Title: Challenges and Opportunities in Post Disaster Interventions: the Role of Academic Institutions in Disaster Management
1Challenges and Opportunities in Post Disaster
Interventions the Role of Academic Institutions
in Disaster Management
- Bahadar Nawab, PhD, Associate Professor COMSATS
University Abbottabad, Pakistan
2Scope of Presentation
- Discuss the strength and weakness of different
stakeholders in post disaster situation - Explore opportunities where the academia and
research institutes can contribute to overcome
some of those weaknesses and possibly introduce a
new approach to relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction interventions
3Introduction
- Due to its geophysical and geopolitical
situation, Pakistan is prone to frequent natural
and man-made disasters and crises that
continuously engage the government, humanitarian
and relief agencies - The five major disasters (2005 earthquake, 2008
Swat IDPs and 2010, 11, 12 Flood) in the recent
years of 21st century caught the attention of
national and international community - Along with so many positive aspects, these
disasters also exposed many institutional,
managerial, financial, technical issues and
research loopholes in the emergencies, relief,
rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of
government, donors, I(NGOs) and politicians
4Introduction
- Response to disaster are often inadequate as
complex situations demand the need for
coordinated and complex responses - Therefore, humanitarian assistance after disaster
has become a topic of academic, practical, and
political concern
5Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction
Approaches
- From the 1960s onward, humanitarian action was
based on a linear model focusing on relief
assistance, and when the disaster/conflict was
over, development assistance would then be
provided - In the 1980s, the continuum model of relief and
development was formulated, bringing about the
concept of rehabilitation, which bridges the gap
between relief and development activities
6Relief, Rehabilitation and Local Participation
- The question is, how to effectively carry out
relief and rehabilitation? - Different approaches are being used, however
studies such (De Zeeuw 2001 Anderson 1999
Nyheim, Leonhardt, and Gaigals 2001 Quinn 2002)
take note of local capacities - Their focus has remained deductive and allowed
international organizations to determine
opportunities for intervention by the recipient
state and civil-society organizations in relief
and rehabilitation, instead of the other way
around
7Disasters in Pakistan and CIIT Abbottabad
82005 earthquake
9Swat IDPs
102010-11-12 Flood
11COMSATS Abbottabad and Flood 2010
12CIIT Initiatives
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18Evaluation of Several Mega Project
- Evaluation Action Against Hunger (ACF) project of
humanitarian support to conflict and flood
affected population of KPK, Pakistan - Evaluation of USAID project in flood affected
areas of Punjab and KPK on agriculture inputs and
Cash for Work - WATSAN component in the Mission of the Embassy of
Kingdom of Netherlands for Endline Evaluation of
Partnership for Development of Allai - Evaluation of FAO intervention carried out under
the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in
NWFP and Baluchistan provinces, Pakistan
19Lesson Learned from Post Disaster Intervention of
CIIT
- Research shows that the interventions in the
disaster struck areas were not cost effective - Most of the donors money disappeared as an
administrative cost and the affected and needy
people got very little - Most of the interventions were without proper
need assessment and not target oriented - The assistance provided was not according to the
needs, expectation and requirement of the
affected population
20Lesson Learned from Post Disaster Intervention of
CIIT
- The donors and the implementing partners could
not design and implement the beneficiaries
selection criteria, therefore, the powerful and
resourceful people get the maximum share and the
poor people are further marginalized - The quality of the intervention is usually poorly
selected and in most cases not relevant to the
environment and culture of the affected
population
21Lesson Learned from Post Disaster Intervention of
CIIT
- Most of the interventions are not based on any
research and scientific survey - The academia and research centers are in most
cases not consulted and involved in relief and
rehabilitation stage after disaster - The rehabilitation phase is usually started
without proper identification and understanding
of gaps
22Lesson Learned from Post Disaster Intervention of
CIIT
- More than 50 water supply schemes, latrines and
other WASH related interventions implemented
during the relief and rehabilitation phase in the
earthquake affected are no more working - The water quality of more than 60 WSS in the
earthquake affected areas are microbiologically
and chemically contaminated - There is was very low short-term benefit of
agriculture sector intervention in the earthquake
affected areas
23Lesson Learned from Post Disaster Intervention of
CIIT
- To overcome those shortcoming and fill the gaps
research-based interventions are needed in
disaster affected areas where the interventions
are made after proper investigation and
understanding the effected people needs,
expectation and cultural acceptability - The focus of the interventions should be for
example on low-cost, sanitation, low-cost water
supply and treatment systems and hygiene
promotion - The flood affected areas should be used as a
research centre where students and faculty should
continuously monitor the acceptance and
performance of the interventions
24Lesson Learned from Post Disaster Intervention of
CIIT
- It is extremely important at the design stage, to
have mechanism to assess the key risks and
challenges and, mitigate these risks and
challenges during design and implementation. - Women need to be actively engaged in the project
activities, through innovative approach in view
of culture and traditions. It is extremely vital
to increase their participation in the project
activities. - The project design should have been flexible to
adjust with evolving challenges not foreseen at
the inception stage