Should Clean Air be a Fundamental Right?

Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 182, April 2019:

This issue of Southasiadisasters.net is titled ‘Should Clean Air be a Fundamental Right?’ and highlights how India's deteriorating air quality has now assumed catastrophic proportions. This issue draws from the discussions and deliberations of a workshop called 'Tackling the Challenges of Air Pollution' held in Delhi in March 2019. Some of the key themes discussed in this issue include air quality and risk management; sources of air pollution in India and Asia; communication outreach campaigns for improving awareness on air pollution; the role of local governments in improving air quality among others.

(i) Disaster Risk Reduction and Air Pollution; (ii) Managing Disaster Risk and Air Quality; (iii) Promoting Clean Air Campaign in Indian Cities: Learning from AIR Plan and Future Plans; (iv) Indian Cities on a Clean Air Mission; (v) Transportation and Air Pollution; (vi) Smart Communication Makes Cities Safer; (vii) Clean Air Challenges in Nepal; (viii) Clean Air as Disaster Risk Reduction Challenge in Nepal; (ix) Clean Janakpur, Green Janakpur; (x) Clean Air Challenges in Cities of Vietnam; (xi) Endorsing EcoDRR for Emerging Disaster Risks in Growing Urban Sprawls of India; (xii) A DRR Definition of "Global Catastrophe"

Some of the best thinkers, researchers, experts, and activists, including Mihir R. Bhatt with AIDMI Team; Francis Pope, University of Birmingham; G. Padmanabhan, Former UNDP; and Mahesh Rajasekar, National Institute of Urban Affairs; Ray Kancharla, Save the Children; and Prabodh Dhar Chakrabarti, Former Executive Director, NIDM; Priya Dutta, Shyam Pingle, Pankaj Yadav, Dileep Mavalankar, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar; Vijay Limaye, Kim Knowlton, Anjali Jaiswal, Natural Resources Defense Council; Arindam Upmanyu, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar; Sharmila Deo, Parisar, Pune, Maharashtra; Kunal Kumar (IAS), Mission Director (Smart Cities), and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India; Ayush Adhikari, Consultant; and Anu Adhikari, Senior Programme Officer (Climate Change, Gender and Social Inclusion), IUCN Nepal; Kiran Ojha, Country Director, Lutheran World Relief (LWR), Nepal; Santosh Kumar Mahato, Technical Advisor, Aasaman Nepal; Do Ngoc Thao, Vietnam; Dr. Shalini Dhyani, South Asia Regional Chair, IUCN CEM and Scientist; CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, Maharashtra; Ray Taylor, Oxford, UK

Theme: Urban Disaster, Clean Air, DRR, Air Pollution, Safe Cities

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/kie1wrrxtat4xm3/182%20Should%20Clean%20Air%20be%20a%20Fundamental%20Right.pdf?dl=0

Making Humanitarian Response More Flexible: Exploring New Models and Approaches

Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 181, February 2019:

AIDMI's publication of Southasiadisasters.net is titled 'Making Humanitarian Response More Flexible: Exploring New Models and Approaches' and highlights new approaches that can be taken by humanitarian organizations to effectively respond to the humanitarian challenges of the 21st century. Some of the important themes discussed in this special issue include adaptive programming by humanitarian organizations, context specific humanitarian interventions and culturally sensitive approaches to humanitarian action.

This issue's contents includes: (i) Supporting Adaptive Approaches to DRR and Humanitarian Action; (ii) Proactive and Reactive Strategies for Knowing When to Adapt; (iii) What Do Shelterless Want after a Disaster?; (iv) Daily Nudges: Using Community Feedback for Problem Solving; (v) CDP@20: Two Decades of Commitment to Resilience, Empowerment, and Development; (vi) Risking Cities and Rivers: What are the Pathways Towards Resilience?; (vii) Making Humanitarian Response more Flexible: Responding to Context; (viii) Heart Head Healing in South Asia; (ix) Flexibility First: Why Flexibility is Essential in Humanitarian Work; (x) Landscape Planning for Risk Reduction and Resilience Building; (xi) Humanitarian Action: INGOs and State Flexibility; (xii) Emergency Response Network for Road Safety in Leh; and (xiii) Insights on Making Humanitarian Response More Flexible.

Some of the best thinkers, researchers, experts, and activists, including Alice Obrecht, ALNAP, UK; and Mihir R. Bhatt with AIDMI Team; Isabella Jean, Director, CDA Collaborative Learning, Cambridge, USA; Loreine B. Dela Cruz, Executive Director, Center for Disaster Preparedness Foundation, Philippines; Safa Fanaian, DPhil Candidate, School of Geography and The Environment, Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development, UK; Abhishek Pandey, Development Studies, Gujarat, India; Ankush Seth, Executive Director, Asian Heritage Foundation, New Delhi; Sarwar Bari, National Coordinator, Pattan Development Organisation, Islamabad, Pakistan; Helena Hurd, Routledge Editor – Development Studies, UK; and Dr. Henna Hejazi, Manager, Pragya India, Gurgaon, India

Theme: Humanitarian, Risk Resilience, Climate Change, DRR, Adaptiveness

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Trans-Boundary Early Warning Systems in Asia

Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 180, January 2019:

AIDMI's publication of Southasiadisasters.net is titled "Trans-Boundary Early Warning Systems in Asia" and focuses on the important theme of regional cooperation for DRR in Asia. Community based TB-EWS for flood risk have been given special importance in this issue because of their significance in South Asia. Such systems enable local communities to utilise local resources and capacities to prepare and respond to and enhance their resilience to flooding risk. Some of the other relevant themes explored in this issue include livelihood recovery, economic cost of climate change and protecting children in emergencies.

This issue's contents includes: (i) The Context of Trans-Boundary Early Warning System; (ii) ADPC's Role in Trans-Boundary Early Warning Systems and Risk Management in the Asia-Pacific Region; (iii) Transcending Boundaries to Build Resilience; (iv) Trans-Boundary Early Warning System: Emerging Perspectives at 4th World Congress on Disaster Management; (v) Roles of Local Authority in Trans-Boundary Early Flood Warning System: A View; (vi) The Success of Community–Based Trans-Boundary Flood Early Warning Systems; (vii) Reaching the Most Vulnerable Riverine Communities in Mahakali Basin: Community-based Flood Early Warning Systems; (viii) Regional Platform for Multi Hazards Early Warning System and Improved Community Resilience to Natural Disasters in South Asia; (ix) Delhi Declaration on Regional Platform; (x) Filling the Gap: Spaces that Protect and Nurture Children in Emergencies; (xi) Collective Action Integral to Trans-boundary Risk Governance; (xii) Crisis Management Beyond the Humanitarian-Development Nexus; (xiii) Economic Cost of Neglecting Climate Change in Local Planning; (xiv) Kerala Floods Loss and Damage: Some Estimates; and (xv) Floods in Kuttanad: Impact on Livelihoods.

Some of the best thinkers, researchers, experts, and activists, including Mihir R. Bhatt with AIDMI Team; Hans Guttman, Executive Director, ADPC; Atiq Kainan Ahmed, Senior Program Manager, ADPC, Thailand; Dr. Neera Shrestha Pradhan, Senior Water and Adaptation Specialist, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal, and Sanjay Pandey, Executive Director, Yuganter, Bihar, India; Rajan Subedi, Team Leader, Trans-boundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA), Oxfam, Nepal; Animesh Prakash, TROSA, Oxfam India; Nithi Nesadurai, Regional Coordinator, Climate Action Network South–East Asia; Vijeta Rattani, Programme Manager, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, India; and D. Nandakumar, Professor (retd.), Kerala University, Kerala, India.

Theme: Early Warning System, Disaster Management, Climate Change, Floods Recovery, Loss and Damage, Humanitarian

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Disaster Risk Reduction in World Economy

Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 179, December 2018

AIDMI's publication of Southasiadisasters.net is titled "Disaster Risk Reduction in World Economy" and focuses on the important theme of loss and damage incurred by assets due to disasters. This issue also provides a compendium of best practices and initiatives such as country-wide risk transfer programmes that provide a coping mechanism to the respective economies when faced with massive loss and damage from disasters. Another interesting theme explored in this issue is the unfair structure of climate finance that can potentially keep developing countries in a perpetual debt trap. 

This issue's contents includes: (i) Active Risk Transfer and Insurance Initiatives; (ii) Livelihood After Disaster: Planning in Flood Affected Kerala; (iii) Dynamic Accountability of Global Disaster Risk Reduction Measures: A View for Dialogue; (iv) Disaster Risk Reduction in Rural Economy: View from NIRD; (v) Do Disasters or Climate Change Lead Adapting Countries to Debt Crisis?; (vi) Reducing Disaster Loss and Damages in Malaysia; (vii) Building Community Resilience through Participatory Groundwater Management (PGWM) Approach.

Some of the best thinkers, researchers, experts, and activists, including Mihir R. Bhatt with AIDMI Team; Dr. V. Suresh Babu, and Dr. Basavaraj Patil, National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad, India; Isabella Dahl Kormilitzine, Director, Debt Justice Norway; Hafiz Amirrol, Building Resilient Communities Programme Development and Operations, MERCY, Malaysia; and Surbhi Arul, Nisha Subramanian, and Harshvardhan Dhawan, Arghyam, Bengaluru, India. 

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/bp855buhcywqjm5/179%20Snet%20Disaster%20Risk%20Reduction%20in%20World%20Economy.pdf?dl=0

Avoidable Deaths: A Way Ahead

Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 178, November 2018

AIDMI's publication of Southasiadisasters.net is titled "Avoidable Deaths: A Way Ahead" and tries to highlight the importance of reducing disaster mortality. Even the global level policy instrument Sendai Framework that guides the actions of nations in disaster management has enshrined "substantial reduction disaster mortality" as a veritable target to be pursued by its 185 signatory countries. This issue explores the theme of avoidable deaths in disaster si

tuations in an inter-disciplinary and systemic way. Disasters are often complex phenomena that impact the world in a variety of adverse ways. The possible triggers that can lead to large-scale death and destruction have been explored in this issue. This issue is also a valuable resource to researchers, practitioners and students interested in expanding their understanding on this particular theme.

This issue's contents includes: (i) Moving Towards Avoidable Deaths; (ii) Incentivizing Transparency, Expediting Humanitarian Assistance, and Strengthening Civil Society; (iii) Women take the Lead: Turning Crises into an Opportunity for Development; (iv) Disaster Risk Reduction – Save the Nature and Nature will Nurture you; (v) How Can Asia Address Avoidable Deaths?; (vi) Why Zero Mortality in Schools is a Myth; (vii) Non–Traditional Approaches to Finance for Disaster Recovery: A Few Examples for Consideration; and (viii) Impacting Lives through Skilling.

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/ztz45taqeknm8cb/178%20Snet%20Avoidable%20Deaths.pdf?dl=0

Interplay of Disaster Risk, Climate Change, and Uncertainty

Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 177, November 2018

AIDMI's publication of Southasiadisasters.net is titled "Interplay of Disaster Risk, Climate Change, and Uncertainty" and highlights how the uncertainty related with disaster risk and climate change marginalizes at-risk communities by posing a serious threat to their overall development outcomes.

Not only does this uncertainty manifest itself in different ways, it is also perceived by different people differently. For instance, there is a big gap in the way scientists and climate experts and at-risk communities perceive this uncertainty. While experts rely on quantitative models and projections, they are far removed from the lived experiences of at-risk communities who bear a disproportionate burden of the adverse impacts of this climate uncertainty.

This issue's contents includes: (i) Interplay of Disaster Risk, Climate Change, and Uncertainty; (ii) Migration — A Last Resort or An Adaptation Measure: A Case Study from Sri Lanka; (iii) Shifting from Climate Change to Catalyzing Community Change — A View; (iv) Uncertainty and Sundarbans Communities: A View from Bangladesh; (v) Anthropology of Uncertainty Among the 'Tribes' in India: A View; (vi) Communicating Climate Change and Mobilising Action: The Role of Faith Traditions and Human Rights; (vii) Erosion and Displacement — The Uncertainty in Indian Sundarban Delta (ISD); (viii) It is Possible, It is Right, It is the Future: Just Transition to a Green Economy; and (ix) Disaster Preparedness: A Shift in Paradigm.

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/dfa28wf3360xn3m/177%20Snet%20Interplay%20of%20Disaster%20Risk%20Climate%20Change.pdf?dl=0 

Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction: Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives in India

Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 176, October 2018:

AIDMI's publication of Southasiadisasters.net is titled "Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction: Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives in India" focuses on the theme of CSR led projects in India that have had a tremendous impact on the lives of marginalized communities and victims of humanitarian crises.

The emergence of CSR as a major player in India's humanitarian landscape is welcome because it has secured much needed financial resources for activities of social development which were earlier undertaken by cash strapped civil society organizations. CSR has also helped in improving the professionalism in and service delivery of social welfare programmes and projects.

This issue highlights some of the laudable work done by major CSR entities like the HCL Foundation, IBM India Pvt. Ltd., Essel Group, IL&FS Services Ltd, etc. Responding to and planning for disasters and other emergencies has emerged to be a major focus area for CSR. This issue highlights how CSR can be leveraged to build the resilience of at-risk people and communities.

This issue's contents includes: (i) Does CSR Matter to DRR?; (ii) Transformative Interventions of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited for Community Empowerment; (iii) A Community of Practice for Teacher Professional Learning and Student Learning Resources; (iv) IIFCL Smart Village—Borsimaluguri (Assam); (v) Mobilising Corporate Social Responsibility Across the Country by Magma Fincorp Ltd.; (vi) CSR Activities of Nava Bharat Ventures Ltd.; (vii) Standing with Communities in Need: HCL Foundation's Journey in Capacity Building on Humanitarian Actions, DRR, and Resilience; and (viii) Nurturing Young Seeds: An Initiative of Essel Group.

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/qi5autbaa3c8n1w/176%20Snet%20on%20CSR%20in%20India.pdf?dl=0