Rainwater Harvesting Systems as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Tool for Drought and Flood Prone Areas of Sri Lanka

This article stresses the significance of recognising interdependencies between factors determining disaster risk in any attempts to integrate disaster risk reduction in international development cooperation. It bases its arguments on the case studies of four past projects in Sri Lanka and Tajikistan, which are scrutinised using a theoretical framework based on systems approaches. It appears that the results of ignoring interdependencies may (1)cause sub-optimisation problems where the desired outcome is not reached as the factor focused on and/or the desired outcome are dependent on other factors, and (2) make it difficult or impossible to monitor and evaluate the actual effects of international development cooperation projects in disaster risk reduction.

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IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION PHILOSOPHIES INTO INFRASTRUCTURE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN SRI LANKA

Journal of Civil Engineering and Management ◽

10.3846/13923730.2012.723322 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 685-700

Author(s):

Roshani Palliyaguru ◽

Dilanthi Amaratunga ◽

Richard Haigh

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Risk Reduction ◽

Emergency Preparedness ◽

Disaster Risk Reduction ◽

Disaster Risk ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Vulnerability Reduction ◽

Study Approach ◽

Important Solution

Major impacts on infrastructures due to natural and man-made hazards could result in secondary and additional impacts, compounding the problem for those communities already affected by the hazard. Integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR) philosophies into infrastructure projects has been an important solution to mitigate and prevent such disaster risks, as well as for a speedy recovery after disasters. “Vulnerability reduction” is defined by the research community as an enabler which facilitates the process of DRR. However, there is a research need to identify the most beneficial DRR strategies that would result in vulnerability reduction in an effective way. As part of this main aim, this paper seeks to explore the nature of various vulnerabilities within infrastructure reconstruction projects and their respective communities and to evaluate the DRR practises within these projects. Finally the paper attempts to map the effects of integration of DRR into infrastructure reconstruction on vulnerability reduction of infrastructure reconstruction projects and the communities which benefited from such projects. This study adopts the case study approach and the paper is entirely based on data collated from semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey conducted within one case study (a water supply and sanitation reconstruction project) in Sri Lanka and expert interviews conducted in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Results reveal that emergency preparedness strategies are the most important group of DRR strategies, while physical/technical strategies are also very important. However, none of the emergency preparedness strategies are satisfactorily implemented, while most of the physical/technical strategies are adequately implemented.

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DEVELOPING CAPACITIES FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: CAPACITY ANALYSIS IN SRI LANKA

International Journal of Strategic Property Management ◽

10.3846/ijspm.2010.22 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 287-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Kanchana Ginige ◽

Dilanthi Amaratunga ◽

Richard Haigh

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Built Environment ◽

Risk Reduction ◽

Disaster Risk Reduction ◽

Capacity Development ◽

Disaster Risk ◽

Regulatory Structure ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Environment Capacity ◽

Stage Analysis

This paper introduces a framework for capacity development for disaster risk reduction in the built environment. The framework was developed as a part of an ongoing research which aims to strengthen the capacities of individuals and institutions in the built environment to ensure that disaster risk reduction meets its mission and goals in a sustainable way. It is presented as a matrix that identifies four stages of capacity development against six groups of stakeholders in the built environment. The stages and the stakeholder groups were derived through a series of expert interviews and a comprehensive literature review. The four stages are named as Analysis, Creation, Utilisation and Retention. This paper in its latter sections focuses on the first stage, Analysis, and presents some of the initial findings of the research. Analysis attempts to capture capacity gaps in the relevant context in order to identify required capacity development. The study reviews literature on Sri Lanka and discusses such capacity gaps. Problems in the regulatory structure, deficiencies in necessary laws and regulations including problems in their implementation, and lack of required resources and skills have been identified as the major capacity gaps in the country. Santruka Šiame darbe pristatoma sistema, leidžianti ugdyti gebejima mažinti nelaimiu keliama rizika užstatytoje aplinkoje. Sistema sudaryta vykdant nuolatini tyrima, kuriuo siekiama didinti užstatytoje aplinkoje veikiančiu individu ir instituciju gebejimus, idant nelaimiu keliamos rizikos mažinimas darniai atitiktu jo misija ir tikslus. Sistema pateikiama kaip matrica, kuria sudaro keturi gebejimu ugdymo etapai ir šešios užstatytoje aplinkoje veikiančios interesu grupes. Etapai ir interesu grupes buvo nustatytos apklausiant ekspertus ir išsamiai apžvelgiant literatūra. Keturi etapai pavadinti “Analize”, “Kūrimas”, “Panaudojimas” ir “Išlaikymas”. Tolesnese šio darbo dalyse aptariamas pirmasis etapas “Analize” ir pateikiamos kelios pradines tyrimo išvados. Analize siekiama užfiksuoti atitinkamame kontekste esančias gebejimu spragas, kad būtu aišku, kuriuos gebejimus reikia ugdyti. Tyrime apžvelgiama literatūra apie Šri Lanka ir aptariamos tokios gebejimu spragos. Nustatyta, kad pagrindines šalies gebejimu spragos yra šios: problemos reglamentavimo struktūroje, būtinu istatymu ir reglamentu trūkumai, iskaitant ju igyvendinimo problemas, ir reikiamu ištekliu bei igūdžiu stoka.

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