Disaster Risk Reduction and Management: FSP311’, one of the foundational modules offered to Year III BA Social Work. In this module, we will be introduced to knowledge and skills on the contemporary approaches to disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM). We will discuss how we can identify risk, do an assessment and reduce the impact of disaster through prevention, preparedness, and mitigation. We will discuss some of the major social work interventions in the reduction and management of disaster and carry out some practical on Hazard Hunting, Preparing Disaster Profile, Developing Contingency Plan, and First and Fire Safety demonstration.
TASK 1
Every house has a choesham (altar) entirely made of wood. Generally the altars will have carvings kept attached to the walls standing in house. It is considered as risky in the house during natural hazards like earthquakes. Considering the location and as proven by the past earthquakes, earthquake is the one of the most imminent hazards in Bhutan. Most of the people now understanding the disaster it would give if if they carelessly place the things without any protections. So they tie every corner of alter with the rope inorder to prevent it from falling down and hitting people near it.
HAZARD:
Basically, a hazard is the potential for harm or an adverse effect. For example above picture of Choesham, the Alter standing or attached to wall had potential to fall down and harm or hit people sitting or standing near it when natural disasters attacks. So the Alter in the room is hazardous.
DISASTER:
More precisely, disaster is an event whose timing is unexpected and whose consequences are seriously destructive.
Like in above picture when the earthquake shakes alter would fall down if it's not hang properly. When it fall down it would cause injuries to human even death.
VULNERABILITY:
Vulnerability is a weakness or some area where you are exposed or at risk. Since earthquake is natural hazards we couldn't predict when it would attack so people didn't know that alter in their room would cause disaster when earthquake shakes.
Man-made disasters have an element of our human intent, negligence, or error involving a failure of a man-made system, as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards. Such man-made disasters in home like keeping unbalanced tables and showcase, hanging heavy materials from walls and keeping electric wires didn't connect properly are are hazards that would cause disasters in near future if it's not managed well.
TASK 2
Assignment- first Assignment on Community Hazard hunting and mitigation measure.
Acknowledgement
The success and final outcome of this assignment required a lot of guidance and assistance from many people and I extremely fortune to have got this all along the completion of my assignment work. Whatever I had done is only due to such guidance and assistance and I would not forget to thank them, I respect and thank Module tutor, Sir Ramesh Chhetri for giving me an opportunity to do this assignment work and providing us all support and guidance which made me complete the assignment on time.
The completion of this undertaking could not have been possible without the participation and assistance of so many people whose names may not all be enumerated. Villagers of Yallang village had helped me to get the idea of the particular concept. Their contributions are sincerely appreciated and gratefully acknowledge especially my family for helping me out to get the information’s.
To all relatives, friend and others who in one way or another shared their support.
I thank you.
Introduction
Yallang village, is one of the village under Trashiyangtse Dzongkhag in eastern Bhutan. Yallang is place favorable for rice and maize cultivation but side by side people used to cultivate different types of crops and vegetables for sell and self-consumption. Moreover Yallang village has the largest area under rice cultivation as it is one of the principal food crops. It is, in fact, the dominant crop of the village. However in the year 2022 village experienced huge damage to their crops and their belongings when strong hailstorm hit on them. Crops are destroyed by the storm and the some point house roof were blown away. People had been panicked through whole year since rice is one of the chief grains of Yallang village followed by maize.
Hail is a form of solid precipitation consists of irregular lumps of ice which is known as a hailstone according to the dictionary. Many people in Yallang village do not know about the dangers of hailstorms which is very unsafe. Not knowing this would result in many severe injuries and even death so that’s why knowing about these types of storms and letting villagers know about them could be lifesaving for them. When I ask some villagers what to do when a hailstorm comes, and a hailstorm does come the people simply reply that they don’t know since nobody told them to be safe during the hailstorm.
So to spread awareness about this this kind of natural disaster which could cause death to both human and animal I had develop some mitigation projects of Hailstorm under this write-up. Had developed some recommendations on the preventive measures that can be implement both on individual and the village level.
Hailstorm damages crop and property in Yallang village, Trashiyangtse in 2020.
Most people in Yallang village are farmers. They grow rice and vegetables once a year. Hail is one of the most feared weather in Yallang village as well as other areas because it has the potential to destroy plants, trees, crops, animals and even to human life upon impact if it’s strong. It will adversely effect on our ecosystem if the damage is severe. Most of the humans are able to seek shelter when a hail storm hits however, if you’re unable to run for cover this disaster would injure or even kill people. Birds, livestock and other animals are unable to seek proper shelter during this kind of weather, and they are left helpless.
It was in 2020 where acres of paddy (rice) and maize fields were damaged by hailstorm in Yallang village under Trashiyangtse Dzongkhag. Paddy is the main cash crop of Yallang village. People said that some had also lost house roofs too. People said that the nature disasters like windstorm, heavy rainfall and hailstone are common in the villages but during that time people are worried about their livelihood that year 2020. Since Rice is the first staple food in Yallang followed by maize and it also destroyed vegetables and other fruits that year.
It was during mid-September that is in fall (autumn) just before the harvest time of rice. All the grains where destroyed by hailstorm.
As per the knowledge and concept of villagers in Yallang it is said that due to the polluted air released into the space they are receiving hailstorm. Like people burn plastics and other unwanted materials, when it's burnt the polluted smoke goes to the sky and the disaster is said to be occurred.
Damages
Paddy plants remain in their fields but stripped off their grains, plants look like a herd of cattle have trampled on them since the plants are all crushed their grains fall down. People in Yallang village cultivate rice in large scale so that the crop provides enough to provide rations for family for years. People usually does not have to buy any rice they even sell rice since it's considered special and delicious rice type.
But in 2020 year few villagers had to as the hailstorm destroyed most of the paddy crop. Besides crops, farm road were also affected with drains being damaged and some portions of the road getting blocked in Yallang.
Impact
Villagers thought were all shattered since all they had is now gone. Villagers are both psychologically and economically affected. Villagers worked so hard and everything was destroyed when it was ready for harvest. Villagers said they used to experience strong winds and rain every year but that year’s was devastating as it also brought with it hailstone. During the incident few other villages were also hit by the hailstone, but there were no major damages. Villagers had been shocked to see the intensity of the damages on the paddy. Everybody stayed in fearing the storm that day. Since rice are sensitive to hail once they are damaged, there is no hope of regeneration it is not like maize. Rice is the main cash crop. Since hailstorm damaged everything. People are disheartened and worried as to what are we going to eat and how to meet expenditure for children that year.
Measures
The gewog administration and agriculture extension officers of Yallang gewog had assessed the damages and as a condolences of loss they provided sum of money as per the number of decimal hailstorm had destroyed and some amount for house roof blown away. Villagers said that they are experiencing more and more natural disasters in the village but they didn't take measures after the hazards.
Prevention
We cannot entirely avoid disasters, but we can prepare for and address them to the villagers who are unknown about it. We will be able to save lives and lessen the impact. So knowing that we can't stop natural phenomena from happening but we can make them less damaging if we understand better of why it happen, and what we can do to prevent or mitigate them.
Since people are partly responsible for disasters happening, villagers of Yallang village must get to know its own features and surroundings that is the natural environment as well as environment built by villagers. That will be the way for a community to manage the hazards that surround it and to reduce its own vulnerability to these hazards.
Mitigation
Mitigation is to reduce the risk of Hailstorms it can cause injury to people and animals. It will cause a heavy damage to the house and crops. Villagers who work and live outdoors, people who are not aware of the storm are usually vulnerable to hailstorm.
Since Hailstorm is common in Yallang village, I think we can minimize hail damage with some measures and mitigate it seriously. So I had developed recommendation about the preventive measures that can be implemented at the individual, as well as the village levels which are listed below.
Inspect house roof for damage and repair if there is any problem to stop blown away by the storm.
Not burning the chemicals and plastics
Store furniture and outdoor accessories in an enclosed space to stop from other disasters.
Stay indoors and away from windows, glass doors and also avoid finding shelter under trees like most of the villagers do in the village.
If your property is impacted by a hail storm Document the damage as soon as possible like taking photos or make a video.
Hailstorms are expected only during certain seasons like February, march, September and October. So we must need to arrange the awareness programmes to people about how to get shelter from Hailstorm when they are outdoors. I think that some kind of warnings need to be issued via televisions, social media if it is forecasted by the weather department and it is necessary to have people , house and other things like vehicles protected from the damage caused by hailstorm since we can’t protect our crops outside.
People in Yallang village must be educated about the disaster. People must gain knowledge through which they can protect themselves from the hailstorm that is the buildings in hailstorm prone areas must be designed in such a way that withstand hailstorm. Proper parking areas must be provided, roofs must be strong enough to withstand the force of hailstorm.
Conclusion
Hailstorms is extremely dangerous, and it is very important to understand how to be safe when it occurs because it severely affect the areas around them, it can cause many injuries and affect villager’s lives in village. Hailstorms are frequent occurrences that usually don't cause extensive damage. However, a severe storm can cause significant damage to our house, property, cattle and crops. If people follow some simple precautions to prepare for a hailstorm they will be able to keep themselves safe and minimize the damage too.
However we can minimize the damage with some measures and mitigate by developing preventive measures that can be implemented at the individual as well as in the village level.
Although we cannot entirely avoid the disasters but we can prepare for and address them to the villagers who are unknown about it. We will be able to save lives and lessen the impact. So knowing that we can't stop natural phenomena from happening but we can make them less damaging in near future.
References.
BBS. (2020, September 24). Overnight stroms destroy crops in Trashiyangtse. Retrieved from https://kuenselonline.com/protecting-weavers-and-designers/.
Dorji,N. (2020, October 8).Hailstorms damage crop in Tashiyangtse. Retrieved from https://www.rtabhutan.org/.
TASK 3
Disaster ?
It's during the several year time frame, disasters have continued to disturb the well being and safety of people around the world where being affected badly. People have lost their lives, injured and made homeless as a result of different types of disasters. It has been affected in various ways both women and children are displaced by disaster and people in vulnerable situations are affected. Economic loss was also unbearable.
So in order to reduce disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries over the next 15 years they adopted a new framework for Disaster Reduction in 2015.
Popularly known as the land of Gross National Happiness, Bhutan is particularly threatened by floods, landslides, fire and earthquake several times.
From my point of view among the four Priorities for Action I think Priority number four which says enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction seems lagging behind.
The reason behind stating that is around 720 hectares that is 7200000 square meters of land has burned so far in 2021.
Forest fires in Bhutan are usually caused by human activities such as burning, smoking and campfires. Some cases are caused by electric short circuits. Actually the people should be aware that lessons learned from past disasters would further strengthen disaster preparedness, take action and ensure that capacities are in place for effective response and recovery in all levels. Instead of it people just ignore it and carelessly cause forest fires. We couldn't regenerate the animals and plants that were killed leading to loss of spices and even trees that were burnt during forest fires. They cannot regrow so the government should look upon and amend some kind of strict rules upon these disasters.
Thanking you!!!
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