AIT boost in India and Sri Lanka
AIT and USAID collaborate on disaster management training
When disaster strikes, it is often the local response that dictates the degree and impact of the tragedy. Recognizing this fact, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), recently collaborated with the USAID Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) to conduct workshops in India and Sri Lanka on “Local Institutions’ Response towards Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation”.
This initial workshop, held from 23-24 July, in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, evaluated the role played by local institutions, such as government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), panchayati raj institutions and community-based organizations (CBOs), in the area of disaster management. The study seminar also compared national policies’ effectiveness (both pre and post disaster) vis-a-vis local responses towards disaster management.
Twenty participants attended, representing government agencies, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, CBOs, panchayats (local constituency) and research bodies. Special attention was given to the role of non-governmental organizations in disaster preparedness with a focus on children, women, and persons with disabilities.
Research Associate, Arvind Kumar, of AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and development (SERD), said the workshop also focused on the development of preparedness tools and materials to be used in the event of future disasters. Participants took an active role in preparing a guideline manual for use during disasters, Professor Kumar said.
Panchayat representatives looked at the role of panchayats, which, in the context of India, are thought to be critical in terms of community mobilization, preparedness, and maintaining transparency towards equal distribution of relief. In addition, gaps and loose links in the implementation of the disaster management plans were discussed within the framework of panchayati raj institutions. Some NGO representatives felt that due to some existing external pressures, village panchayats have been sidelined in the process. Focus was equally given to distinction between the panchayat (as a legal entity) and traditional panchayat, as an influential and effective committee of fisher folks.
Representatives from the disabled and the aged communities also took part in the discussions and shared their experiences in disaster preparedness and mitigation approaches. Those attending the workshop included: Sevalaya, Save the Children, Create Plan (LCI), Church Auxiliary Social Action (CASA), Dhan Foundation, Leonard Cheshire International, Project Concern International (PCI), Development Action for Women in Need (Dawn), the Panchayat President (from Kameshawaram), community members from Kameshwaram Panchayat, and Program Officers, Research Associates and field level officers from Gandhi Gram University. Assistant Professor Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmad, and Research Associate Arvind Kumar, from the School of Environment, Resources and Development (SERD), took part on behalf of AIT.
Immediately following the India event, a similar two-day workshop was held from 27-28 July, in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, which attracted twenty persons interested in enhancing their disaster management skills. AIT Thailand and USAID Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) again joined forces to study how national and local entities, in the context of Sri Lanka, manage disasters. In Sri Lanka, local institutions play a key and evolving role in the area of disaster management, and include government agencies, non-governmental organizations and community based organizations. Once again the main objectives of the workshop were to discuss and share the experiences of both pre and post disaster scenarios.
In Sri Lanka, Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmad and Mr. Arvind Kumar were joined by local organizer, Anton Piyarathne, of the Open University, Sri Lanka. Based on the same course as the one in India, workshop delegates focused on the role of NGOs in disaster preparedness, with special focus on children, women, and those persons with special needs. Disaster management plans were discussed in detail, and many representative NGOs expressed a lack of coordination and expertise in the area of disaster management and preparedness processes in host community Hambantota itself.
Participants in Hambantota came from a diverse background, including government agencies, non-governmental organizations and community based organizations such as CARE International, World Vision Sri Lanka, Caritas Sri Lanka (SEDEC), Sewa Lanka Foundation, Sarvodaya, Christian Children’s Fund (CCF), Ruhunu Rural Womens’ Organization, Handicap International, Women Development Foundation (WDF), Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA), Human Resource and Environment Organization, and the District Disaster Management Unit of Hambantota.