Latest news on Disaster Risk Reduction
- In the absence of any early flood warning system, villagers in Assam are banking on abnormal animal behaviour to predict and survive sudden inundation of their houses, say researchers. Locals also rely on observation of celestial bodies, nature and meteorology. These measures and techniques are locality specific, require no external help, and are inherently...
26 July 2016, INCHEON, Republic of Korea – The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has signed a five-year, US$10 million agreement with the Ministry of Public Safety and Security and Incheon Metropolitan City of the Republic of Korea to support education and training for disaster risk reduction.
The signing of the agreement coincided with a visit by UNISDR Director Ms. Kirsi…
- This publication addresses the emergence or re-emergence of tropical infections such as malaria, dengue or chikungunya in Southern Europe, in the last decades.The author identifies the following measures to tackle NTDs (Neglected Tropical Diseases): increased active surveillance activities; studies to elucidate the modes of indigenous...
- This policy brief emphasises the importance of shifting disaster risk reduction approaches from a reactive to a preventative one. Education on disasters has tended to focus on disaster response and recovery, as opposed to proactive actions to reduce disaster risk and increase preparedness.The publication recommends that: Educational...
- This case study presents the 'Co-Management of Riverbank Erosion Control' project in Vietnam, which has developed new institutional mechanisms combining community initiative and oversight with government technical and financial support.The transferable innovations tested in this project include: integration of community knowledge of riverbank vulnerability...
- This paper explains how Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) projects can play an important role in ensuring California (USA) manages its groundwater sustainably. The publication explains the benefits and economic costs of MAR as an effective and affordable way to balance local groundwater decisions with regional and statewide managementThe...
- GLIDE number: FL-2016-000091-NER
Disaster type: Flood
Affected countries: Niger
On 2 August, the Niger Basin Authority reported that by the end of July, levels of the Gorouol River at Alcongui were the highest in over 50 years. Local authorities and the UN have been delivering food aid for the displaced people, and non-food aid is on its way. The rains are unlikely to ease…
- Officials from Beijing's Forbidden City have said an ancient drainage system protected it during recent heavy rains and intense flooding. There is speculation that designers of the city would have been well aware of the need for proper defences. Meanwhile, bad weather has killed 37 people in the Chinese capital in the past week while at least seven...
- Tongan officials said community projects undertaken by a multinational task group led by the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) are expected to reduce the vulnerability of remote communities to the impact of drought. The projects are designed to improve water storage in two main islands in Tonga's Ha'apai island group as part of the military Exercise...
- The Weather Company (TWC) will leverage parent company IBM's Watson IoT platform to provide critical weather data to governments and businesses in underserved areas to better prepare for impending disasters. Armed with multiple sensors, TWC hopes to use these weather stations and cognitive computing power to provide localised forecasts for millions...