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Community Resilience:Sustainable and Inclusive Societies

Annual Report 2018–2019

All India Disaster Mitigation InstituteJuly 2019

Experience Learning Series 75

Title: Community Resilience: Sustainable and Inclusive Societies:Annual Report 2018–2019

ALL INDIA DISASTER MITIGATION INSTITUTE411, Sakar Five, Near Old Natraj Cinema,Mithakhadi Railway Crossing,Ashram Road, Ahmedabad - 380 009, IndiaTele/Fax: +91-79-2658 2962E-mail: bestteam@aidmi.orgWebsite: www.aidmi.org, www.southasiadisasters.net

© All India Disaster Mitigation Institute, July 2019

All photographs in this report by AIDMI.

CONTENTSWelcome by Prabodh Dhar Chakrabarti, Former Executive Director, NIDM, New Delhi 6

Preface by Dr. Gareth Price, Senior Research Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House, London 7

Foreword by Paul Knox Clarke, Head of Research, ALNAP, UK 8

Executive Summary by Mihir R. Bhatt 9

AIDMI and India's National Disaster Management Plan 11

Key Achievements of AIDMI 12

Abbreviations 13

1. AMCDRR 2018 151.1 Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for Implementing SFDRR 151.2 IGNITE Stage Presentation on Integrated DRR 151.3 Panel on "Making Schools Safer in Asia" 171.4 Launch of Publications 17

2. Making Cities Sustainable and Resilient 21

3. Comprehensive School Safety 233.1. Comprehensive School Safety in Gujarat 233.2. Comprehensive School Safety in Chhattisgarh 243.3. Raising Heat Wave, Air Pollution and School Safety Awareness of

Children in Ahmedabad 253.4. Filling the Gap: Spaces that Protect and Nurture Children in Emergencies 25

4. Making Religious Places safer: Risk Management at Dargah Sharif 27

5. Climate Change and Uncertainty 30

6. Air Quality and Poor in Cities 32

7. Humanitarian Encyclopedia for Citizens 34

8. Very Long-term Recovery 35

9. Agroecology, Rural Development and Women Farmers 38

10. Preparedness to Tsunami 39

11. Disaster Risk Reduction and WASH 40

12. Build Back Better in Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction 41

13. Learning Hub 42

14. Humanitarian Lessons of 1947 Partition: Ahmedabad Window 42

15. Way Ahead 43

Annexes:i. Knowledge Products and Information Products of AIDMI 44ii. Policy Dialogue Participation 47iii. AIDMI in the Media 49iv. Board of Trustees 50

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WELCOMEThe All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has evolvedover the years as one of the key institutions of South Asiaengaged in action policy, research and advocacy for buildingdisaster resilient and inclusive communities. Established in theaftermath of droughts of 1987-89 AIDMI has expanded itsnetwork to almost every part of India besides the neighbouringcountries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and SriLanka. It has its footprints in South East Asian countries ofIndonesia and Myanmar and Pacific Island countries of Fiji andSolomon Islands. AIDMI has also played an important role inshaping action plans and research at global, regional, nationaland local levels.

The year 2018-19 remained eventful for the organisation withits focus on 10 key areas of action research for buildingresilience that are aligned with 2030 global developmentagendas as well as national plans for disaster risk management.These include comprehensive school safety and security, urbanresilience, climate change adaptation, mitigation of heat waveand air pollution, protection of children in emergencies, buildingback better, and very long term recovery.

AIDMI worked with the local authorities and the communitieson each of these focus areas in planning, designing,implementing and evaluating programmes for reducing risksand building resilience to disasters. The processes andoutcomes of these action researches in different geographical,socio-economic and cultural contexts have added lot of valuesto our understanding and appreciation of the challenges andopportunities of the implementation of 2030 developmentagendas at the local level where it matters most.

The Annual Report 2018-2019 provides excellent narratives ofall these activities of AIDMI during the year in a single volume.Apart from fulfilling the legal requirement of providing annualoverview of its activities during the year, the report wouldstand out as testimony of serious and honest initiatives madeby a civil society organisation for localising the global agendasof disaster risk reduction in an innovative, participatory, inclusiveand sustainable manner.

– Prabodh Dhar Chakrabarti,Former Executive Director, NIDM, New Delhi, India

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PREFACEAIDMI has been at the forefront of developing community resilience in responseto the threat of disasters. While there is now much greater internationalunderstanding of the best practises in disaster management, on-the-groundthere remains a lot of scope for improvement. At the same time, climatechange, unplanned urbanization and air pollution have emerged to be newerthreats that are exposing a greater number of communities and individuals todisaster risks.

AIDMI's work recognises the need to support those most at risk from disasters,in particular poorer communities, women and children. Its innovative schoolsafety work is important in itself and serves to generate understanding amongthe next generation of the threats they face, and the steps they can take tomitigate the risk. This is imperative. It is only in the relatively recent past thatdisasters have shifted from being seen as being random Acts of God to beingevents with a degree of predictability which can be mitigated against.

Furthermore, AIDMI's approach recognises that a successful approach mustbe hinged on meaningful engagement with at-risk communities. A top-downapproach will not work if communities are unaware of the threats they faceand have knowledge of the steps that they should take in the event of adisaster.

AIDMI also plays a key role as a knowledge hub. While government approachesmay be being harmonised in India, there remain regional variations, withmore disaster-prone states often better prepared than those where disastersare less common. For civil society and non-governmental organisations,however, there is a clear need for shared learning and the dissemination ofbest practise. Sometimes, NGOs in one location are struggling to resolvedisaster-related challenges for which NGOs operating near-by have foundsolutions.

While the focal point of AIDMI's work is disasters, any community-levelengagement serves to engender broader community empowerment andprovides these communities with greater agency going beyond their responsein the event of a disaster.

The success of this approach has led to AIDMI to work in a number ofneighbouring countries in South Asia. In recent years, a number of disastershave struck two or more neighbouring counties in the region, demonstratingthe fact that disasters do not adhere to national boundaries. There is amplescope for the refinement of cross-border early-warning systems, and for sharedlearning between India and its neighbours in best practise. While the countriesof South Asia are frequently keen to stress their sovereignty, disasters donot respect such a notion, and in the vast majority of major cross-borderincidents a shared response would be the most effective.

AIDMI plays an important role contributing to the implementation of the SendaiFramework in India and beyond. Its approach – first understanding thecommunity's own perceptions – provides a model not just for others operatingin the disaster "space" but in many fields of development. I commend itswork and the dedication of its team, and wish it every success for the comingyear.

– Dr. Gareth Price, Senior Research Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme,Chatham House, London

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FOREWORDWelcome to the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute's (AIDMI)Annual Report for 2018-19: Community Resilience – EvolvingSustainable and Inclusive Societies. The report outlines the manyactivities that AIDMI has undertaken over the past year infulfilment of the organisation's mission to bridge the gap betweenpolicy, practice and research on Disaster Mitigation.

On the policy side, AIDMI's work seems in 2019, more relevantthan ever. Recently, the world has been taking increased noticeof the issues which have formed the core of AIDMI programmingfor many years. The UN's 'New Way of Working' calls for enhancedcollaboration between different types of organisation to addressthe underlying drivers of crisis, and in many ways AIDMI embodiesthis aspiration: operating both in the humanitarian anddevelopmental sphere; working directly with actors from inter-governmental organisations to classes of school children; andlooking at the many and diverse facets of vulnerability.

And it is this holistic approach that really stands out whenreading the report. AIDMI's work shows great breadth of vision,working on the multiple factors that contribute to vulnerability ina way which understands the big picture while looking forpractical and specific solutions. So the report outlines AIDMI'swork on Climate Change and Uncertainty – surely the key driverof vulnerability to disasters for all of us, wherever we live – aswell as showing the Institute's work on addressing the socialprocesses that make some people more vulnerable to disastersthan others. It shows an organisation that is looking backwardsto 1947 for lessons in disaster management, and forwards, to2020 and beyond, to consider how to apply these lessons. Andit demonstrates the Institute's commitment to both the ruralenvironment, and to the growing and urgent problems of urbanenvironments and urban resilience.

AIDMI's work is deeply rooted in the reality of India today, butprovides lessons for policy makers and practitioners around theworld. I am sure that you will find much of interest in thisreport, and hope you enjoy reading it, and thinking about theissues involved, as much as I have.

– Paul Knox Clarke, Head of Research,ALNAP and Lead Author, State of the Humanitarian System, UK

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYIn 2018-19, AIDMI undertook the followingactivities that were in sync with the thematicareas of India's NDMP and Sendai Framework.

AIDMI at AMCDRR 2018The Asian Ministerial Conference on DisasterRisk Reduction (AMCDRR) is a biennialconference on DRR that brings together leadersfrom various Asian countries to deliberate andtake decisions regarding risk and resilience inthe Asia-Pacific region. The 2018 edition ofAMCDRR was held in Ullanbaatar, Mongolia. AtAMCDRR 2018, AIDMI provided inputs to thereport, "Progress Review and Way ForwardGender Equality and Social Inclusion forImplementing the Sendai Framework". Similarly,AIDMI also made a presentation on theconvergence of SFDRR, NDCs and SDGs for theirlocal implementation during Ignite stagepresentation. Most importantly, AIDMI sharedvaluable inputs on the panel, "Making SchoolsSafer in Asia".

Promoting Urban Resilience by Making SafeCitiesThere has been an inordinate amount ofattention on evolving 'Smart Cities' in India.However, a safe city that can withstand alldisaster risks has often been relegated to theperiphery of the imagination of India's urbanplanners. In 2018, AIDMI undertook the projectcalled 'Disaster Resilience Scorecard: MakingCities Resilient and Sustainable' with theobjective of building capacity in cities and localgovernments to conduct a baseline assessmenton disaster resilience and develop disaster riskreduction/resilience action plans. This was donein 16 Indian cities. After getting a baseline ofthe hazard profile of their respective cities,the ULBs of these 16 cities would draft aCity Disaster Management Plan (CDMP)based on the recommendations of the reportsubmitted by AIDMI.

Comprehensive School Safety and SecurityChildren are the most vulnerable demographicgroup exposed to the adverse impacts ofdisasters and emergencies. After such extremeevents children are faced all kinds of abuseand rights violation. AIDMI collaborated withUNICEF India as a technical partner on the"Comprehensive School Safety and SecurityProgramme" in Chhattisgarh. Through thisprogramme, UNICEF and AIDMI tried toinstitutionalise comprehensive school safety

and security in the Education, DisasterManagement Authority and Women and ChildWelfare Department in Chhattisgarh. All in all,100 schools from 7 districts in Chhattisgarhwere covered in this exercise. In Gujarat,AIDMI conducted a situational analysis of 250randomly selected schools from 10 hazardprone districts of the state to select 61 highlyvulnerable schools for implementation of schoolsafety measures.

Evolving Spaces that Protect and NurtureChildren in EmergenciesA state level workshop on "Children inEmergencies: Developing State LevelGuidelines for Child Friendly Spaces inEmergencies under National School SafetyPolicy" was organised by the ASDMA andUNICEF, Assam on November 14, 2018 inGuwahati, India. AIDMI offered final productand process related inputs from its work on"Child Friendly Spaces" in India and South Asia.India has the capabilities and resources to setup some of the best CFS after an emergencywhere instead of victims; children can emergeas leaders in managing their own resilience.

2018 Highlights

12 States of India

100 Schools from 7 Districts inChhattisgarh

18100 Students, 183Teachers, 61 Headmasters, 61

Schools, 4 Districts of Gujarat

Community survey in 11 cities

covering 324 citizens andmunicipal officers.

421 stakeholders trained

37 policy dialogue participation

69 Knowledge products

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Raising Heat Wave, Air Pollution and SchoolSafety Awareness of ChildrenAIDMI conducted awareness programmes in sixschools of Ahmedabad to raise awareness ofstudents on Heat Wave, Air Pollution andSchool Safety. A total of 675 childrenparticipated in the programme. The discussionwas facilitated with presentation, videos, anddiscussions. This effort helped to enhance theawareness of children on various types ofemergencies and how to deal with them.

Climate Change UncertaintyIn 2018, AIDMI tried to promote the idea ofclimate change uncertainty in local disastermanagement planning. As part of this effort,AIDMI co-organised 3 roundtables in Kolkata,Mumbai and Surat on the theme of 'ClimateChange, Uncertainty and Transformation'. Thelessons emerging out of these roundtableshave been crystallized into an ExperienceLearning Series by AIDMI.

Air Quality and the Poor in CitiesWorsening air quality is emerging one of thegreatest threats to India. According to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), out of the12 most polluted cities in the world, 11 are inIndia. The worsening air quality in India's citiescan lead to massive health emergency in urbanIndia which will most severely affect thecountry's urban poor. In 2018, AIDMIconducted a vulnerability scoping study inAhmedabad. The study was conducted jointlywith the Birmingham University, UK. AIDMIis integrating air quality risk in its school safetyefforts and local planning actions. It is essentialto understand the perspectives of vulnerablegroups such as children, women, senior citizens,informal businesses, traffic policy, and casuallabors on air pollution. Similarly, AIDMI alsoconducted a survey with 11 cities covering324 citizens and municipal officers on airpollution.

Very Long Term RecoveryAIDMI has provided support to local institutionsat district levels to plan their business withlong term perspectives and keeping communityresilience as an important component. Duringthe year 2018-2019, five districts – Leh,Gandarbal, Kupwara, South Sikkim, Peren –from three states viz. Jammu and Kashmir,Sikkim and Nagaland have been supportedfor long term recovery aspects either throughproject planning or/and business planning.

Preparedness for TsunamiAIDMI facilitated Gujarat State DisasterManagement Authority, Gandhinagar inobservation and documentation of Indian

Ocean-wide tsunami exercise (IOWave18)on September 5, 2018. Gujarat being onwestern coast participated in the exercise ofthe Makran trench scenario on 4th September2018. Indian Tsunami Early Warning System(ITEWS) established at Indian National Centrefor Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)coordinated this exercise in collaboration withMHA, NDMA, NDRF, Navy, Air Force, CoastGuards and stakeholders from state and districtlevel administration. Around 1700 people fromthese villages have been evacuated to a saferplace as part of the mock exercise.

Agroecology, Rural Development and WomenFarmersIn 2018, AIDMI was invited by SEWA andFAO to study the challenges on womenfarmers in rural areas. AIDMI support thisproject through the conduct of analysis studyat organisational and project levels to studythe participatory decision making mechanism,understanding of stakeholder engagement,capturing project progress and planning wayahead, keeping focus on poor and vulnerablewomen members. The studies focused on theagro-ecological interventions. The strategic wayahead developed under the study pushes forachieving SDGs.

Making Religious Places safer: RiskManagement at Dargah SharifPlaces of worship in India have largegatherings. However, there is never an effectivecrowd management plan at such places. AIDMIdecided to conduct a Hazard, Vulnerability andCapacity Assessment (HVCA) at 5 temples and5 mosques to provide the management ofthese places with list of recommendations tosafeguard all pilgrims. These efforts also yieldedin the form of a Crowd Management Plan atAjmer's famous Khwaja Moinuddin ChishtiDargah.

Build Back BetterAIDMI along with Duryog Nivaran and PracticalAction, Nepal and Christian Aid were invited toorganise a session on "Are We Building BackBetter? “Lessons from South Asia DisasterReport" at the Civil Society Policy Forum inAnnual Meetings of World Bank Group. It wasorganised at Bali, Indonesia from October 9 to12, 2018. Representatives from UNICEF, Nepal;UNOSSC – Asia Pacific and Duryog Nivaran joinedthe session. AIDMI and Duryog Nivaran led theprocess. The session concentrated on BBB,highlighting new, alternative disastermanagement measures to improve resilienceof vulnerable communities. It explores initiativesby citizens, state and developmentpractitioners in South Asia.

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Impact

Ever since its inception, the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has taken a lead inbuilding the resilience of India's poor and marginalized communities to the various disaster risksfaced by them. AIDMI's efforts for resilience building have been aligned to the various DRRframeworks and policies such as the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA), Sendai Framework andIndia's National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP). As disaster exposure of communities in Indiais exacerbated by the emergence of newer threats such as heat waves, air pollution, unplannedurbanization and environmental degradation, AIDMI has shifted its approach from focusing solelyon vulnerability to the evolution of resilient communities.

In 2018-19, AIDMI took forward its commitment to building resilient communities by holisticallyworking on cross-cutting themes such as school safety, local planning, long term recovery, climatechange and uncertainty, air pollution, livelihood security and risk transfer and insurance. Takentogether, all these efforts have led to the evolution inclusive and sustainable societies in India.

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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF AIDMI

No. Sendai Priorities

1. A betterunderstanding ofrisk

2. Strengtheneddisaster riskgovernance

3. More investment

4. More effectivedisasterpreparednessand embeddingthe 'build backbetter' principleinto recovery,rehabilitation andreconstruction

Key Achievements

1. Research on 'climate change, uncertainty and transformation'and air quality in 11 cities.

2. Research on the immediate and wide-ranging humanitarianconsequences of 1947 partition massive forced movement ofpeople across what suddenly became international borders withthe research team members from UK, Pakistan and India.

3. 37 policy dialogue participation, Including participation inAMCDRR 2018.

4. Community survey in 11 cities covering 324 citizens andmunicipal officers to build capacity in cities and localgovernments to conduct a baseline assessment on disasterresilience and develop disaster risk reduction/resilience actionplans.

5. Planned Comprehensive School Safety Project (CSSP) withUNICEF in seven districts of Chhattisgarh to ensure that theCSSP is adopted by department of Education, DisasterManagement Authority and Women and Child WelfareDepartment.

6. Provided inputs to the Humanitarian Encyclopedia (HE) in termsof planning and outputs; capturing lessons from India for thedesign of HE.

7. Training and capacity building covering more than 421participants – children, youth, women, teachers, communityleaders, government officials, and researchers.

8. AIDMI designed the business plan for the CLBRC (CommunityLearning and Business Resource Centre) in South Sikkim districtof Sikkim state and Peren district of Nagaland. These CLBRC hasbeen established based on the efforts by the North East RuralLivelihood Project (NERLP) with support from the World Bank.

9. AIDMI has facilitated Gujarat State Disaster ManagementAuthority, Gandhinagar in observation and documentation ofIndian Ocean-wide tsunami exercise (IOWave18) on September5, 2018.

10. AIDMI along with Duryog Nivaran and Practical Action, Nepal andChristian Aid invited to organized a session on "Are We BuildingBack Better? Lessons from South Asia Disaster Report" at CivilSociety Policy Forum in Annual Meetings of World Bank Group.

11. Impact ascertainment is designed to undertake a largepopulation based survey in the Indian state of Kerala, affectedby floods. The study will result in actionable recommendationsfor the public and private sectors for strengthening DRR.

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ABBREVIATIONSAIDMI All India Disaster Mitigation Institute

APSDMA Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority

APSIRD Andhra Pradesh State Institute of Rural Development

ARP Asian Regional Plan

ASDMA Assam State Disaster Management Authority

ASSOCHAM Associated Chambers of Commerce of Industry of India

BSDMA Bihar State Disaster Management Authority

CBOs Community Based Organisations

CCA Climate Change Adaptation

CCDRR Child Centred Disaster Risk Reduction

CDKN Climate and Development Knowledge Network

CRCC Cluster Resource Centre Coordinators

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

CSSSP Comprehensive School Safety and Security

DDMA District Disaster Management Authority

DDMP District Disaster Management Plan

DRM Disaster Risk Management

DRR Disaster Risk Reduction

EMEx Emergency Management Exercise

GIDM Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management

GO Governmental Organisations

GPYVB Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board

GSDMA Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority

HFA Hyogo Framework for Action

NDCs Nationally Determined Contributions

NDMA National Disaster Management Authority

NDMP National Disaster Management Plan

NGOs Non-Governmental Organisations

NIDM National Institute of Disaster Management

OSDMA Odisha State Disaster Management Authority

SDGs Sustainable Development Goals

SDMP Schools Disaster Management Plan

SFDRR Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund

UNISDR United Nations International Strategy of Disaster Reduction

UNOSSC United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation

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1. AMCDRR 2018The Asian Ministerial Conference on DisasterRisk Reduction (AMCDRR) was established in2005. It is a biennial conference jointlyorganised by different Asian countries and theUnited Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction(UNISDR). AMCDRR aims planning andstrengthening implementation of Asian RegionalPlan (ARP) for implementation of the SendaiFramework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR).The ARP focuses on how to reduce disasterrisk at national and local levels. ARP has along term road map of cooperation andcollaboration, spanning the 15-year horizon ofthe SFDRR. Besides, ARP also has a two-yearaction plan to further DRR with specific andactionable activities. This year AMCDRR 2018was organised at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Theresult of AMCDRR 2018, called UlaanbaatarDeclaration argues for translating coherenceof global frameworks into policy and practicesto achieve resilience at national and local levelsacross all sectors of society. AMCDRR 2018suggests achieving results by strengtheninggovernance arrangements and by provingpractical guidance to ensure effective andefficient management of disaster risk.

AIDMI actively participated in AMCDRR 2018.The following key actions reflect AIDMI's actionsfor and with AMCDRR's stakeholders.

1.1 Gender Equality and Social Inclusion forImplementing SFDRR

A report on "Progress Review and Way ForwardGender Equality and Social Inclusion forImplementing the Sendai Framework" wasdeveloped for AMCDRR 2018. The report wasprepared by the Duryog Nivaran, UN Women,ADPC and Christian Aid on behalf of the IAP(ISDR Asia Partnership) Gender StakeholderGroup. AIDMI played a key role in providinginputs, coordination among involved agencies.

The progress review was collected through twoquestionnaires sent to representativegovernments of the IAP and to theorganisations in the Gender Stakeholder Group.Questionnaires were based on therecommended actions, targets and monitoringcriteria stated in the Guidance Note. Theanalysis was based on inputs provided by arepresentative sample of 10 nationalgovernments and 12 non-state agenciesincluding CSOs, the UN and the Red Crossmovement and supported by secondarysources on the subject.

The full version of the report will be availableonline on the websites of UNDRR and theorganisations mentioned.

1.2 IGNITE Stage Presentation on IntegratedDRR

AIDMI was invited at the AMCDRR 2018 IGNITEstate to present on "Integrated DRR". TheIgnite stage sought to widen the array of topicsthat are discussed at the 2018 AMCDRR. TheIgnite stage was a special venue whereselected AMCDRR organisations were invitedto make a presentation on a 'good practice' ora 'success story' in disaster risk reduction.

During the IGNITE stage presentation on July5, 2018, AIDMI promoted the convergence ofglobal frameworks like SFDRR, NDCs and SDGsthrough effective local implementation. Thefollowing key points are based on AIDMI'sactions with partners and stakeholders.

“AIDMI continues to be an importantorganization focused on capacitydevelopment for the reduction ofdisaster risk. For our office, the

partnership with AIDMI is relevant tocascade, disseminate and scale up

standard methodologies and tools forlocal risk reduction through our

training of trainer's program. AIDMIhas the outreach and network to help

these key messages reach localcommunities and governments. Forus, AIDMI is a competent partner to

work with in our endeavor to reach theSendai Framework for Disaster Riskreduction 2015-2030 to the local

levels.”

Sanjaya Bhatia, Head of Office Incheon, UNDRR,Korea

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• Direct support and accelerate the processof mainstreaming DRR and CCA in a holisticmanner across Asia Pacific. There areconsiderable gaps in awareness at alllevels, know-how, and coordinatedinstitutional mechanisms to translateintent into action at all levels.

• Ensure the increased and meaningfulrepresentation, participation andleadership of all minority, marginalised anddiverse groups in every aspect of disasterand climate change risk reduction.

• A louder call to allocate national and donorbudgets for disaster and climate changerisk reduction.

• Enhance the role of local organisationsand authorities in the process ofmainstreaming at local level, to start withschools and childcare centres.

• Sustainably put disaster and climatechange preparedness and response,recovery and reconstruction on build backbetter principles.

• Rapidly ensure that rigorous monitoring,evaluation and accountability mechanismsare in place to assess implementationmeasures and impact, ensure targets andindicators at national and local levels aredeveloped and tracked especially in thecities of Asia Pacific.

Southasiadisasters.net on Understanding Uncertainty was launched by the representatives from UN Women,UNFPA, JICA and Duryog Nivaran at AMCDRR 2018, Ulaanbaatar.

“AIDMI's impressive work from in 2018-19 is in synch with India's NationalDisaster Management Plan and also the Sendai Framework for Disaster

Reduction. What strikes me is that it is also fully in line with the consensus thathas emerged concerning the central role of schools and the education sector andalso children's huge potential for changing society. In other words, AIDMI is alsoin sync with a worldwide consensus summarized by UNESCO in ComprehensiveSchool Safety.1 So, I applaud AIDMI's assessment activities in Chhattisgarh,

dialogue with school children about heat waves in Ahmedabad and participationin the workshop on child-friendly spaces.”

Dr. Ben Wisner, Visiting Professor, Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London,UK & Environmental Studies Program, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA

1 http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SC/pdf/Comprehensive_school_safety.pdf

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1.3 Panel on "Making Schools Safer in Asia"

School safety is one of the key focus areas forAIDMI since inception. At AMCDRR 2018, AIDMIinvited to join the panel on "Making SchoolsSafer in Asia". The following are key pointsshared by AIDMI to promote and strengthenschool safety in Asia.

• Urgently support and facilitate theimplementation of comprehensive schoolsafety and child protection in a holisticmanner across Asia Pacific.

• Enable systematic and updating of sex,age and disability disaggregated data(SADDD) followed by leadership of childrenand diversity analysis to better understandthe diverse capacities, vulnerabilities,exposure to disaster risk, needs andpriorities of children.

• Secure the increased and meaningfulrepresentation, participation andleadership of children from all minority,marginalised and diverse groups in everyaspect of DRR.

• A louder call to allocate national and donorbudgets for child centred DRR and ensurethat resilience building investmentsstrengthen school safety along withgender equality and social inclusion.

• Ensure to include minimum requirementsthat address children's safety andprotection in national and local legislation,policies strategies, guidelines, budgets,plans and actions.

1.4 Launch of Publications

AIDMI was invited to join various platforms ofAMCDRR such as panels, Ignite stage, and sideevents. AIDMI with concerned partners andstakeholders created and launched the followingknowledge products at AMCDRR 2018. Theseproducts are limited to Southasiadisasters.netonly. AIDMI designed a number of otherproducts such as handouts, brochures, cards,

Southasiadisasters.net on Asian Early Warning Systems was launched at AMCDRR's side event on Trans-Border Flood Early Warning System for Last Mile Connectivity.

“It was a great experience to workwith AIDMI on school safety inChhattisgarh. AIDMI was highly

cooperative and supportive of thestate's efforts to foster safety and

security for children. They have alsosupported the state to develop one

online course on School Safety for ourteachers.

I would like to work with AIDMIwhenever possible in near future forthe effective implementation of theproject and seeking proper technical

support. Thanks and regards!”

Dr. M. Sudhish, State Pedagogy Coordinator,Samagra Shiksha, Chhattisgarh, India

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Southasiadisasters.net on Is Air Pollution a Disaster in Indian Cities? was launched at the University ofBirmingham on September 12, 2018.

etc. that reflect key messages of particularthemes for AMCDRR 2018.

a. Special issue of Southasiadisasters.net on"Understanding Uncertainty: Views fromKachchh, Mumbai, and Sundarbans": Thespecial issue was launched by therepresentatives from UN Women, UNFPA,JICA and Duryog Nivaran. Uncertaintyunfolds in many ways in the desert, deltaand urban areas of Asia and this issue forthe first time offers ways of thinking aboutuncertainty in disaster risk reductionframework.

b. Southasiadisasters.net on "Asian EarlyWarning Systems": This 170th issue waslaunched at AMCDRR's side event on Trans-Border Flood Early Warning System for

Last Mile Connectivity. The issue highlightsthe importance of such systems in helpingto minimise the detrimental impact ofdisasters on communities and assets. Theissue highlights the various aspects ofearly warning systems in India and SouthAsia such as leveraging social media forearly warning, early warning in hillyregions, community participation in earlywarning, etc.

c. Southasiadisasters.net on "TowardsAMCDRR 2018: Ulaanbaatar": This 171stissue was launched at AMCDRR's panelon "Making Schools Safer in Asia". Theissue focuses on the AMCDRR 2018. Thisissue spells out the different items thatshould be on the risk reduction agenda ofAsian countries vis-à-vis the

“It is a pleasure to be writing this message at the time of the release of the AnnualReport of All India Disaster Mitigation Institute. AIDMI is uniquely placed given theirvaluable contribution towards bridging the gap between policy and practice through

ground breaking work in the area of disaster mitigation and climate change adaptation inIndia as well as nine other countries in Asia. Last year has been an illustrious one havingcovered ground on sustainable and inclusive societies by building community resilience

and in the process extending knowledge base and policy insights on resilient cities,addressing risk to children and women during emergencies and considering options for

long term recovery and building back better. I congratulate AIDMI for its manycontributions in reducing risk for poor and marginalized communities and convey my best

wishes to their entire team.”

Divya Sharma, Portfolio Leader-Urban Planning and Policy, Economic Policy Program,Oxford Policy Management (India office), New Delhi, India

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“AIDMI has been working for urban and rural communities through its various policyinitiatives and programme interventions on Community Resilience: Evolving Sustainable

and Inclusive Societies. It has contributed in advancing the 10 Point Agenda of the PrimeMinister outlined during the 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction(AMCDRR), linked it with 'connecting with last mile population' and advocated for gender

equality and socially inclusive approach for implementation of Sendai Framework.

For policy discourse, AIDMI conducted roundtables on Climate Change Uncertainty,developed Disaster Resilience Scorecard: Making (16) Cities Resilient and Sustainable anddeveloped State Level Guidelines for Child Friendly Spaces in Emergencies under National

School Safety Policy. Programmatically AIDMI, contributed immensely by leadinginterventions related to Comprehensive School Safety and Security, Extreme Weather

Events (Heat and Cold Waves) and Air Pollution, Recovery process and TsunamiPreparedness. It also paved the way for making religious institutions safer through a risk

informed crowd management plan.

AIDMI and its team has made noteworthy strides with their contributions in strengtheningresilience of the communities, addressing needs of the vulnerable and marginalised

groups, and their Annual Report is a testimony to their effort.

As AIDMI embarks on their journey to another year, it will be important that theymaintain the mandate of inclusive, resilient and sustainable societies while addressing the

challenges of disasters and climate risks, encourage social equity and connectedness,fostering communities that grow and recover in ways that make them stronger than

before (Institute of Sustainable Communities).”

Anu Puri, Unicef India

implementation of the SFDRR. Riskreduction themes as diverse as climate-smart DRR, urban flood mitigation, airpollution, universal flood protection, etc.have been discussed in detail in this issue.

d. Southasiadisasters.net on "Is Air Pollutiona Disaster in Indian Cities?": This 172ndwas launched at the University ofBirmingham on September 12, 2018.

e. Southasiadisasters.net on "Raising Risk ofHeatwaves in Asia": This 174th issue waslaunched at State level mainstreamingworkshop on "Making Schools Safer in

Chhattisgarh" at Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Thisissue highlights not only the incidencesand impacts of heat waves in Asia butalso all the scientific and governanceinnovations designed to mitigate theirdamage.

f. Southasiadisasters.net on 'MakingHumanitarian Response More Flexible:Exploring New Models and Approaches':This 181st issue was released at theComprehensive School Safety Programmeat Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, andJamnagar, Gujarat on March 2 to 9, 2019.

Impact

AIDMI's participation at AMCDRR 2018 was significant in many ways. AIDMI helped in embeddinggender outcomes in DRR programming to achieve the mandate of Asia Regional Plan (ARP).There is now a concerted report available on UNDRR's website that can guide government andnon-government agencies to implement gender sensitive DRR outcomes.

Similarly, AIDMI also advocated for greater convergence among global frameworks like SFDRR,Paris Agreement and SDGs to lead to better implementation at the grassroots level. This leadto a louder call to devote greater budgets for climate change and disaster risk reduction. Mostimportantly, AIDMI advocated for safer schools in Asia. Issues like disaggregated data, minimumsecurity requirements for schools and needs of the girl child were discussed.

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Southasiadisasters.net on 'Making Humanitarian Response More Flexible: Exploring New Models andApproaches': This 181st issue was released at the Comprehensive School Safety Programme at Sabarkantha,Banaskantha, and Jamnagar, Gujarat on March 2 to 9, 2019.

“Well-networked and multi-faceted organisations like the All India DisasterManagement Institute are increasingly important for helping to address thecomplex challenges faced by vulnerable populations. AIDMI provides a strong

link between global humanitarian policy issues and grassroots action andtheir work always reminds us to take a holistic, rather than piecemeal or

siloed, approach to crises. Their efforts to strengthen resilience andemergency response through context-relevant learning are excellent

examples of what ALNAP members strive to achieve.”

Dr. Alice Obrecht, Senior Research Fellow, Action Learning Network for Accountability andPerformance (ALNAP), Overseas Development Institute, London, United Kingdom

Making Humanitarian Response More Flexible:Exploring New Models and Approaches

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Rapid urban growth, projected to reach 6.4billion by 2050, presents challenges, includingincreased disaster vulnerability and exposure,as well as opportunities especially to localgovernments, as they are the closest level ofgovernment to citizens and their communitiesand responsible for many basic social services.Making sustainable and resilient cities – amidsta changing climate, rapidly depleting resources,and unplanned urbanisation – is one of thecore focuses for cities in the post-2015development agenda. With the population ofclose to 1.3 billion, India remains one of themost risk-prone countries in Asia.

The aim of the project was to build capacity incities and local governments to conduct abaseline assessment on disaster resilience anddevelop disaster risk reduction/resilience actionplans.

To Implement the Disaster Resilience Scorecardfor Cities (Preliminary Assessment), 16 citieswere selected across six states of India. Thesewere Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhuj,Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Anand, Guwahati,Barpeta, Greater Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Unnao,Kanpur, Nalbari, Mangaldoi, and Chatrapur. Theselection of cities was based on specific criteriaincluding level of risks, demand and interestshown, the involvement of other partners andthe level of institutional capacity to assess andaddress disaster risks, prior experience, andother factors.

A systematic process was adopted toimplement the programme in the selected

2. MAKING CITIES SUSTAINABLEAND RESILIENT

municipal authorities. The institutionalmechanism for disaster management activitiesis quite different from city to city and from stateto state in India. These mechanisms werebrainstormed to find out the appropriate waysto approach the municipal authorities.

Inspired from the scorecard and the process,municipal authorities came up with thecommitment of achieving more resilience as perthe scorecard. Along with the achievements,they prioritised key actions as a way ahead tomake their cities more resilient, particularly withrespect to the implementation of the Sendaiframework and the 10 essentials for makingcities resilient.

“Working in partnership with AIDMIhas greatly increased the impact ofthe work of the A Systems Approachto Air Pollution - India project. AIDMI

have provided valued input intoongoing research into air pollution's

adverse impact on India's populationand continued to advocate on behalf

of the most vulnerable who haveoften been ignored by academicresearch on air quality. By beingfocussed on the most vulnerable,

AIDMI continues to focus theattention of the research community

on issues of inequity in risk.”

Dr. William Avis, University of Birmingham, UK

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Identified key actions to enhance resilience incities:

• Sign-up to the Making Cities Resilient(MCR) Campaign led by UNDRR,

• Updation of City Disaster ManagementPlan aligned with the Sendai Frameworkfor Disaster Risk Reduction,

• Preparing the Disaster Risk ReductionCapacity Development Strategy,

• Training of city officials on IncidentResponse System, integration of DRR andClimate Change Adaptation (CCA) actions,

• Mitigation measures against growinghazards in the city such as Air Pollutionand Heatwave, and

• Awareness of children and teachers in theschool, and the community.

Local authorities are actively bringing bestexamples of urban resilience efforts such asHeat Wave mitigation in Ahmedabad,Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitationefforts in Bhuj, Urban Water Crisis managementin Rajkot, Urban Flood mitigation in Vadodara,Resilience Schooling in Guwahati, Jalachhatrasin Chatrapur and Early Warning System inBarptea.

A woman quenching thirst at Jalachhatra in theblistering heat of Chatrapur, Odisha.

Impact

AIDMI's participation at AMCDRR 2018 wassignificant in many ways. AIDMI helped inembedding gender outcomes in DRRprogramming to achieve the mandate of AsiaRegional Plan (ARP). There is now a concertedreport available on UNDRR's website thatcan guide government and non-governmentagencies to implement gender sensitive DRRoutcomes.

Similarly, AIDMI also advocated for greaterconvergence among global frameworks likeSFDRR, Paris Agreement and SDGs to leadto better implementation at the grassrootslevel. This lead to a louder call to devotegreater budgets for climate change anddisaster risk reduction. Most importantly,AIDMI advocated for safer schools in Asia.Issues like disaggregated data, minimumsecurity requirements for schools and needsof the girl child were discussed.

“In this past year, The All IndiaDisaster Mitigation Institute hascontinued to leverage its deep

knowledge of vulnerable populationsand disaster risks with their expertisein policy to create positive action and

break new ground for the most inneed. While tackling the climate and

environmental risks that are stressingpopulations, much of this past year'sefforts focused on those that carrythe greatest burden going forward -children and the urban poor. Through

AIDMI's efforts, critical and newresearch from international

collaborations fed resilience buildingexercises and discussions that

convened key decision-makers forprogress towards the sustainable

development goals.”

Ronak Patel, Stanford University, United States

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3.1. Enhancing Resilience Building for Schoolsin Gujarat

In Gujarat, the issue related to school safetyare being coordinated by Department ofEducation, through Commissionerate of Schools(CoS), Directorate of Primary Education (DoPE),in collaboration with Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA) and other institutions mandated forsafety of school children and school buildings.The school safety guidelines is the referencedocument to facilitate actions by stakeholdersat various levels including school managementcommittee to ensure the safety of children,maintenance of security standards in theschools, guidelines for transportation safety,and safety in KGBV schools and hostels, etc.

UNICEF is closely working with the Departmentof Education, Government of Gujarat, to bringin positive change, including the strengtheningof the state's school safety network.Considering the national priority and also thekey requirement of State of Gujarat, acomprehensive school safety programme(CSSP) has been devised by UNICEF with

3. COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SAFETYtechnical support from All India DisasterMitigation Institute (AIDMI). ComprehensiveSchool Safety has been defined as the creationof safe environments for children starting fromtheir homes to their schools and back. Thisprogramme rests on two pillars, includingdisaster risk education and safe school facilities& a safe environment, and protection fromviolence & other forms of abuse.

Under this programme, a Situation Analysis wasconducted through a scorecard in 250 randomlyselected schools of 10 representativevulnerable districts of Gujarat. Results ofanalysis of school safety scorecard informedthat nearly 8.8 % schools are categorised as'School is safe and secured', 45.2 % schoolsare categorised as 'School is moderately safeand secured', 45.6 % schools are categorisedas 'School is not safe and secured enough'and the rest 0.4 % fell into categorization of'School is unsafe and not secured'. Concludingfrom these results, 61 high-risk schools of fourdistricts are being taken up for the next levelof implementation of comprehensive schoolsafety programme (14 schools in Banaskantha,

Discussing the UNICEF's key priorities, Mr. Susanta Kumar Sahoo, State Disaster Risk Reduction Consultant,UNICEF Gujarat State Office, Gandhinagar shared that ensuring the safety of the children is of primeimportance. He urged participants to measure risk of their respective schools and initiate necessarymitigation measures.

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13 schools in Jamnagar, 13 schools in Kutch,and 21 schools in Sabarkantha).

The aim of the programme is to have theseselected 61 high risk schools with increasedaverage score (by at least 1 point) and complyto safety and security standards in Gujaratand strengthen the monitoring system withinthe Education Department in context ofimplementation of Comprehensive SchoolSafety Programme Action Plan and relatedcompliance.

With support from the Department ofEducation, Commissionerate of School,Directorate of Primary Education, SamagraShiksha Abhiyan, and UNICEF Gujarat the fourone-day Orientation Workshops wereorganized in each four districts (Kutch (02/03/2019), Sabarkantha (06/03/2019),Banaskantha (08/03/2019), and Jamnagar,) forthese 61 schools inviting 3 participants fromeach selected schools (Head Master, Oneteacher, and One SMC Member).

A simple user-friendly awareness material onmaking schools safer has been developed insimple Gujarati language and has been sharedwith schools. The hand holding support will beprovided to schools to prepare their SchoolDisaster Management Plan, conducting Self-Assessment and implementing the necessarymitigation measures to enhance safety aspectsin schools.

3.2. Comprehensive School Safety inChhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh is one of the youngest States ofIndia, carved out of Madhya Pradesh,constituted on November 1, 2000. Chhattisgarhis politically & economically one of the mostimportant states of the country and its abilityto withstand during disasters is of criticalsignificance. The State is extremely vulnerableto various hazards. It's densely populatedareas with large amounts of non-engineeredbuilding stock, poor soil conditions, the sizeableforest & hill area has compounded thevulnerabilities of Chhattisgarh. Any majordisaster hitting the state of Chhattisgarh mayresult in damage and destruction of massiveproportions and may result in very severe long-term consequences for the entire country.

Chhattisgarh is at risk to numerous hazards,such as bomb-blasts, Naxalism and other actsof terrorism, fires, industrial and chemicalhazards etc. The State is prone to naturaldisasters such as flood and drought. The Stateis also has a high possibility of spread ofepidemics. In State, during rainy season andin month of October, the cases of Gastro entitiesand Malaria have increased due to poorcleanliness and standing water. During thisseason, Jaundice also spreads due to poordrinking water and less awareness. There are21 Major Accident Hazard (MAH) Units exist inthe State, which mainly consist of chemicals,petroleum, petrochemical, LPG storages and

Comprehensive School Safety Programme at Schedule trible Ashram Shala, Chhattisgarh.

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bottling plants. These industries have beenspread across five districts of the State. Durg(Bhilai) and Raipur Districts are the mainindustrial hubs. In the past, few notablechemical accidents have been recorded in State.

Children represent the most vulnerabledemographic group exposed to the adverseimpacts of disasters and emergencies. Aftersuch extreme events, children are exposed toall kinds of abuse and rights violations.

The aforementioned facts have necessitatedUNICEF India to plan for a 'ComprehensiveSchool Safety Programme' in the state ofChhattisgarh. The All India Disaster MitigationInstitution (AIDMI) is collaborating with UNICEFas a technical partner on this programme. Theobjectives of the partnership between UNICEFIndia and AIDMI are as follows:

• To ensure that the CSSP is adopted bydepartment of Education, DisasterManagement Authority and Women andChild Welfare Department in Chhattisgarh.

• To enhance the capacity of Governmentand non-government actors so that theycan implement and scale-up the CSSP inthe state.

Following activities were carried out in theimplementation of comprehensive school safetyprogramme;

1. Conducted of Situational Analysis (100sample school Analysed in 7 districts);

2. Conducted of Training NeedsAssessments;

3. State level workshop on mainstreamingcomprehensive school safetyprogramme and preparecomprehensive roadmap to implementchief minister's school safetyprogramme in Chhattisgarh;

4. Reviewed and Revised Chhattisgarhstate disaster management plan withChild centred DRR approach anddevelop Heat Action plan with focuson child vulnerability due to heatwave;

5. Developed four e-learning trainingmodule for teachers to learn andunderstand comprehensive schoolsafety programme; and

6. ToTs of SCERT and DIET for implementationof comprehensive school safetyprogramme;

3.3. Raising Heat Wave, Air Pollution andSchool Safety Awareness of Children inAhmedabad

A state level workshop on "Children inEmergencies: Developing State Level Guidelinesfor Child Friendly Spaces in Emergencies underNational School Safety Policy" was organisedby the ASDMA and UNICEF, Assam on November14, 2018 in Guwahati, India. AIDMI offered finalproduct and process related inputs from itswork on "Child Friendly Spaces" in India andSouth Asia. India has the capabilities andresources to set up some of the best CFS afteran emergency where instead of victims;children can emerge as leaders in managingtheir own resilience.

3.4. Filling the Gap: Spaces that Protect andNurture Children in Emergencies

An awareness programme was conducted insix schools of Ahmedabad to raise awarenessof students on Heat Wave, Air Pollution andSchool Safety. A total of 675 childrenparticipated in the programme. The discussionwas facilitated with presentation, videos, anddiscussions.

Ahmedabad has suffered severe heat wave inlast seven years. Schools have also declaredholidays during severe heat wave alert days.During the discussion, students shared thatthey had suffered from extreme heat-relatedillness such as red, hot and dry skin, heavy

26

Impact

Children are the most vulnerabledemographic group exposed to the adverseimpacts of disaster risks. Ever since itsinception, AIDMI has always focused on thesafety of schools and children duringemergencies. In 2018-19, AIDMI took itscommitment to school safety to a new levelby working on the theme of ComprehensiveSchool Safety and Security.

Under this program, AIDMI conducted asituational analysis of vulnerable schools inGujarat to understand their level of riskexposure. Awareness generation materialand sensitization workshops on riskreduction were also conducted with children.In the same strain, AIDMI also evaluatedthe 'Chief Minister's School Safety Programme'in Chhattisgarh. In both Gujarat andChhattisgarh, remedial methods to addressschool safety and security were shared withthe concerned department of education.

Lastly, AIDMI also conducted awarenessworkshops in schools of Ahmedabad onemerging risks like air pollution and heatwave. These workshops helped the childrenin understanding and accepting themitigation measures to keep themselvessafe from these risks.

Heat Wave awareness programme at Government Secondary School Rakhiyal, Ahmedabad, August 02, 2018.

sweating and weakness, headache, nausea,vomiting, dehydration and even diarrhoeaduring last summer. Students were a bit awareof the precautionary measures for heat wavesuch as avoid going outside in the heat anddrink more water. Students were advised tohave buttermilk, cover head with a cloth orwear a hat to prevent heat waves. Studentswere also oriented on initiatives taken in theAhmedabad city for issuing heat alert with colorsignals and related advisories.

Since the last few years, Air pollution has beenon the rise in Ahmedabad. Students agreedthat they had suffered from air pollution-relatedproblems such as irritation in the eyes, andbreathing-related problem. Students andcommunity members shared that air pollutionin the city is increasing due to waste burningand increasing number of vehicles in the city.Students were oriented on initiatives taken inthe Ahmedabad city for issuing Air Pollutionalert with color signals and related advisories.

The discussion also focused on understandingand identifying the risk within the school andoutside the school. Students also discussedthe risks on the way while they come to schooland go back to their homes. Fear of dog biteand road accidents is high among students.School authorities along with students wereoriented to take preventive actions.

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Disaster at religious locations is a rising concernin India. Reasons being many, AIDMI conductedearly HVCA (Hazard, Vulnerability and CapacityAssessment) in 5 temples of Gujarat and 5historical Dargah/Mosques. AIDMI is proposingDargah Disaster Management Plan with crowdmanagement of Ajmer Sharif Dargah – Ajmerin Rajasthan state.

The Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti is theraison d'etre of Ajmer since the 12th centuryAD. It is one of the most important Islamicshrines in the world and the most visited Muslimplace of pilgrimage in the sub-continent. It isan international Waqf, an Islamic mortmainmanaged by the Dargah Khwaja Saheb Act,1955 of the Government of India. Locatedwithin the walled city of Ajmer and visited bymillions of pilgrims annually, the complex hasexpanded organically over the last 700 years.Today the complex is facing issues related todegrading heritage, visual clutter, poor publicamenities and services, overcrowding and poorsafety, etc.

4. MAKING RELIGIOUS PLACES SAFER:RISK MANAGEMENT AT DARGAH SHARIF

Impact

Places of worship in India have largegatherings. However, there is never aneffective crowd management plan at suchplaces. AIDMI decided to conduct a Hazard,Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment(HVCA) at 5 temples and 5 mosques toprovide the management of these placeswith list of recommendations to safeguardall pilgrims.

These efforts also yielded in the form of aCrowd Management Plan at Ajmer's famousKhwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah.

The Govt. of India through its Swacch BharatMission has proposed a multi-stakeholderinitiative to clean up Moinuddin Chishti DargahComplex, Ajmer. The initiative is beingcoordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water& Sanitation with other key Ministries as well

Training on fire safety and usage of fire extinguishers, January 30, 2019, Dargah Sharif, Ajmer.

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as State, City and Site Managers andHindustan Zinc India Ltd.

Each day, the Dargah Sharif welcomesaround 10 to 15 thousand pilgrims. Since1998, the Dargah Sharif has suffered fivedisasters, causing the death and injuriesto close to 60 people. Poor infrastructureand materials, lack of a disastermanagement plan as well as non-existentprevention mechanisms andpreparedness make it more vulnerableto the hazards. After the visits, the teamidentified five potential hazards theDargah Sharif may face: fire, stampede,epidemics, heatwave, and bomb blast.On May 8, 2018, the city witnessedsand storm followed by rains as well.All India Disaster Mitigation Institutewith the support of Hindustan Zinc Ltdfacilitated process of preparation ofDargah Sharif Ajmer DisasterManagement Plan focusing on sitesafety and crowd management. As anational technical support agencyAIDMI also conducted training ofDargah Committee staff and localvendors on Fire safety and Crowdmanagement in 2019.

“Hindustan Zinc has partnered with Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah Committeeand Government of India to implement the Swachh Iconic Places initiative at

Ajmer Dargah. AIDMI was given the task under this project to prepare theDargah's disaster management plan. The AIDMI team's professionalism,

proactive approach, strong accountability measures and timely delivery of taskswere commendable. The team's excellent coordination between multiple

stakeholders, ability to make everyone active partners at every stage of theassignment was extremely valuable. Their excellent documentation, effective

training on crowd management and fire extinguisher usage as well as attentionto details like presenting certificates to every trainee made a big difference.”

Neelima Khetan, Group CSR Head, Vedanta, India

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“Since the 12th century AD, the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti hasbeen an important religious and spiritual place. Today the complex is facing

issues related to degrading heritage, visual clutter, Poor public amenitiesand services, overcrowding and poor safety. Since 1998, the Dargah has

suffered five disasters. Poor infrastructure and materials, lack of a disastermanagement plan as well as non-existent prevention mechanisms and

preparedness has made it more vulnerable to hazards.

The Govt. of India through its Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has proposed amulti-stakeholder initiative to clean up Moinuddin Chisti Dargah Complex,Ajmer. A consortium of Abhimanyu Dalal Architects, Rasika Research &

Design and MKG consultants were appointed to undertake the renovationand restoration of the Project. CSR funds have been committed by

Hindustan Zinc Limited.

AIDMI has carried out the risk management role in the redevelopmentproject. They had an inclusive and holistic approach to disaster risk

management focusing on multi-faceted and diverse issues relating to publicspace. AIDMI's scope of work covered a complete range of disaster riskreduction in the Dargah complex. They under took to prepare a disaster

management plan, crowd management guidelines, preparation of standardoperating procedures, frameworks for information warnings, training

frameworks for fire safety, mock drill framework for safe evacuation andsignages.

AIDMI has played a pivotal role in building community resilience, a keyaspect to reducing disaster risks. Their resilience-focused risk reduction

strategy considers the wider social, political, and cultural environment of acommunity and emphasizes the importance of working with community

members. AIDMI implemented risk governance which is required to bridgethe gap between national policies and local practices, scientific knowledge

of natural hazards and locally accumulated knowledge. This is in starkcontrast to the standard vulnerability procedure focusing risk managementplans that treat disasters as an unavoidable natural or manmade event andrecognizes people as passive or helpless under the unavoidable situation.

AIDMI has worked closely with stakeholders and enriched the understandingof the current scenario and has implemented a unique risk governanceplan. Their work also involved collaborating with other professionals and

consultants as well as the management of the Dargah Committee toachieve a safer environment to be able to tackle hazards for the future.”

Pallavi, Abhimanyu Dalal Architects, New Delhi, India

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In India, local people, planners and policymakers regularly confront climatic shocks andstressors such as cyclones, floods, droughts,changing rainfall patterns and extremetemperatures. Yet, the knowledge about thescale and impacts of these changes remaindeeply uncertain. This is particularly true atthe local level, where climate relateduncertainties combined with unregulatedcapitalist growth trajectories often exacerbatesocial and political inequities and thevulnerabilities of marginalised communities.

5. CLIMATE CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY

AIDMI addresses the challenges related touncertainties with different partners andstakeholders. The following are three maininterventions that have been initiated duringthe year 2018-2019.

1. The research council of Norway fundedproject 'Climate Change, Uncertainty andTransformation' sought to bridge thediverse perspectives between the below,middle and above by organising threeround tables in Gandhinagar, Mumbai andKolkata in January 2018. These round

William Avis and Prof. Francis Pope from the University of Birmingham launching the report Bridging theGaps in Understanding of Uncertainty and Climate Change, Experience Learning Series No. 74, September2018.

“All efforts to engender positive change in society play out at the grassrootslevel. The mandate of all international development commitments, frameworks

and goals can only be achieved through meaningful action at the local level.AIDMI is particular strong in this regard. It was a pleasure to work together with

AIDMI in the project Climate Change, Uncertainty and Transformation. Theyhelped us to capture the diverse perspectives of different stakeholders on issuesconcerning climate change and its concomitant uncertainty. In particular, theyhelped us capture change at the local level, where climate related uncertaintiescombined with unregulated capitalist growth trajectories, often exacerbate social

and political inequities and the vulnerabilities of marginalised communities. Iwould like to congratulate the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) for

the outreach and impact of their activities in the year 2018-19.”

Dr. Lyla Mehta, Institute of Development Studies, UK and Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway

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Impact

Climate change uncertainty is a new andemerging area that will be looked into closelyby policy makers and developmentpractitioners in the coming future. In 2018-19, AIDMI decided to work on this emergingarea with a number of partners. AIDMI waspart of 3 roundtables organized by ResearchCouncil of Norway on this theme. Similarly,AIDMI partnered with SEWA India to submita paper on "Disaster, Climate Uncertaintiesand Resilience Building". AIDMI also joinedthe team of researchers from IDS, UK andGUIDE, Kachchh to develop a paper on"Between Market and Climate Change:Uncertainty and Transformation in Kachchh".

tables were organised by the project teamtogether with the AIDMI and Institute forWater Research in Oslo. All the roundtables ended up being quite distinct anddifferent in orientation and scope. This isdue to the different locations (university,government institute or neutral seminarvenue) and the role played by the localpartners and co-hosts. AIDMI with IDS,UK; Norwegian University of Life Sciences,Future Health System, IIHMR, Kolkata andIIT, Bombay together designed 74thExperience Learning Series as Round TableReports on "Bridging the Gaps inUnderstandings of Uncertainty and ClimateChange".

2. AIDMI is invited to join the expert groupto provide inputs on "Disaster, ClimateUncertainties and Resilience Building". Theexpert group is lead by SEWA for "GlobalCommission on Future of Work". AIDMIbased on its experience submitted a paperon "Disaster, Climate Uncertainties andResilience Building". The paper is basedon AIDMI's work with informal sectorworkers across 16 states in India and 9South-Asian countries incorporatinglessons for the GCFW.

By harnessing the potential of newtechnology and innovation, educating andup skilling our workforce, and incentivisingresearch and development, we can liftproductivity and transition to an economythat is safe, green, sustainable, inclusiveand productive. This work is also aboutensuring everyone who wants to work canwork, and ensure that the benefits ofgrowth and prosperity and spread acrosslocal society.

3. A special issue of Southasiadisasters.neton "Understanding Uncertainty" has beendeveloped covering a wide range ofthemes that are central to the dialogueon climate change related uncertainty. Forinstance, themes as diverse as distressmigration, focus on rural women'semployment, the need for moreparticipatory environmental riskassessments and the need forcontextualisation of solutions have beendiscussed in this special issue. It is hopedthat through this issue, concrete actionon climate change related uncertaintytakes place.

“The uncertainties due to climate changeis ever increasing, the science clearly

warns us to take actions immediately inorder to keep the hope for the next

generation. The United Nations alongwith the stakeholders, have developedmany guidelines and frameworks totackle issues arising out of globalwarming. Climate change is also

increasing the frequency and severity ofdisasters. India is highly vulnerable to

many such potential disasters.Preparedness, awareness and capacity

building are the keys for the resilience ina country like India. AIDMI is working

relentlessly in this direction, whichalways gets reflected in their reports and

documentations of activities. Lookingforward to their contribution in comingtimes to fulfill SDGs and the Sendai

Framework targets.”

Shwetal Shah, Technical Advisor - Climate ChangeDepartment, Government of Gujarat, India

4. AIDMI joins the team of researchers fromIDS, UK and GUIDE, Kachchh to develop apaper on "Between Market and ClimateChange: Uncertainty and Transformationin Kachchh". The paper highlights themeaning of uncertainty in the context ofKuchchh, and how does is manifest itselfin the lives of people. It highlights the pluralepisteme(s) of climate related uncertainties,their intersections with everyday practices,and with the wider political economy, andexplores potential pathways oftransformation that may inform socially justadaptation programmes and policies.

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The current development path has brought usto a situation where what one was free andclean is now limited and polluted: air. AIDMI isintegrating air quality risk in its school safetyefforts and local planning actions. It is essentialto understand the perspectives of vulnerablegroups such as children, women, senior citizens,informal businesses, traffic policy, and casuallabors on air pollution. The support of thesegroups is highly important in reducing theimpact of air pollution.

Though air pollution may not be taken up as adisaster due to legal and technical reasons inIndia yet, the time has come for NDMA andCPCB to hold action oriented dialogue withcitizens on air pollution in Indian cities. AIDMIis working at multiple levels to addresschallenges of air quality. The following areseveral key actions.

The ASAAP-India vulnerability scoping studiesexplore the experiences of those particularlyvulnerable populations, occupations andlocations in the city of Ahmedabad, exposedto high levels of air pollution. By undertakingvulnerability scoping studies, the research teamseeks to generate a more nuanced

6. AIR QUALITY AND POOR IN CITIESunderstanding of specific characteristics andfactors associated with vulnerability to airpollution. The study is jointly done with UrbanManagement Center and University ofBirmingham, UK.

• Ongoing survey on air pollution in 11 citiesacross India. 324 citizens and municipalofficers were the key respondents.

• AIDMI is part of expert committees in twocities to address pollution issues.

• Incorporating air quality education in safeschool campaign.

• Ongoing orientation to poor andvulnerable schools in cities.

• A dedicated issue of Southasiadisasters.neton "Is Air Pollution a Disaster in IndianCities?" was developed and launched atmeeting on 'Attendance at the GlobalChallenge Research Fund' at the Universityof Birmingham, UK on September 12, 2018in the presence of delegates fromorganisations like Indian Institute ofTechnology (Delhi), Population Council of

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Workshop on Tackling the Challenges of Urban Air Pollution, March 6-7, 2019, New Delhi.

“AIDMI has always been afrontrunner in taking up emergingissues with scientific inputs from

technical and academicinstitutions, which helps to

innovate. The Institutional ethosof its policy interventions to be

informed by its grassrootsexperience makes a difference inaddressing the critical issues thataffects the vulnerable people in

risk prone areas. Range ofactivities from "Urban Resiliencein the context of climate change"to "Disaster Risk Reduction and Air

Pollution" is initiated incollaboration with various

institutions to catalysetransformational changes. There

are very few institutions thatdocument its community level

interventions, articulate thelearnings from these at nationaland global policy making fora tofacilitate appropriate frameworks

that can be acted upon bydevelopment partners. It has alsoestablished over several years a

good network of professionals, andthe efforts to take up issues

across borders makes adifference.”

G. Padmanabhan, Former UNDP, India

Impact

As air pollution levels reach catastrophicproportions in India, AIDMI decided to addressthis challenge in 2018-19. AIDMI was part ofASAAP-India vulnerability scoping studies explorethe experiences of those particularly vulnerablepopulations, occupations and locations in the cityof Ahmedabad, exposed to high levels of airpollution. Similarly, other vulnerability studieswere also undertaken in survey on air pollutionin 11 cities across India. 324 citizens andmunicipal officers were the key respondents.

These research studies have generated a morenuanced understanding of specific characteristicsand factors associated with vulnerability to airpollution.

India, Urban Management Centre (Ahmedabad)among others. The graphic represents AIDMI'sapproach on clean air.

• AIDMI led the panel "Air Pollution: India's NextUrban Disaster?" in the workshop "Tackling theChallenges of Urban Air Pollution - LinkingResearch and Policy for Air QualityImprovement" at New Delhi. Two major areaspromoted to incorporated - air quality metricsto be incorporated into several of the 17 UNSDGs, most notably SDG3-Good Health andWell-being. The recommendation also made totreated air pollution as a disaster, in the sameway as natural events such as forest firesand earthquakes. The ASAAP India (A SystemApproach to Air Pollution India) workshopbrought together partners from India, Africa,Asia, Europe and US to explore how cities suchas Delhi and Ahmedabad can betterunderstand how to tackle air pollution.

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In the past three decades, humanitarianknowledge and action have expanded. In fact,since the Rwandan crisis this expansion hasaccelerated. In India, alone, since 1998 and1999 Kandla and Odisha cyclones to 2001Gujarat earthquake, the humanitarianlandscape changed in terms of ideas, skills,data management, resources, technology,finance, concepts and more.

Humanitarian Encyclopedia intends tocollectively interrogate how humanitarianconcepts are used across time, geographical

7. HUMANITARIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA FORCITIZENS

contexts, organisational cultures, disciplinarybackgrounds and professions. The team ofHumanitarian Encyclopedia (HE) developed overa 5-year project period from 2017 to 2022,bringing together a growing community. AIDMIhas been providing inputs to the HumanitarianEncyclopedia in terms of planning and outputs.AIDMI team has provided support to the teamof HE for capturing lessons from India for thedesign of HE. On August 6, 2018, a workshopwas organised to capture the views from Indianinstitutions actively working in the field ofhumanitarian actions.

“I congratulate AIDMI for its consistent commitment to advance resilient andinclusive communities. AIDMI is a true example of good practice in making

communities the centre of attention and in recognizing that work for resilientcommunities must be cognizant of social inequalities and issues of social tension

become inclusive and durable.AIDMI's work further testifies to the importance of involving a multiplicity of

actors in adverts to make communities resilient, including communityorganisations, state institutions, politicians, NGOs, the private sector, media and

the academe.AIDMI's work will sadly become more important and relevant in times to come,as climate change and adverse environmental management may lead to more

disaster risk creation in the future.”

Dr. Dorothea Hilhorst,Professor of Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction, Wageningen University, The Netherlands

Humanitarian Encyclopedia Workshop at India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi, India, August 6, 2018.

35

Long term recovery begins and ends in localcommunities. To support communities to buildback better and to be more resilient, AIDMIfacilitated planning processes and training andcapacity development interventions with focuson socioeconomic aspects. Updating skills,market linkages, and collaborative actions areimportant factors in business planning. AIDMIis providing support to local institutions atdistrict levels to plan their business with longterm perspectives and keeping communityresilience as an important component. Duringthe year 2018-2019, five districts – Leh,Gandarbal, Kupwara, South Sikkim, Peren –from three states have been supported forlong term recovery aspects either throughproject planning or/and business planning.

9.1 Jammu and Kashmir

Ladakh

During 2017-2018, a micro planning exercisewas facilitated by AIDMI. Based on theMicroplanning, now implementation is inprogress by the partners and stakeholders.AIDMI supported with the tool design, andwriting progress report for the first six monthsof the project.

8. VERY LONG-TERM RECOVERYGanderbal

Based on the intervention of preparation ofLeh Microplanning exercise, a detailed three-year project planning was undertaken by AIDMIwith women leaders from Ganderbal district ofJammu and Kashmir.

Based on the need, three vital aspects wereidentified – filling the existing skill gap throughprovision of market relevant trainings, formingwomen's own economic organisations andbuilding strong supply chain and forward andbackward linkages. Ganderbal district isplanning to set up SHEHJAR CommunityResource Centre in Ganderbal district of Jammuand Kashmir. A workshop was organised withyoung women leaders from Ganderbal to

a) build common understanding for the 3-year project - Set up SHEHJAR CommunityResource Centre in Ganderbal district

b) Collecting basic village data andunderstand its linkages with training,market, production and marketcomponents;

Participatory Microplanning Workshop, Ganderbal Recource Centre, Jammu and Kashmir.

36

c) Exploring possible linkages and supportingmechanism with Kupwara ResourceCentre;

d) Preparing a yearlong action plan for theproject with participants.

Kupwara

A Shehjar Community Resource Centre (SCRC)at Kupwara is working as an organisation. Sofar more than 4800 members were trained onskill building related to garment, weaving,handicraft, agriculture, solar energy, foodprocessing, handloom and other such microbusiness fields that are run by women inKupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Based on the above progress, the SCRC hasdecided to organise a workshop to capturethe views of key involved members to buildthe sustainability of the Centre. The workshopwas designed and conducted by AIDMI tocapture the views related to buildingsustainability of the centre and document thesame for the centre to implement.

9.2 Sikkim

The Sikkim Pragatishil Nari Cooperative SocietyLtd. was established based on the efforts bythe North East Rural Livelihood Project (NERLP)with support from the World Bank. Now basedon the progress, the society inteds to havetheir own three-year long business plan for its

own CLBRC (Community Learning and BusinessResource Centre) based in South Sikkim. AIDMIdesigned the business plan based on theconsultation with the society and inputs fromthe NERLP. The business plan is developed withthe focus on nine factors of business plan andits inter-linkages – Business development,business concept, resources, financing,budgets, organising women, sales andmarketing, market, products and services. Theresilience is one of important cross cuttingaspects of the business plan. The engagementof women at multiple levels is core area ofbusiness planning.

9.3 Nagaland

Based on the progress with the CLBRCbusiness plan for South Sikkim, a similar processwas requested by NERLP for Peren district ofNagaland. AIDMI team prepared a businessplan for CLBRC based on the inputs from thegoverning body of the CLBRC. The samebusiness plan is finalised based on a communityconsultations and inputs from the governingbody and expert inputs from officials in NERLP.

9.4 Community Learning and BusinessResource Centre

Reducing poverty will go a long way towardsreducing harmful gender disparities. Withoutwomen's stronger engagement in economicactions, it is not possible to reducing poverty.It was observed during long term recovery

37

processes that community level resource centrewhich empower women through education, skillbuilding and social engagement have long termbenefits for the entire community.

The joint efforts of number of agencies – localgovernment authorities, women organisationssuch as SEWA, local NGOs – resulted intoformal/ informal set up of CLBRC. AIDMIcaptured the journey of CLBRC that representsthe overall process, achievements, impact,learning, and recommendations for womenempowerment, and a way ahead for and withwomen across India – Jammu and Kashmir,Assam, Bihar, and South Asia - Afghanistan andSri Lanka.

Impact

AIDMI facilitated planning processes andtraining and capacity developmentinterventions with focus on socioeconomicaspects. Updating skills, market linkages,and collaborative actions are importantfactors in business planning. AIDMI isproviding support to local institutions atdistrict levels to plan their business with longterm perspectives and keeping communityresilience as an important component. Duringthe year 2018-2019, five districts – Leh,Gandarbal, Kupwara, South Sikkim, Peren –from three states (J&K, Sikkim and Nagaland)have been supported for long term recoveryaspects either through project planning or/and business planning.

“The current election fever includes the frenzied pitching of unbelievable benefitsand incentives to win over the voting public. It reduces the idea of a democracyto a game show. As a counterpoint, the steady, constant and attentive presence

of AIDMI in the lives of people when it is necessary is truly what matters inbuilding sustainable communities for the future. The core values of AIDMI; of

respect and enabling self-reliance, cannot be bought or traded.”

Arthur Duff, Area Chair, CEPT, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

CLBRC business plan for Peren district of Nagaland.

38

"Women's equality and empowerment is notonly one of the 17 Sustainable DevelopmentGoals, but also integral to all dimensions ofinclusive and sustainable development".1 Whenwomen are empowered, it is not just individualempowerment. It implies that overall society isempowered. If we cannot change how werespond to the challenges faced in the multiplecrisis situations around the world, millions willremain in poverty and hunger, the migrationcrisis will continue and political and socialinstability will continue to increase.2

FAO and SEWA initiated joint efforts to addresschallenges of women farmers in rural areas.Disaster risk and climate change relatedchallenges are increasing. Needs of womenfarmers to address these challenges requirestrategic and long term capacity developmentinputs. AIDMI was invited to support this

9. AGROECOLOGY, RURAL DEVELOPMENTAND WOMEN FARMERS

1 SDG 5: Achieve Gender equality and empower all women and girls, UN Women.2 Building Stronger Partnerships for Resilience (2018), FAO Rome, http://www.fao.org/3/ca1001en/

CA1001EN.pdf.

Impact

In 2018-19 AIDMI conductedanalysis study of women farmersat organisational and projectlevels to study the participatorydecision making mechanism,understanding of stakeholderengagement, capturing projectprogress and planning wayahead, keeping focus on poor andvulnerable women members. Thestudies focused on the agro-ecological interventions. Thestrategic way ahead developedunder the study pushes forachieving SDGs.

project through the conduct of analysis studyat organisational and project levels to studythe participatory decision making mechanism,understanding of stakeholder engagement,capturing project progress and planning wayahead, keeping focus on poor and vulnerablewomen members. The studies focused on theagro-ecological interventions.

The strategic way ahead developed under thestudy pushes for achieving SDGs. The sevenstrategic areas include, migration and ruraldevelopment; campaign with rural youngwomen members; women-led businessenterprises; women's leaders in agriculture inconflict-affected areas; environment-friendlyactions; need in and for future of work – decentwork; and access of finance and technology.These areas are crucial for strengthening

disaster risk reduction and adaptation toclimate change in rural areas.

AIDMI had an opportunity to capture thesuccessful agriculture interventions inseven states of India by women farmers.A booklet has been developed that sharesgood case studies of women farmersfrom Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh,Uttarakhand, Odisha, West Bengal andUttar Pradesh.

39

AIDMI has facilitated Gujarat State DisasterManagement Authority, Gandhinagar inobservation and documentation of IndianOcean-wide tsunami exercise (IOWave18) onSeptember 5, 2018.

Gujarat being on western coast participated inthe exercise of the Makran trench scenario on4th September 2018. Indian Tsunami EarlyWarning System (ITEWS) established at IndianNational Centre for Ocean Information Services(INCOIS) coordinated this exercise incollaboration with MHA, NDMA, NDRF, Navy, AirForce, Coast Guards and stakeholders fromstate and district level administration.

Two participating districts – Kutch andJamnagar in Gujarat have actively coordinatedwith the coastal community. Two villages eachfrom Mandvi Taluka of Kutch and Jamnagar &Jodiya Taluka of Jamnagar districts were alsoinvolved as the targeted area. Around 1700people from these villages have beenevacuated to a safer place as part of the mockexercise.

10. PREPAREDNESS TO TSUNAMI

Impact

In 2018-19 AIDMI facilitated Gujarat StateDisaster Management Authority, Gandhinagarin observation and documentation of IndianOcean-wide tsunami exercise (IOWave18) onSeptember 5, 2018. Around 1700 peoplefrom these villages have been evacuated toa safer place as part of the mock exercise.

Rescue activities at Rescue Team in action at the coastal area of Kutch District. Photo Source: GSDMA.

“We all aspire for a world which issocially and environmentally

sustainable, yet our focus seems toveer away towards growth oriented

industrial and economic actions. In ahighly competitive world, we resort toactivities (mostly industrial in nature)that not only have high invisible social

costs, they also create newer risks.Thus, the battle for keeping oursocieties safe and sustainable

becomes ever more complicated andchallenging. This Annual Report ofAIDMI for 2018-19 will speak of

some very thoughtful interventions toaddress these challenges. AIDMI is

known, nationally and internationally,for its holistic approach towards

sustainable and inclusivedevelopment. I am sure that thevalued readers will find a lot of

evidence to this effect.”

Muhammad Taher, Member, Steering Committeeof Duryog Nivaran, Bangladesh

40

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is animportant component of Human Developmentand one of the key indicators of the HumanDevelopment Index (HDI) across the globe. Itis very important to have availability andaccessibility to safe drinking water and maintainsanitation and personal hygiene to lead ahealthy life. To develop certain areas on theselines the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) hasfunded six SAARC countries for a project on"Strengthening of Water Sanitation andHygiene (WASH) Services in Selected Area ofSAARC Countries".

The SAARC Development Fund (SDF) is aregional institution aimed towards the welfareof people, through improving the quality of life,increasing the economic growth of the region,betterment of social life and reduction inpoverty in the SAARC Countries.

Following this, a round table meeting on"Community Driven WASH Interventions inDungarpur, Rajasthan" was facilitated onNovember 27, 2018 at 11:00 AM in theconference Hall of WSSO, Jaipur, Rajasthan. Theround table was attended by representativesfrom United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),Action for Food Production (AFPRO), Centre forMicrofinance, Jaipur, Tata Trusts: WSSO, SEWA

11. DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND WASH

Impact

On the occasion of "World Toilet Day", AIDMIhas facilitated a workshop on 'World ToiletDay Celebration and Experience Sharing'under the 'Strengthening of Water,Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Services inselected area of SAARC Countries, Rajasthan,India' funded by the SAARC DevelopmentFund on November 19, 2018, at Hotel SaiPalace, Dungarpur, Rajasthan. The objectiveof the workshop was to1. Discuss the importance of WASH,2. Share key achievements in the

provisioning of WASH services inDungarpur, and

3. Share impact and experiences of goodpractices if WASH.

Over 140 participants from women groups from different districts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, governmentofficials from Dungarpur district and children participated in the programme.

and 13 WASH committee members formed andcapacitated under the Project from 11 villagesof Dungarpur District, Rajasthan.

Similarly, AIDMI facilitated the community-to-community learning: exposure visit for womenfarmers to build understanding aboutorganisation management and various women-led interventions such as WASH practices, foodprocess and other businesses.

41

Disaster recovery can be a protractedprocess and it needs multiple perspectives,especially of marginalized groups andcommunities. The long term recoveryprocess must prepare local communitiesand system for the next disaster.

AIDMI along with Duryog Nivaran andPractical Action, Nepal and Christian Aidwas invited to organise a session on "AreWe Building Back Better? Lessons fromSouth Asia Disaster Report" at CivilSociety Policy Forum in Annual Meetingsof World Bank Group. Representativesfrom UNICEF, Nepal; UNOSSC - Asia Pacificand Duryog Nivaran join the session.AIDMI and Duryog Nivaran led theprocess. The session concentrates onBBB, highlighting new, alternativedisaster management measures todevelopment practitioners in South Asia.The session recognized and contributedto current discourse in Kerala, India andLombok, Indonesia recovery planning.AIDMI strongly pushed that the agendafor BBB and green recovery are notseparate. The BBB approach canaddress the emerging risks in urbanand rural context such as heat waves,air pollution, and risk become knowndue to climate change uncertaintieslocally.

Impact ascertainment in disasters has alwaysbeen challenging, but when timely andcomprehensive, it has provided importantactionable data for responders, policy makersand communities. AIDMI with Harvard MedicalSchool and Government of Kerala (SDMA andKudumbashree Mission), The Achutha MenonCentre for Health Science Studies, Center forDevelopment Studies jointly designed a projectto first undertake a large population-basedsurvey in the Indian state of Kerala, affectedby devastating floods in August 2018 thatresulted in the evacuation of a million people.The study will result in actionablerecommendations for the public and privatesectors, and training programmes forstrengthening disaster planning, mitigation andresponse strategies.

12. BUILD BACK BETTER IN RECOVERY,REHABILITATION AND RECONSTRUCTION

Impact

In 2018-19, AIDMI along with Duryog Nivaranand Practical Action, Nepal and Christian Aidwas invited to organise a session on "AreWe Building Back Better? Lessons fromSouth Asia Disaster Report" at Civil SocietyPolicy Forum in Annual Meetings of WorldBank Group. Representatives from UNICEF,Nepal; UNOSSC - Asia Pacific and DuryogNivaran joined the session.

AIDMI and Duryog Nivaran led the process.The session concentrates on BBB,highlighting new, alternative disastermanagement measures to developmentpractitioners in South Asia. The sessionrecognizes and contributes to currentdiscourse in Kerala, India and Lombok,Indonesia recovery planning.

42

The learning hub is facilitating the process oflearning through various way that bridges thegap between knowledge and action in disastermitigation agenda. The following graphicrepresents AIDMI's source of learning within

13. LEARNING HUBand outside of the organisations where peopleand institutions are key actors with whomactions are going on. The source of learning isfrom different actions of AIDMI.

This research initiative was to study the immediate and wide-ranging humanitarian consequencesof 1947 partition that led to a massive forced movement of people across what suddenly becameinternational borders. AIDMI joined the research team members from UK, Pakistan and India. Thefocus of AIDMI is researching about partition from Ahmedabad's window as Ahmedabad holds animportant position in India's freedom struggle and subsequent national building. AIDMI is doingthrough literature review, interviews, vernacular newspapers, important biography of MridulabenSarabhai published in 1960s and city sources.

14. HUMANITARIAN LESSONS OF 1947PARTITION: AHMEDABAD WINDOW

43

The year of 2018-19 have been fulfilling forAIDMI. However, a lot remains to be done tomove ahead to make vital voices of the victimsbe heard loud and clear. A broad range ofstakeholders must listen to these voices againand again.

The convergence of priorities of SFDRR, SDGs,and NDCs is significant to promote andstrengthen actions at the local level. AIDMIwill keep the focus on engagement of localcommunities and institutions in its process tobuild ownership that support direct work withthe poor and also to strengthen sustainability.

AIDMI is going to strongly push the agenda ofschool safety at sub-national level, clean airfor citizens, Gender and DRR, local planning,and urban resilience.

15. WAY AHEAD“Kudumbashree Mission with

association of AIDMI and Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health designed

and conducted a research study inKerala state of India to learn aboutthe "Build Back Better". The learning

from disaster response and riskreduction needs to be captured and

shared for effective preparedness andreducing loss and damage

collaboratively. This study reflectedthe synergy which was needed for

research and knowledge disseminationin the field of disaster risk reduction.

Our best wishes to AIDMI team.”

Anishkumar M.S.,Kudumbashree Mission, Kerala, India

44

KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION PRODUCTS OFAIDMI

Ann

ex 1

No. Main Topic Month & Year1. Southasiadisasters.net1. Chhattisgarh Reduces Risks and Build Resilience April 20182. Disaster Risk Reduction in Andhra Pradesh April 20183. Understanding Uncertainty: Views from Kachchh, Mumbai, and

Sundarbans May 20184. Asian Early Warning Systems: A View June 20185. Towards AMCDRR 2018: Ulaanbaatar June 20186. Is Air Pollution a Disaster in Indian Cities July 20187. Beyond AMCDRR Ulaanbaatar September 20188. Rising Risk of Heat Waves in Asia October 20189. Understanding Recovery in Andaman and Nicobar Islands October 201810. Investing in Disaster Risk Reduction: Corporate Social Responsibility

Initiatives in India October 201811. Interplay of Disaster Risk, Climate Change, and Uncertainty November 201812. Avoidable Deaths: A Way Ahead November 201813. Disaster Risk Reduction in World Economy December 201814. Trans-Boundary Early Warning Systems in Asia January 201915. Making Humanitarian Response More Flexible: Exploring New Models

and Approaches February 2019

2. Experience Learning Series1. Engagement Towards Resilient Community: Local Implementation of

India's National Disaster Management Plan: Annual Report 2017-18 April 20182. Bridging The Gaps in Understandings of Uncertainty and Climate

Change: Round Table Reports August 2018

3. Advocacy Brochure1. Local Implementation of Sendai Framework: Engagement Towards

Resilient Community: Annual Report 2017-18 Executive Summary April 2018

2. Local Implementation of India's National Disaster Management Plan:Engagement Towards Resilient Community April 2018

3. Situational Analysis of Women and Children in Char Areas of Assam April 2018

4. Making School Safer-AIDMI Initiatives (In Malyalam language) April 2018

5. Safe and Secure Schools Gujarat: Situational Analysis forComprehensive School Safety in Gujarat May 2018

6. Aandhi: Preparedness for Safety (In Hindi language) May 2018

7. AMCDRR 2018: A Turning Point June 2018

8. India and the Middle East: Common Areas of Action on the SendaiFramework June 2018

9. Towards Understanding Recovery: Valedictory Address June 2018

10. Gender Issues in the Char Areas of Assam June 2018

11. Evaluation of The Project: Enhancing Institutional and CommunityResilience to Disaster and Climate Change June 2018

45

12. Women Centred Disaster Risk Assessments July 2018

13. Engagement Towards Resilient Community: Local Implementationof India's National Disaster Management Plan Annual Report 2017-18 July 2018

14. AIDMI Annual Report 2017-18 Summary (In Japanese language) July 2018

15. Transboundary Resilience: A Need for Dialogues July 2018

16. Welcoming Humanitarian Encyclopedia to India August 2018

17. Air Quality and Urban Resilience: Addressing Disaster Risk August 2018

18. Early Warning System and AIDMI September 2018

19. Trans-Boundary Early Warning System of Regional CSO's ACollaboration September 2018

20. Women's Leadership to Reducing Disaster Risks: January from 1988 September 2018

21. Making Gujarat Disaster Safer September 2018

22. Earthquake Preparedness in India: Missing Agenda October 2018

23. Kerala Floods: Utilisation of Reports for Way Ahead October 2018

24. UK-India Research: Emerging Experience October 2018

25. Are We Building Better? Lessons from South Asia Disaster Report (2016) October 2018

26. Using SREX and AR5 for Better Implementation of India's NDCs January 2019

27. Risk Vulnerability Resilience (RVR) Centre of Excellence January 2019

28. Agroecology and Climate Change Resilience January 2019

29. Making Schools Safer in Asia: AIDMI's Initiatives February 2019

4. Reference Material1. Engagement Towards Resilient Community: Local Implementation of

India's NDMP (Annual Report Summary 2017-18) April 2018

2. Situational Analysis of Comprehensive School Safety Programme(CSSP) in Gujarat March 2018

3. Tools for Conducting Situational Analysis for Comprehensive SchoolSafety Programme (In Gujarati and English language) May 2018

4. Making Schools Safer in Gujarat: An Action Plan: Under The GujaratState Comprehensive School Safety Programme May 2018

5. Catalogue on Knowledge Resources for Child Centred Disaster RiskReduction July 2018

6. How do Mock Drill (In Hindi language) October 2018

7. Aao Banaye Surakshit Shala (In Hindi language) November 2018

8. IOWave18 Tsunami Mock Exercise November 2018

9. Training Report on Training of Trainers on Comprehensive SchoolSafety, at Raipur, Chhattisgarh December 2018

10. Disaster Management Plan for Dargah Khwaja Gharib Nawaj R.A. Ajmer December 2018

11. Air Pollution in Ahmedabad: A Brief Overview January 2018

5. Poster1. AIDMI's Strategic Plan of Actions for Comprehensive School Safety

Programme: 2018-2020 May 2018

2. Supporting Comprehensive School Safety Programme (CSSP)(In Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh) May 2018

3. Air Pollution in Urban Area: City Officers and Community Views June 2018

No. Main Topic Month & Year

46

4. Heat Wave in Urban Area: City Officers and Community Views June 2018

5. Key Messages for Gender Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction June 2018

6. Situational Analysis for Comprehensive School Safety in Gujarat India June 2018

7. Disaster Resilience in 15 Indian Cities October 2018

6. Folder1. Early Warning System and Community Resilience to Floods with Focus

on Regional Cooperation and Institutional Coordination April 2018

2. Making Schools Safer: Achievements and Opportunities June 2018

3. Knowledge Resources for Local Implementation of AMCDRR(Issue No. 158 to 171) July 2018

4. The Agenda for Humanity Transformation Commitment August 2018

5. Air Quality and Urban Resilience February 2019

7. Video

1. A Contribution from AIDMI towards AMCDRR May 2018

2. Remarkable Success in Reducing Disaster Impact by Mihir R. Bhatt July 2018

3. Urban Risk Reduction by Sanjaya Bhatia, UNISDR July 2018

4. Gender and Inclusiveness by Vandana Chauhan July 2018

5. Ecosystem Based Disaster Risk Reduction by Vishal Pathak July 2018

6. Technology and Innovations by Brij Chauhan July 2018

7. Social Protection and Vulnerability Reduction by Rishi Garhwal July 2018

8. Local Action for Resilience by Vipul Nakum July 2018

9. Early Warning and Early Action by Rajdeep Bansol July 2018

10. Duryog Nivaran with support of All India Disaster Mitigation Institute(AIDMI) IAP Asia Partnership July 2018

11. Supporting Comprehensive School Safety in Chhattisgarh July 2018

12. Air Quality in Ahmedabad 2018 November 2018

13. A Journey from 1988, Reducing Disaster Risk with Women's Leadership November 2018

14. Disaster Risk Reduction Initiatives in Asia Pacific December 2018

No. Main Topic Month & Year

47

POLICY SUPPORT DIALOGUE PARTICIPATIONAPRIL 20181. Group Discussion Session with AIDMI on

Disaster Risk Management in India-FloodMitigation and Preparedness in Mumbaiby Ms. Joanna Roll (Germany) atAhmedabad, Gujarat.

2. Local Level Disaster ManagementPlanning with Raksha Shakti Universityat Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

3. Making Schools and Education SaferOrientation Programme for PDPUStudents at Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

4. Programme Cooperation Agreements(PCA) Meeting, UNICEF at Gandhinagar,Gujarat.

5. Discussion on Leadership for DisasterResilience: A Study of Current Practicesand Gaps in the Indian Context withSriam A. from TIIS, Mumbai atAhmedabad, Gujarat.

6. One-day Stakeholder Workshop onSustainability at Kupwara, Jammu &Kashmir.

7. Three-day Microplanning Workshop forSetting up SEWA's Resource Centre inGanderbal, Jammu & Kashmir.

8. ISDR Asia Partnership Meeting (IAP)Forum, 2018 at Mongolia.

9. National Workshop on Early WarningSystem (EWS) and Community Resilienceto Floods with Focus on RegionalCooperation and InstitutionalCoordination at New Delhi.

May 20181. Climate Change, Uncertainty and

Transformation at IIT Mumbai,Maharashtra.

2. Child Centred Disaster Risk Reductionand School Safety: Local to Regionalinitiatives at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

3. CSR for Nation Building: The HCL IndiaSymposiums at M.S. University of Barodaat Baroda, Gujarat.

4. Training and Workshop onComprehensive School SafetyProgramme at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

5. Meeting with JICA for Joint Work at NewDelhi.

Ann

ex 2June 2018

1. Workshop on Ambient Air Pollution in theFast Industrialising Countries: UnequalImpact and Environmental Justice, IDSat Brighton, UK.

2. Round Table Conference of Post DisasterRecovery and Development: Reflectingon Processes in the Andaman andNicobar Islands after the Tsunami atMumbai, Maharashtra.

3. Consultation for Finalisation of the DRRMap for Andhra Pradesh at Vijayawada,Andhra Pradesh.

July 20181. Conference on Investing in a low-carbon

India at New Delhi.2. Meeting with UNDP, JICA and others at

New Delhi.3. 2018 Asian Conference on Disaster Risk

Reduction at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.4. Panelist for Plenary Session 3: Imagining

Disasters - Vision 2030 and Way Forwardat 1st Global Inclusive DisasterManagement Conference (GIDMC 2018),at New Delhi.

5. India National Knowledge DisseminationWorkshop on Trans-boundary EarlyWarning System (in the Koshi and theNarayani-Gandak River Basin), at NewDelhi.

6. Round Table Conference on PostDisaster Recovery and Development:Reflecting on Processes in the Andamanand Nicobar Islands after the Tsunami,at Mumbai, Maharashtra.

August 20181. Discussion on Effect of Heat Wave:

Perspectives with Children at RakhiyalUrdu School, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

2. Discussion on How Stop Air Pollutionwith Children at Bhavaninagar, Vasna,Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

3. Discussion on How Stop Air Pollutionwith Children at R.M. Adhvaryu School,Vasna, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

4. Discussion on My Schools, Safer Schools:Ideas of Ahmedabad's Schools Children,Ahmedbad, Gujarat.

5. Workshop on Humanitarian Encyclopediaat India International Centre, New Delhi.

48

6. Discussion on My Schools, Safer Schools:Ideas of Ahmedabad's Schools Childrenat Amardeep High School,Chandranagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

September 20181. A Session on "Disaster Risk Reduction

and Women in Small Businesses".2. ALNAP Workshop on "Adapting

humanitarian action: New models andapproaches".

3. Regional Collaboration Workshop onCommunity Based Trans-boundary EarlyWarning Communication, FloodResilience, Systems and KnowledgeDissemination.

4. Attendance at the Global ChallengeResearch Fund meeting at the Universityof Birmingham.

5. Meeting with Campaign Leaders of SEWA.6. National Workshop on Disaster Risk

Reduction of Historic Cities: A Frameworkfor Building Resilience.

7. Third Cyrus Jhabvala Memorial Lectureon Stories from My Journey: Yesterday,Today, and Tomorrow by ChristopherCharles Benninger.

October 20181. Civil Society Policy Forum: World Bank

Group / IME 2018 Annual Meetings2. A State Level Workshop on Making

Schools Safer in ChhatisgarhAchievements and Opportunities

3. A Book Launch and Discussions on "TheAsian Tsunami and Post Disaster Aid"Published by Springer

4. Together for Impact: A Decade of India-UK Research and Innovation Partnership

5. National Workshop on EarthquakePreparedness in India

6. 2018 Kerala Floods: Governance andLegal Compliance

November 20181. Conference on Livelihood Development

Package for Kerala2. SEWA Managerni School, Event of Women

Farmers, Afghanistan Master trainers3. State Level Inception cum Exploration

Workshop4. World Toilet Day Celebration and

Experience Sharing5. Independent Review Panel (IRP) Meeting

December 20181. Team Meeting for scoping study on Risk

Vulnerability Resilience (RVR) Centre ofExcellence

2. Community - to - Community Learning:Promoting and Strengthening WomenWASH Leaders Exposure Visit fromRajasthan to Gujarat

3. Preparing Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) of Trans-boundary Citizen forumfor the project "Trans-boundary FloodResilience Project in Kamla River Basin,Siraha Nepal

4. Workshop on Air Pollution5. Training of Trainers on Comprehensive

School Safety Including Preparation ofSchool Disaster Management Plan andConduct of Mock Drill

6. Asia-Pacific South-South Focal PointsOne-day Retreat

7. Meeting with Bijay Kumar of GlobalNetwork of Civil Society Organisationsfor Disaster Reduction (GNDR)

January 20191. TAPESTERY Inception Workshop2. Training of Trainers on Kerala Flood

Impact: Household Data Collection3. 4th World Congress on Disaster

Management4. Training on Fire Safety and Usage of Fire

Extinguishers, Crowd Management, andMock Drill

February 20191. Global Advocacy Workshop in

Preparation to GPDRR 20192. Consultation on CLBRC Business Plan

with Women Leaders of Nagaland

March 20191. Comprehensive School Safety

Orientation Workshop at Bhuj,Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, andJamnagar

2. Tackling the Challenges of Urban AirPollution – Linking Research and Policyfor Air Quality Improvement

3. Save the Children regarding ScopingStudy on Risk Vulnerability Resilience(RVR) Centre of Excellence

49

AIDMI IN THE MEDIA

Sr. Title of News Name of Newspaper Date ofNo. published1. Sixth edition of Heat Action Plan launched in The Hindu April 12,

Ahmedabad 20182. India and the Middle East: Common Areas of Magazine of Middle East June 12,

Action on the Sendai Framework Institute 20183. India and the Middle East: Building Joint Magazine of Middle East August 14,

Knowledge on Managing Sand and Dust Storms Institute 20184. AIDMI part of South Asia effort on disaster The Indian Express September

management 10, 20185. High-rises to come under AMC scanner Ahmedabad Mirror September

10, 20186. Early warning systems: AIDMI joins S Asia Ahmedabad Mirror September

collaboration 13, 20187. Dark Clouds, Silver Lining: Kerala Floods, Gulf Magazine of Middle East October 9,

Responses, and More Lessons Institute 20188. Workshop on School Safety at Raipur Navbharat Raipur City October 12,

Edition 20189. Training on Dargah Committee Disaster Rajasthan Patrika, January 30,

Management Plan at Ajmer Dainik Bhaskar, 2019Dainik Navjyoti,Punjab Kesari

10. Out on Delhi streets, they are in harm's way The Times of India March 7,New Delhi 2019

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Krishnaswamy ArvindShah BipinJhabvala RenanaBhatt Mihir R.

OUR STRENGTHAgrawal JyotiBansod RajdeepBoro RomonChauhan BrijChauhan VandanaGarhwal RishiGupta Kshitij

If you have any comments or suggestion about our annual report, please give your feedback to us atbestteam@aidmi.org.

K. K. PrakashMehta SunilNakum VipulPadia ManishaPandya MehulParmar KailashPatel Manish

Pathak VishalRana MahendraRathod PallaviShaikh YakubVarde RakeshVyas Pradeep

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