Discuss key aspects of Community Based Disaster Management.

Community and Community Based Organisations

As per Cambridge dictionary, a community is “the people living in one particular area or people who are considered as a unit because of their common interests, social groups or nationality”. They are the group of individuals and households

residing in a similar location. In the context of disaster risk reduction (DRR), community is a set of people who are exposed to the same hazard. Communities can identify their own vulnerability and they also make best decisions for their well-being. However, as observed by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), “in every community. knowledge, professional abilities, and experience fashioned from adversity can be found, but seldom are these resources called upon or fully utilised”. Thus, community has a major role to play in managing the disasters and its role in disaster management becomes pertinent because of the following reasons:

• ·         The community comprising the people at the local level are the direct sufferers of a disaster, irrespective of the fact that whether a disaster is severe or mild; when a disaster strikes, they are the main stakeholders and they have more to lose in the attermath of a disaster:
• ·         Community members are the first set of people to become vulnerable:
• ·         The community has a lot to lose ifthey do not address their own vulnerability; At the same time, they gain the most by reducing the impact of disasters on their community.

 

In handling disasters, the community is thus put at the forefront. which has led to the emergence of community based disaster management. Community can handle a disaster situation in a better way, if they are organised as a group and they have various advantages, when their efforts are mobilised together. Organised effort of a community is more beneficial because of various reasons, which include:

• ·         Immense volunteering capacity of a community;
• ·         Innate ability of the community to understand local needs;
• ·         Increased awareness on the most vulnerable sections of their community;
• ·         Built-in credibility with the local members:
• ·         Access to remote social groups that generally do not have interaction with government officials;
• ·         Power of persuasion and community influence; and
• ·         Ability to make decision outside the government processes.

 

As a result ofall these reasons, community based organisations are effective instruments to handle disaster situation. To put it in simple terms, Community Based Organisations (CBOs) are organisations that are created by the people within the local community which operates, monitors, and controls their own activities. These organisations work without the interference of the government and private institutions. It includes community members, elected Panchayati Raj representatives, village administrative/ development officer, women and youth collectives, Gram Sewak, Anganwadi workers and self-help group members. As discussed earlier, they have tremendous potential, not only in handling a disaster situation, but also in making disaster risk assessment.

Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (2004) defines Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM), as an approach that “seeks to actively engage at-risk communities in the identification, analysis, implementation, monitoring and evacuation of disaster risks in order to reduce their vulnerabilities and enhance their capacities”. In the Indian context, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) (2014) states “where communities are equipped and prepared, disasters clearly have much lesser impact, especially in terms of the loss of lives”. Further it regards CBDM as an approach to “build the capacity of communities to assess their vulnerability to both human induced and natural hazards and develop strategies and resources necessary to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of identified hazards as well as respond, rehabilitate. and reconstruct following its onset™. The International Institute for Disaster Risk Management (IIDRM) views CBDM as “an approach that involves direct participation of the people most likely to be exposed to hazards. in planning, decision-making. and operational activities at all levels of disaster management responsibility”.

 

The above definitions highlight the importance of communities in planning and implementation of disaster risk management. Apparently the definitions also clarify that it is important to enhance community capabilitics, which will help in reducing the vulnerabilities at grass root level. The knowledge. skills and attitude towards a disaster situation at the local level will help the communities during disasters and also increase the preparedness level.

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