Local knowledge battles floods in India

Source(s): United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction - Regional Office for Asia and Pacific
Community task force members on the banks of the Girgitti river in Uttar Pradesh. (Photo: UNISDR)
Community task force members on the banks of the Girgitti river in Uttar Pradesh. (Photo: UNISDR)

India has had some significant success in reducing the death tolls from cyclones and flooding in recent years due to better preparedness and early warnings. In October 2014 and October 2013 large scale evacuations saved many lives as early warnings were disseminated in a timely and effective way to endangered populations along the Bay of Bengal.

India’s commitment to implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was reiterated at the UN General Assembly debate this month when the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Sushma Swaraj, highlighted the need for better coordination on disasters caused by natural hazards as India prepares to host the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in November 2016. It will be a major opportunity to evaluate progress on implementing the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction which was adopted six months ago at a UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan.

As the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, says in his message for tomorrow’s International Day for Disaster Reduction, building resilience is made of many acts of disaster risk reduction at the local level.

The following summarizes a nomination received from India for a small community to be recognized as a champion of disaster risk reduction for their efforts to manage annual flooding as part of a cross-border initiative between India and Nepal.

For the last three years, the two small villages on the banks of the Ghaghara River in Uttar Pradesh are putting their local knowledge of past disaster events to good use in reducing the risk of regular flooding.

There are 760 people living in the villages of Maikupurawa and Dallipurwa in the Gram Panchayat of Girgitti and the community reports high rates of illiteracy and a long-struggle with the erosion of agricultural lands and the loss of crops due to flooding.

Since April 1, 2012, the villages have formed their own task forces reducing flood risk as part of a larger community-based early warning system in Girgitti supported by of Practical Action Nepal, Christian Aid and Cordaid.

The villages are among those which benefit from the installation of an electronic display monitoring board and river gauges to support timely early warnings to downstream populations.

Each village now has a task force of 15 members with three areas of responsibility: early warning and communications, search and rescue, and first aid and shelter management .

They have also been trained in first aid, shelter management and developed hazard maps for the district. The villagers have an important stock of life-saving equipment including life-jackets, buoys and sirens.

Training also includes various health related problems and hazards using their traditional knowledge.

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