Promoting Urban Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation: Making Asian Cities Safer

1. Promoting Urban Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation: Making Asian Cities Safer By A.J. Rego & Arambepola (ADPC) 7th IIASA-DPRI Forum Coping with Disaster: Challenges for the 21st Century and Beyond 20th September 2007 - Stresa, Italy

2. Growing Cities at Risk from Natural and Technological Hazards • By 2004 half world’s population living in urban areas • At least 80% of population growth in the 1990s occurred in urban areas • 17of the 20 largest cities in the world are in developing countries - many exposed to EQ, landslide, flooding hazard • 25 largest cities have over 8 mill. inhabitants • Average number of victims in disaster is 150 times greater in developing world mega city than in a developed country mega city • Road accidents, industrial, chemical and transport accidents are a growing threat

3. Cities are vulnerable to disaster risk because of - • Rapid urbanization • Rural - urban migration • Growing population - already stretched resources • Poor living standards - build without consideration of safety (time pressures) + in hazard prone areas • Lack of public awareness to hazards/risks • Building codes are poorly enforced or non-existent • Environmental degradation - resource depletion - lowers resilience

4. Cities are vulnerable to disaster risk because of - (2) • Increased risk of industrial/technological hazards - (secondary impacts eg. fire/radiation) • Densely packed housing - health risk • Disruption to draining channels due to uncontrolled urban growth - flooding • Inadequate management or provision of services - waste + sewage disposal, clean water access… • The poor building informal settlements on low quality land; which are important …. banks

5. Vulnerability of the Asian Region Asia is famous for its great diversities and also for disparities . Half of the total world population live in Eight disaster prone countries China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand

6. Top Two Worst Disasters in Asia 2004 • Typhoon Nanmadol, Philippines (November) winds of 220 km/hr - at least 412 deaths • Indian Ocean Tsunami and EQ (December) - Affecting: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives - death toll at least 212,000

7. Top Two Worst Disasters in Asia in 2006 The 2 deadliest disasters of 2006 were both in Asia -Indonesian EQ (May) killing 5,778 -Typhoon Durian (Philippines, Dec.) killing 1,399

8. Exposure (People/year)> 100'000     10'000 - 10'000     1'000 - 10'000     100 - 1'000     10 - 100 Earthquake Vulnerability in Asia

9. Earthquakes in Asia • The Pacific rim experiences 90% of all the world’s earthquakes. • In 1976, China had the most deadly earthquake ever known. It killed 800,000 people. • More than 50 cities in Asia with a population greater than 1,000,000 are at significant risk for an earthquake. • Recent major events are Iran in 2003, Indonesia in 2004,2005,2006, Pakistan in 2005,

10. Exposure (People/Year) > 100'000     10'000 - 100'000     1'000 - 10'000     100 - 1'000     10 - 100 Flood Vulnerability in Asia

11. Flooding in Asia • The year 2000 saw the worst flooding in 60 years for Vietnams’ Mekong Delta region, 40 years for Cambodia, 35 years for Laos, and in a century for western Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. • Year 2007 August Floods in India, Nepal and Bangladesh caused significant economic losses • Recent events in 2007 show major threat is from flash floods which is evident from Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Philippines

12. Exposure (People/year) > 100'000     10'000 - 100'000     1'000 - 10'000     100 - 1'000     10 - 100 Cyclones/Typhoon Exposure in Asia

13. Cyclones/Typhoons in Asia • There were 95 major storms in SE Asia and the Pacific regions between 1980-2000. • Since 1970, cyclones have killed an estimated 1.5 million in Bangladesh. • The October 1999 storm surge in Orissa, India, affected 15 million people, killed 9,500 people, destroyed 3 million homes, and left seven million people homeless. • Recent major events were in Karachci Pakistan in 2007, Vietnam and Philippines in 2006

14. Volcano Occurrence

15. Volcanoes in Asia • Of the 16 largest eruptions in the last two centuries, five occurred in Asia. Three of these, all in Indonesia, killed 130,000 people. • The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 was the second largest eruption of the 20th century. • The Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea are all at significant risk for volcanic eruptions. Mt. Pinatubo 1991

16. Asian Cities at Risk • 37% of Asia’s population lived in cities by 2000; this will rise to 60% by 2025 • More than 50 citiesin Asia with a population greater than 1,000,000are at significant risk from an EQ • Rural to urban migration accounts for 64% of city growth in Asia • Of the 10 largest Asian cities; 7 are prone to multi hazard risks and are awaiting a catastrophic event

17. Making Cities Safer • Promote householdvulnerability reduction measures • Build capacity of local government + emergency services • Decentralization of resources + decision making • Democratic means of DRR planning • Build capacity of community/social groups • Create institutional framework for action • Enforce appropriate building codes + urban planning guidelines • Hazard assessments - physical/social/economic • Environmental management

18. UN-HABITAT Agenda 1996 Agenda actions for disaster prevention: • Appropriate laws & standards for land use, building & planning • Encourage multi stakeholder participation in DM planning especially vulnerable eg. elderly/disabled • Continued mobilization of domestic & international resources for DRR activities • Distribute information on disaster resistant construction methods for public works etc. • Facilitate voluntary move of people to less disaster prone areas -ensuring access for all

19. UN-HABITAT Agenda 1996 (2) • Training on disaster resistant construction for builders/designers/contractors • Upgrade resistance of current infrastructure/critical facilities • Risk mapping and vulnerability assessments • Community focused vulnerability reduction programs • Improve information dissemination on potential hazards • Strengthen technological, scientific & engineering capacity for monitoring -EWS • Decentralization of authority & resources to enable capacity building for greater resilience

20. Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program (AUDMP) 1995-2004 Implemented by ADPC in 20 secondary cities of 8 countries- Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand Aim: reduce disaster vulnerability of urban populations, infrastructure & lifeline facilities & shelter in Asia • facilitate development of sustainable mechanisms for disaster mitigation • build capacity of all stakeholders to mitigate disaster risks • promote replication and adaptation of successful mitigation measures elsewhere

21. AUDMP Project Locations Safer Cities 12: Demonstration Housing Construction for Landslide and Flood Prone Areas (Sri Lanka)

22. Why Secondary Cities are a Priority for DRR Programs Secondary versus Mega Cities - • Greater vulnerability - from rapid uncontrolled urbanization • High migration rates -greater need for housing & services • Economic growth attracts investment • In mega cities problems difficult to identify & solutions complex to implement • Greater chance of success & measurable change • More manageable communities & simpler institutionally

23. AUDMP Measurable Results • 5 of 8 targeted city emergency preparedness & response plans written or revised • 95% of the 75% targeted public & private sector professionals working with AUDMP initiated disaster mitigation training • 43,000 households benefited from AUDMP sponsored disaster vulnerability reduction activities • 5 regional networks, 209 organizations & 1,760 disaster mitigation professionals participating in AUDMP regional information network -started with 33 organizations only • In 2002 ADPC’s Urban Strategy Asia 2020 expanded ADPC’s outreach from 30 to 100 cities

24. Program for Hydro-Meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE) 2005-2008 Phase I 5 highly vulnerable urbanizing cities: Chittagong (Bangladesh), Hyderabad (Pakistan), Dagupan (Philippines), Kalutara (Sri Lanka) & Da Nang (Vietnam) - linked to watersheds, river basins or at risk coastal belts Aim: to reduce vulnerability of urban communities to hydro- meteorological disasters in S + SEAsia to measurably alleviate human suffering, prevent loss of life, and reduce the potential for physical and economic damage through: • City demonstration projects • Regional + national capacity building • Advocacy for mainstreaming of risk management in urban governance • Regional network + information dissemination

26. PROMISE - Philippines:Dagupan City Problem: reduced capacity of rivers due to heavy rains, upstream bank erosion clogging channel & transport of lahar material - causing floods (eg. 1990) Solutions: Technical Working Group -plan, monitor, document, train and maintain Capacity building of community & authorities Work with stakeholders Risk Communication Plan Institutional change - Disaster Preparedness Day (July 16th)

27. ADPC Urban Strategy Asia 2020 ADPC and partners working with 100 cities to reduce urban vulnerability and build disaster resilient communities through 4 strategies: • Planning and Building Safer Cities • Emergency Management & Response Planning for Cities • Public Awareness Campaigns • Knowledge Development & Capacity Building:

28. Specific Action • ‘How- to’ resource toolkits that translate awareness into action • Specific UDRM focussed courses targeted at city & national officials & private sector developers • Partnerships with urban authorities & regional city networks (Citynet, ICMA, IULA, ICLEZ) • Safer sister city partnerships & network

29. Linking Climate Change to Urban Risk Reduction • Study areas where improvement to governance structure is needed to enhance resilience of the poor communities in the urban coastal low-lying areas • Analyse trends in primary (meteorological) events and secondary impacts (health hazards, slope destabilization etc) in built up areas to assess consequences of sea level rise & impact in urban coastal areas • The scientific community in Asia has not yet undertaken adequate interest in conducting multi- sectoral studies to understand & prepare inventories of the climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems

30. Long Term Strategies for DRR • There is an urgent need to make risk mitigation one of the essential components of urban governance and creating policy, legal and institutional arrangements to ensure safer urban communities • The city level risk maps, using GPS and RS techniques transforming the community knowledge into formal products, can be integrated in other maps to see the changing risk scenario • Ensure access to information by public • Urban community based approach to convert the victimized communities to a resource

31. Long Term Strategies for DRR (2) • Participatory approach for scenario building, risk assessment & action planning can also generate much needed awareness • Ensuring safer housing & shelter, capable of withstanding hazard events, require quality assurance of housing construction and infrastructure as an essential part of urban risk reduction • Making the private sector partner in development means it should also shoulder some responsibility in urban DRR

32. Long Term Strategies for DRR (3) • Activating poor and motivating them to become resilient against natural calamities is an answer to the key issue of poverty reduction • Vulnerability reduction should be integrated into the development process so that it can contribute to sustainability, empowerment & community resilience • Support the implementation aspects of Hyogo Framework of Action & create more awareness about HFA • Advocate strongly for decentralization of disaster risk management functions to local government sector & integrating in other sector based programs as a routine practice to facilitate building safer communities • Mainstream DRR into local governance