocal public and private capabilities.

Over 60 participants from keyauthorities and civil society ofAssam joined the workshop. Manyof the participants brought fieldlevel flood or conflict or landsliderelated experiences in addressing

children's need for Child FriendlySpaces (CFS).

Shri Rajesh Prasad, CEO, ASDMA,underlined the need to urgently findways to fill in this gap of CFS inAssam, and find ways that not onlybuild on existing capacities of keydepartments and state authorities butalso draw lessons from civil societyexperiences in starting and runningin Assam and beyond.

Ms. Chhaya Kunwar of UNICEF,Assam, pointed out that children ofAssam should not only be viewedas victims of such emergencies butalso as leaders capable ofestablishing and running ChildFriendly Spaces (CFS) if they aresuitably empowered. Each emergencyoffers opportunities to children to beprepared and build resilience.

Ms. Aruna Rajoria, Mission Director,Sarva Shikshan Abhiyan, Assamsuggested using existing publicsystems and state-wide structures ofGovernment of Assam to find a wayto start filling in such gaps of CFS ina practical manner without any delay.

Shri Pritom Saikia, Commissionerand Secretary, Secondary andElementary Education, Government

of Assam focused his remarks onusing education as a lead sector inreaching out to children inemergencies so that children notonly suffer less loss and damage,physical and emotional, but in factcan offer their leadership in makingsuch spaces a reality.

Ms. Mandira Buragohian, ASDMAreminded the participants thatclimate change impact on Assam'seconomy and ecology will increasethe need for such CFS. Better use oflocal and operational knowledge canoffer opportunities to make CFSeffective.

Shri Kripal Jyoti Mazumdar,ASDMA, steered the panel discussioninvolving Save the Children as wellas Rural Development Centre ofAssam. Both have set up CFS inAssam across emerging andlocations. A local, operational, andrealistic view of the challenges andopportunities was shared with theparticipants.

Shri Mukta Ram Deka, ASDMA,chaired the session to find ways toaddress this gap through varioussectors including health; food andnutrition; WASH; child protection; andeducation. What is needed in Assamis convergence of these key and otherrelated sectors to fill in this gap.

The AIDMI offered final product andprocess related inputs from its workon CFS in India and South Asia andcongratulated ASDMA and UNICEFin aiming to fill in this widespreadgap in India's humanitarian actionagenda. India has the capabilities andresources to set up some of the bestChild Friendly Spaces after anemergency where instead of victims,children can emerge as leaders inmanaging their own resilience.

– Mihir R. Bhatt

CHILD PROTECTION AND DRR

Filling the Gap: Spaces that Protect andNurture Children in Emergencies


COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE FOR TB-EWS

Collective Action Integral to Trans-boundaryRisk GovernanceThe 2017 floods had a devastating

impact in India. Nearly 1046lives were lost. Assam, Bihar andUttar Pradesh were the worst affected.The deluge however also affectedcountries including Pakistan, Nepal,Bhutan and Bangladesh with significantloss of lives and assets. Much of itcould have definitely been averted witha collective action at the transboundarylevel. Risks and fragilities in SouthAsia are intrinsically linked and aregetting worsened due to climatechange impacts.

It is well-known that countries in theSouth-Asian region share socio-economic, cultural and demographicsimilarities. Similarly, many of thesecountries also share the sameunderlying causes of vulnerabilityand are exposed to the similar risks.The geo-climatic factors, waterstress, protracted conflict, etc. are justa few of the common threats facedby these countries. These commonthreats also serve as reminder of theinterconnectedness of risk and howthe fragilities of one country canaffect the whole region adversely,and therefore, why there is a needfor collective action approach fortransboundary risk governance.

India and Bhutan whichcomparatively share the shortestland border (after Afghanistan) in theregion, have 56 transboundaryrivers flowing between them, mostof them notorious for devastatingmonsoon floods. A problem whichtranscends through all borders riversincluding Brahmpatura, Kosi orSharda to name a few. Otherdisasters like droughts and famine,earthquakes and cyclones have alsobeen constantly reminding thatdisasters cannot be restricted bypolitical boundaries and thereforeshould be managed collectively, not

only during response but in allphases of disaster management.

Oxfam is implementing theTransboundary Rivers of South Asia(TROSA) project in India, Nepal,Bangladesh, and Myanmar tounderstand and address thechallenges related to transboundaryrivers, and work together to createconditions to reduce poverty ofcommunities. It envisions that theimplementation of the TROSAprogramme will lead to an increasedlevel of community involvement in theequitable and sustainable water resourcemanagement at the local and regionallevel. Transboundary Dialoguesbetween community, Governmentsand other stakeholders is a keyprerequisite to achieving sustainablesolutions at the regional level.

In this endeavor, we have learnt thatshared waters can be a good catalystfor peace when differentstakeholders consciously cometogether and make efforts to benefitall, including the most marginalized.

Saralbhanga is one of thetransboundary rivers which flowsthrough Sarphang district of Bhutanto Kokrajhar in Assam. The river isa lifeline to many downstreamcommunities who depend ontraditional Jamfwi system to irrigatetheir crops. The river is also theelixir for the flora and fauna of theUltapani reserve forest. However, ithas also led to very devastatingfloods in recent years.

In 2016, flashfloods in Sarphangdistrict have wreaked havoc indownstream areas in downstreamKokrajhar and Chirang districts.Later in July 2017, the town ofSarpang Bazar was entirely washedaway by floodwaters, when the

Sarpang River broke its banks again,cutting off the road to the bordercrossing town of Gelephu. Manyfamilies were left homeless,following continuous heavy rainfall.Flood protection measures inupstream, included creating anembargo on the traditional Jamfwi'sby Indian Farmers from Saralparaarea of Kokrajhar district ofBodoland put the livelihoods ofnearly 15000 farmers at risk.

Oxfam's TROSA partner NERSWNstarted engaging with differentstakeholders for including the AllBodo Student's Union (ABSU) andBodo Women Forum for Peace andDevelopment (BWFPD) and held aseries of consultations with BhutanIndia Friendship Association (BIFA).These consultations led to a decisionto lobby with the district levelauthorities of the Royal Kingdom ofBhutan. Consultations with theDistrict Administration in Sarphangled to the decisions in favour of thedownstream communities.

This was a very good example, wherea transboundary network of CSOsacted as catalyst to bring communitiesand Governments from across thepolitical boundaries together todiscuss and amicably arrive atsolutions benefiting all particularlyin the downstream. This case had afar flung impacts where it startedseeing revival of traditional socio-cultural ties and strong people topeople dialogues1 in the region apartfrom the revival of traditional jamfwisystem supporting downstream farmers.

Oxfam India and NERSWN are nowinvesting on strengtheningcommunity based transboundaryearly warning systems inSaralbhanga and have startedestablishing community volunteer

1 https://scroll.in/article/892235/how-villagers-in-bhutan-and-india-came-together-to-resolve-a-water-sharing-tussle


base in some of the most vulnerablelocations in these regions. Role ofTransboundary networks like BIFAis very important in bringing boththe Governments and communitiestogether. Just like the Indo-NepalJoint Action Forum (INJAF) whichis a transboundary network partnerfor Oxfam in Sharda river basin.

Oxfam has so far organized fiveMahakali Dialogues since January2018 to provide a platform to thestakeholders from the two countriesto understand the risks and identifycommon areas of addressing someof the most pertinent issues throughcollective action. Interestingly,communities, CSOs and otherstakeholders have time and againreaffirmed the strong socio-culturalties both the countries enjoy. In allof these platforms, transboundaryearly warning unanimouslyemerged as a priority action area onwhich both the countries shouldengage. Communities furtherdiscussed that the sustainablesolutions can be traced beyond earlywarning to the transboundary riskgovernance and cited that how acollectively developed riskgovernance plan at Banbasa thatemphasizes on synchronizing therelease of 1000 cusecs of water toNepal, with the farming cycle,monsoons and other factors cansignificantly avert the risk offlooding and crop loss in thedownstream communities.

INJAF has brought together diversestakeholders from both countries todiscuss solutions to some of theseproblems. A beginning has beenmade in transboundary earlywarning systems, where OxfamNepal and ICIMOD have piloted atelemetry based warning system inRangoon basin and Oxfam India hasbeen strengthening the last mileinstitutions with a strong base of 650volunteers to support early action inSharda.

But influencing policies areimportant to ensure this paradigmshift in risk governance, looking atit from the regional andtransboundary perspectives,bringing Governments together toease protocols and collectivelyprepare to save lives of the people,irrespective of what polygon of amap they reside in. Government ofIndia invited inputs on the draftnational disaster management planin November 2018. Oxfam Indiaorganized a series of consultations2

covering 11 districts and 4 states,culminating the findings at theNational Consultation in Kerala. Allconsultations in regions withtransboundary significance such asAssam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh havestrongly recommended that theNational Plan should be morearticulate on the transboundary andregional risk governance. Thememorandum submitted to ministryby the CSOs included the following

Benefit Sharing in Megna River Basin

Governance based on 'benefit sharing' is more holistic thantraditional governance, which has historically been about

allocating water. 'Benefit sharing' accounts for all ecosystemservices the river basin provides. In the Meghna Basin, theseopportunities include improved resilience to flood and erosion,food self-sufficiency and security, conservation of the basin'scultural and ecological diversity, and diversification of tradebetween Bangladesh and India. IUCN's Building RiverDialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) project has developed a profile and preliminaryscoping study on Benefit sharing opportunities in the MeghnaBasin for Bangladesh and India.

Read more at: https://www.iucn.org/news/asia/201811/new-report-lays-groundwork-benefit-sharing-meghna-river-basin

2 https://www.oxfamindia.org/index.php/press-release-disaster-management-inclusive

recommendations on transboundaryrisk governance.1. Identify Scope for Transboundary

Risk Analysis and set up mechanismsfor disaster management planningat basin level covering upstreamand downstream stakeholders.

2. Transboundary Early WarningMechanisms should be set up.

3. Role sharing between neighboringcountries (with action points andagencies responsible)

4. Point to Point contact (DDMA-DDMA or similar with protocols)to be established

5. Transboundary simulation andpreparedness exercises to beconducted

6. Transboundary response andrecovery coordination mechanismto be set up

7. SAARC Civil Society Network &Collaborations in the Regioncould be roped in for addressingTransboundary issues

8. Ease of bilateral and regionalprotocols.

With the increased frequency andintensity of disasters and withchanging climate patterns, more andmore people in this region will bestressed by disaster impacts.Collective Action from the local toregional level is important to avertthe worst of the disasters andcountries and communities shouldcome together for a resilient andsustainable future.

– Animesh Prakash, TROSA,Oxfam India


BOOK REVIEW

Crisis Management Beyond theHumanitarian-Development NexusNatural disasters and man-made

conflicts can often precipitatea humanitarian crisis. As the numberof people in the world affected bysuch humanitarian crises increasesevery year, it is important tounderstand the underlying causes ofcrises to manage them better. A newbook, titled, 'Crisis ManagementBeyond the Humanitarian-Development Nexus' is out to helpus think about these pressing issues.

The book is edited by able andsenior experts of humanitarian anddevelopment field. Atsushi Hanataniis Senior Advisor and former SeniorDirector of the Office forPeacebuilding and Reconstruction.Oscar A. Gomez is Research Fellow.Chigumi Kawaguchi is ResearchFellow. All three work at the JapanInternational Cooperation AgencyResearch Institute.

Each editor brings a new view ofcooperation, research anddevelopment. The ongoing nationalcrisis in India, may it be thedifficulty in moving towardsCircular Economy or taking aheadthe process of National Register ofCitizens in Assam, the book is ofinterest as a resource or abackground reader.

The book tells us that honest effortsto address one crisis after the otherin increasingly complexenvironments are becoming a normand not an exception. The Cold Waroffered an opening to do both, launchthe humanitarian and developmentinitiatives beyond borders. And overdecades we realised that there is noone but multiple approaches to crisismanagement, may it be humanitarianor development induced.

However, over the years, armedconflicts have become a shadow tomost humanitarian and developmentinitiatives, which was either ignoredor considered not important, asexplained by the authors ToshiyaHoshimo and Chigumi Kawaguchi.The chapter on Timor – Leste byYakako Sakobe and Tamaki Hondaoffers details of why this shadowexists, enlarges, and contracts fromtime-to-time.

The troops of President Trump maybe now moving out of Syria butRyaji Tateyama offers the readersgood reasons to find out if the exitfrom Syria is as politicised as theentry itself was. Also if there is acrisis then how politics has trumpedhumanitarian considerations.

The part III of the book focuses oncrisis management after a disaster,and two excellent case studies ofHonduras after Hurricane Mitch andlong term recovery in Indonesia areoffered to illustrate the ideas.

As the balance is moving in favourof evidence, and evidence itself isbecoming a reality to make policiesand conduct research the chapter byYasuhito Jibika and Yuichi Ono offerqualitative analysis of institutionaland political factors influencingcrisis management.

The book is of interest to partnersof JICA in India, and elsewhere;academic researchers of multi-layercrisis management in Asia Pacific;students of limits of humanitarianaction in countries with internationalhumanitarian NGOs; and those whowatch the slow and steady collapseof what we all call sustainabledevelopment with resignation andhope, both.

Why has the war on air pollutionnot become a reality in Indian cities?How long will India depend on itsarmy to aid civil authorities inhumanitarian crisis? How can rightsto relief and recovery be collectivelyheld as India moves toindividualisation of families andsociety? Who will make digitalentities accountable to citizens? Anddo items in junkyard have after life?Those who are likely to think aboutsuch questions in India must readthis book, not at one stretch, butrepeatedly.

– Book Review by Brij Chauhan,local planning team leader, AIDMI.

Bibliographic information:Title: Crisis Management beyond theHumanitarian-Development NexusRoutledge Humanitarian StudiesEditors: Atsushi Hanatani, Oscar A.Gómez, Chigumi KawaguchiEdition: illustratedPublisher: Routledge, 2018ISBN: 1138543438, 9781138543430Length: 234 pages


CLIMATE CHANGE AND DRR

Economic Cost of Neglecting ClimateChange in Local PlanningA recent landmark report highlights

the grim consequences to befaced by the global community ifclimate change is not urgentlyaddressed. With 55% per cent of theworld's population already living inurban areas, the huge economic costof climate change on local and cityauthorities will be immense,especially if they do not incorporateclimate change into local planning.

On October 8 the Special Report onGlobal Warming of 1.5ºC publishedby the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) states thatthe 1°C of global warming alreadyincurred is manifesting itselfthrough more extreme weather,rising sea levels and diminishingArctic sea ice, among other changes.Continuing on a business as usualpathway without serious concertedglobal efforts to address climatechange will only lead to moredevastating consequences includinghuman and economic costs.

Based on this report, how shouldlocal planning integrate climatechange? One thing is clear:Neglecting climate change in localplanning would make cities evenmore vulnerable to the economiccosts of extreme weather events such

as floods, drought and ensuingdamage to infrastructure and homes,which could easily cost billions ofdollars and result in thousands ofdeaths. In South-East Asia, thePhilippines, which is part of the Ringof Fire - a major area in the basin ofthe Pacific Ocean where manyearthquakes and volcanic eruptionsoccur - unfortunately provides manyexamples of this.

Typhoon Haiyan which ravaged thecountry in 2013 resulted in damageestimated at more than USD4.5billion with the loss of more than6,300 lives. Five years later, onSeptember 15 this year, the countrywas devastated by TyphoonMangkhut with damage estimated atmore than USD600 million. Just sixweeks later, on October 30, morethan 15 people are dead fromTyphoon Yutu which, likeMangkhut, also landed in northernPhilippines. As a low-carbon emitterper capita, the irony is that thecountry is facing the consequencesof an issue it has not reallycontributed towards.

Local planning which incorporatesclimate change works best within anoverarching national plan with aninstitutional framework for

mainstreaming climate change innational planning. When such amechanism is in place, alldevelopment planning decisionswith be made from the perspectivesof: What impact will this have onour carbon dioxide emissions; howprepared are we to adapt to itsalready occurring impacts; how dowe compensate for loss and damagewhich has already occurred; will thislead to resilience from climatechange; and; are we incorporatingdisaster risk reduction measures?

When such thinking exists at thenational level it becomes much easierto incorporate them into localplanning as well. Having said that,there are many examples, especiallyin the United State of America,where cities have taken the lead inintegrating climate change into localplanning in the absence of federalsupport. Elsewhere, many cities havealso come up with climate actionplans as well as low-carbon cityframework. They realise that excusessuch as lack of budget or short-termfocus, which ignore these issues, willlead to cities bearing much more ineconomic costs of climate change-induced damage, which will preventthe very development they aspirefor from taking place.

In conclusion, I refer to the IPCCreport which states: A number ofclimate change impacts could beavoided by limiting global warmingto 1.5ºC. Limiting global warmingwould also give people andecosystems more room to adapt andremain below relevant riskthresholds. Limiting global warmingto 1.5°C would require "rapid and far-reaching" transitions in land, energy,industry, buildings, transport, andcities. We need to act now!

– Nithi Nesadurai, RegionalCoordinator, Climate Action Network

South–East AsiaAn aerial view shows the flooded residential area in George Town, Penang,Malaysia.

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ESTIMATING LOSS AND DAMAGE

Kerala Floods Loss and Damage:Some EstimatesExtreme weather events are

growing in frequency andintensity globally. According toGerman watch Report on ClimateRisk Index, India, standing as 4thmost vulnerable country globally toclimate change faces worst impactsin the form of extreme rainfall,floods, drought, cyclones, heatwavesand even dust storms, all year acrossregions.

The recent floods in Kerala, the worstto hit the state in a century,demonstrate one of the manytragedies due to climate changecoupled with poor management andplanning, leading to massive loss oflives and damages in kind.

The month of August proved to be abane to God's own country, Kerala,endowed with an area of 38,800square kilometres decorated withmountain ranges; third-highestpopulation density in the country;44 rivers with 61 dams. However,despite warnings from IMD about anexpected grim situation,unprecedented rainfall with urbanfactor combined including faultydam management saw what wasunwitnessed before. The impact–buildings and bridges were washedaway, nearly 500 people died, tensof thousands of homes destroyedand several thousand hectares ofcrops ruined.

Over 10 days of continuous outpourin August resulted in nearly 25trillion litres of water falling onKerala. Of the total of 760 mmrainfall received by the state sincethe beginning of the month ofAugust, close to 75 per cent wasreceived in the eight days itselfbetween August 9 and 17,representing a departure fromnormal by around 300 per cent forthe time period. The predicted rainsduring this period from August 9 to15 were 98.5 mm.

The state government whichestimated the preliminary losses atRs. 20,000 crore, later on clarifiedthat the total losses was to the tuneof Rs 40,000 crore and finallyestimated the total losses equallingto the total annual outlay of thestate. While at the height of thefloods, in the mid of August, nearly15 lakh people were put up in morethan 3000 relief camps, the figuregradually boiled down to 60thousand people. By September endnearly 5000 people were lodged innearly 120 relief camps.

In August alone, the estimated wagelosses were worth Rs 4,000 crore.More than one million people arestill in relief camps that would takearound Rs 300 crore a month tomaintain. Its infrastructure has beengreatly hot with more than 12,000

kilometres of roads been damagedhindering growth and also speedyrelief and rebuilding operation. Inthe area of agriculture, 57,000hectares of agriculture crops havebeen destroyed.

The case of extreme rains and floodsresult in health hazards too withKerala being no exception. Stagnantwaters in most districts of Kerala ledto an increase in the outbreak ofwaterborne diseases includingcholera, leptospirosis and diarrhoea.

The healthcare sector on the wholehas recorded losses over $20m acrossthe state.

Blessed with a wide and beautifulnetwork of lakes, canals, rivers andnatural scenic sites, Kerala drawssignificant amount of tourists everyyear. However, with the Augustdownpour, tourism sector whichaccounts for 12 percent of Kerala'seconomy has also been badly hit.Estimates suggest that there has beenmore than 80 percent cancellationsof tourist bookings during the floodperiod. A 25 percent drop for theseason is expected by industryexperts as a whole. In totality, thestate's growth rate would be downby one per cent. The biggest questionthat one is confronted with-could thishave been avoided and if yes, how?It would be interesting to see andnote how the state and centreresponds to rising extreme weatherevents, which as the recent IPCC,report on 1.5 degree has warned,would only increase in the future.

– Vijeta Rattani, ProgrammeManager, Centre for Science and

Environment, New Delhi, India

The state government which estimated the preliminary lossesat Rs. 20,000 crore, later on clarified that the total losses wasto the tune of Rs 40,000 crore and finally estimated the totallosses equalling to the total annual outlay of the state. While atthe height of the floods, in the mid of August, nearly 15 lakhpeople were put up in more than 3000 relief camps, the figuregradually boiled down to 60 thousand people.


DISASTERS AND LIVELIHOODS

Floods in Kuttanad: Impact on Livelihoods

The Context Kuttanad is recognised as a

globally important agriculturalheritage system and is also part ofthe largest Ramsar site in India.Once a vast delta (about 900 sq.km)of four rivers - Pamba, Achencovil,Manimala and Meenachil - thatoriginated 60 to 100 kms east fromthe Western Ghats high mountains,Kuttanad was blessed with frequentflooding. The flood waters broughtalluvial sediments that nourishedthe soil fertility of this below sea-level concave-shaped land, which isalso known as the rice bowl ofKerala. Farmers here have beenpracticing rice cultivation in thefields reclaimed 150 to 200 yearsago. Year after year, the farmers ofKuttanad lived through floods and,with changing technologies, adoptednew and resilient methods.However, the disasters that struckKerala due to a cumulative rainfallof 2344.84 mm within a span of 6

weeks, which is 42.17% more thannormal, triggered a massive deluge.This turned the rice bowl into aweeping bowl, with anunprecedented impact on the lives,livelihoods and assets of over 150,000inhabitants of Kuttanad.

Kuttanad and Climate ChangeSea level rise and coastal inundationdue to climate change would first befelt in Kuttanad, due to its below sealevel geography. Climate changealso threatens extreme coastalerosion, which will also adverselyimpact the backwaters, which arepart of the Kuttanad ecosystem.Changes in weather patterns andacidification have already startedtaking a toll on the life andlivelihoods of Kuttanad. Decline andspread of diseases among fish andother aqua fauna, resulting from theincreasing water temperature, areincreasingly widespread.

Social and Ecological Determinants ofLivelihoods in KuttanadHistorically, the social dimensionsof life in Kuttanad have been ahindrance to the techno-economictransformation towards modernity.There existed a repressive castesystem in Kuttanad, with the uppercastes establishing their economicand social life based on land. Thelaws of pollution also prevented thelower castes from entering into anycraft or trade which demandedtransactions with the upper castes.This oppressive form of socialdiscrimination was prevalent in itsworst form until the land and socialreforms that took place in the latefifties. With the mobilisation oflabour by the caste and politicalorganisations, the nature of thisrelationship indeed also underwenttransitions across time.

There are three identifiabletopographic features in Kuttanad -

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dry land, wet land and water bodies.While most of the human habitationsare found on the dry land withvarying elevations from 0.5 to 2.5meters above MSL, wetlands are thewater logged paddy fields reclaimedfrom the backwater extension ofVembanad lake. In 1975, a barrierwas constructed atThanneermukkom to preventsalinity intrusion in the dry season.The original vegetation in these richalluvial deposits was largely madeof luxuriant mangrove and otherriparian flora which has severelybeen depleted. Farmingcommunities of Kuttanad developedtechniques of below sea levelcultivation, reclaiming shallow partsof the lake. These parts are thenprotected by bunds built andstrengthened by a traditionalmethod called katta kuthal, where inthick strong blocks of clay arebrought up from 3 to 4 meters belowwater mark. It was not uncommonthat during the South West Monsoon,these bunds would breach and waterwould flood up the padasekharams(collective of individual holdings ofpaddy fields). Once the bunds arerepaired, pumps locally called petti& para help dewater the inundatedfields. Preparations for the nextsowing would then be on their way.

Persisting Problems of EnvironmentalImbalanceCurrent snap shots of Kuttanad showa distressing picture – the cost ofcultivation has increased many fold,and land use changes depict adecrease in cultivable areas andthereby rice production. This in turnincreases dependence onmechanisation and thereby decreaseslabour requirements, making newergenerations shift to non-agriculturalsectors. The increase in leasecultivation results in a reckless useof chemical fertiliser and therefore,an increase in the use of pesticides,herbicides and weedicides, causingdearth in the availability of qualityseeds. The list of woes doesn't stophere, however. Indeed, theincreasing load of organic andinorganic pollutants in thewaterbodies add to the stress andinduce diseases to both human andother life forms. This dramaticallydeteriorating environment results inreduced livelihood opportunities forthe predominantly farmingcommunities, who are primaryresource dependents. The ecologicaldestruction came along the idea ofincreasing agricultural productivity.In short, among many other reasons,three major modifications weremade in the fifties - a spillway at

thottappally, the bund atthanneermukkam and a roadconnecting National Highway atAlleppey with State Highway (MainCentral Road) at Changanassery. Inaddition to these interventions, theincreasing use of HYV seeds, whichrequired high agricultural inputs ofchemical fertiliser and pestcontrolling chemicals, resulted in theinevitable environmental imbalancein Kuttanad. It is in this situationthat the August 16th flood hitKuttanad.

Post disaster recovery and future oflivelihoods in KuttanadFor an ordinary Kuttanad farmer, tomake 'disaster mitigation'meaningful, his basic necessitiesneed to be fulfilled. Like all others,he too lost his home, sources ofpotable water, food, livestock andeven his health. He is morevulnerable than ever and so is hisfamily, community and others in thevillage. Among the goods andservices provided by the Kuttanadecosystem, rice production standsfirst, followed by the fish wealth.While 37 percent of the riceproduced in the State comes fromKuttanad, 65 different species of fish(for example, pearl spots, perchletsand catfishes) and 14 species of shell

Source: Vinayachandran N (2014). Hydrogeology and Hydrochemistry of the Aquifer Systems of Kuttanad Area, Kerala: Their Role in Understanding the Evolutionof Groundwaters, Ph.D. Thesis, CUSAT.


Editorial Advisors:

ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE411 Sakar Five, Behind Old Natraj Cinema, Near Mithakhali Railway Crossing, Ashram Road,Ahmedabad–380 009 India. Tele/Fax: +91-79-2658 2962E-mail: [email protected], Website: http://www.aidmi.org, www.southasiadisasters.net

Denis NkalaRegional Coordinator, South-South Cooperationand Country Support (Asia-Pacific), UnitedNations Development Programme, New York

Ian DavisVisiting Professor in Disaster Risk Management inCopenhagen, Lund, Kyoto and Oxford BrookesUniversities

Dr. John TwiggSenior Research Fellow in the Risk and Resilienceprogramme, Overseas Development Institute(ODI), London

Madhavi Malalgoda AriyabanduSub-Regional Coordinator, Central Asia & SouthCaucasus, United Nations Office for Disaster RiskReduction (UNISDR), Kazakhstan

Mihir R. BhattAll India Disaster Mitigation Institute, India

Dr. Satchit Balsari, MD, MPHThe University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell,New York, USA

T. Nanda KumarFormer Chairman, Institute of Rural ManagementAnand (IRMA), Anand, Gujarat, India

fishes (for example, fresh water giantprawns) are found here. There existsa rice-fish rotation that is symbiotic,helping better yield in both. Soonafter the rice harvest, thousands ofducks are brought in from near andfar, which is also beneficial to bothduck rearers and rice farmers.Another post disaster recovery areathat needs attention are the coconutgardens – indeed, the garden landalso has banana, mango, jack, rootsand tubers. A good number ofpeople depend on these for theirlivelihoods.

The resilient social-ecologicalenvironments and institutions thatKuttanad already has couldincorporate diverse mechanisms oflivelihoods to face post disasterrecovery. First and foremost, thereis a need to provide fresh watersupply followed by shelter. Most ofthe houses are either damaged orcollapsed and temporary erumadam(stilt houses built with localmaterials - coconut leaves, wood andbamboo) need to be built before theNortheast Monsoon sets in by theend of October. Until houses arefully functional, community kitchenscould be thought of since themajority of people have lost cooking

gas cylinders during the floods.Restoration of electricity is beingworked on, and those who alreadymoved in and repaired their houseshave electricity supply. Long termmeasures should include livelihoodenhancement programmes throughpanchayats and municipalities. Theyshould focus on supplying livestock,helping reclaim paddy lands andrestoring them to cultivable landswhile keeping in mind soilconservation and proper watermanagement. Climate resilientfodder and feed development shouldbe taken up too.

The Lessons Disaster Managerscould learn from this deluge inKuttanadThe most important lesson isundoubtedly communication. Earlywarnings would give the peopleample time to prepare and face thedisaster, particularly since many ofthem have access only throughwaterways. Community radiostations, in this regard, are an ideato think about, as they are bothaffordable and participatory.Capacity building of local governingbodies in environmentalmonitoring, through water and soilsample analysis, could be taken up

as it should be consistent andcontinuous. Periodic cross sectionalsurveys to monitor human health areimportant. Simple tools could bedeveloped for the communitymembers or local governing bodiesto record and monitor the healthprofile of the people of Kuttanad.Climate resilient agriculture,propagated as part of the NationalInitiatives in Climate ResilientAgriculture (NICRA) in Muttar byKrishi Vigyan Kendra of CentralPlantation Crops Research Instituteat Kayamkulam, should finally alsobe widened in scope, so as to spreadand disseminate the programme toentire Kuttanad. Last but not theleast, as the Government of Keralais all set to build back better a navaKeralam, it should be democraticand based on the principles of theUN resolution on SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDGs),Universal Declaration of HumanRights, aligned with the goals andpriorities set out in the SendaiFramework for Disaster RiskReduction, realise the variouscomponents of social justice, andparticipatory.

– D. Nandakumar, Ph.D.,Professor (retd.), Kerala University,

Kerala, India

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