TURNING THE TIDE

"I wish to compliment Sphere India and EFICOR for the painstaking efforts in documenting a few
community-led disaster risk reduction good practice interventions in India. I hope the various stakeholder
groups in disaster risk reduction within the country and abroad will disseminate this publication widely and
explore the potential for replicating the good practices for strengthening community disaster resilience in
disaster-prone areas."
— Prof. N. Vinod Chandra Menon
Member, National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India

“Timely initiative and essential reading...could easily end up setting a trend for documentation of numerous
meaningful and commendable efforts across the country.”
— Anil K Sinha
IAS (rtd), Global Forum for Disaster Reduction

“Turning the tide is an interesting collection of community focused initiatives for disaster risk reduction that
can be replicated elsewhere.”
— Prof. Vinod K. Sharma
Professor, Disaster Management, Indian Institute of Public Administration

“This is an excellent initiative. It is very important to document the work that NGOs do, so that others can
learn from this work and the work can be built upon and taken forward to the next level.”
— Nisha Agrawal
TURNING THE TIDE
CEO, Oxfam India Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

"Small is beautiful" holds true for "Turning the Tide". The humble but innovative initiatives taken by
the community would definitely help igniting the minds of the stakeholders to address disaster risks
holistically.”
— Prof. Santosh Kumar
National Institute of Disaster Management

Sphere India EFICOR

Building No. 3, Flat No. 401/3, HQ: 308, Mahatta Tower, B-Block
Sona Apartments, Kaushilya Park, Community Centre, Janakpuri,
Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016, INDIA New Delhi – 110058 INDIA
www.sphereindia.org.in www.eficor.org
DROUGHT

4 HERDING AWAY HAZARDS: DROUGHT

 TURNING THE TIDE
Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction
Disclaimer:
The interpretations, views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely that of the
implementing organisations and the communities associated with the work presented in the
document. It does not necessarily carry the views and opinion of Sphere India, EFICOR, the project
committee and the jury either directly or indirectly.

Note:
This publication can be freely quoted with due acknowledgement to the source. Request for the
reproduction or translation of any particular case study or all in this publication should be directed
to the publisher.

For information and feedback email to : [email protected]

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

In this path breaking work to capture the unheard voices and bring to public notice the unseen
works being attempted by numerous organisations in remote villages and towns of India, we wish
to acknowledge our gratitude to the members of the vulnerable community whose experiences are
the core of this book, catalysts from the community organisations, NGOs, sponsoring INGOs and
Governments for their time, whole hearted cooperation during the field study and responses to
the queries. We are immensely thankful to the communities for sustaining the risk reduction efforts
and setting an example for others to learn and adopt.
We thank our colleagues based in EFICOR, Dr. Bonnie Miriam Jacob, Rev. Kennedy
Dhanabalan, Mr. Sanjeev Bhanja and Ms. Esther Ghosh for conceptualizing and facilitating this
project. Mr. Vikrant Mahajan and Ms. Parimita Routray of Sphere India deserve special
appreciation for their tireless effort in managing this project and extending unwavering support to
the team of researchers; Ms. Pooja Sharma, Mr. Aveek Roy and Mr. Viren Falcao for their patient
and meticulous action to capture and validate the key features of the models, continuous
adherence to the principle of neutrality and impartiality while conducting the field study in the
peak summers, making travels to the remote places across the country.
We are thankful to our colleagues at NDMA: Mr. Sampurnananda Mahapatra, Dr. Susanta
Kumar Jena and Dr. Pavan Kumar Singh for extending their guidance in preparation of this
publication. We are immensely grateful to the distinguished Jury comprising of eminent persons
from the government and civil society organisations and known for their credible work in the
humanitarian sector members, for their objective and impartial assessment of the three
outstanding good practices. We wish to convey our sincere gratitude to the members of Jury for
their feedbacks to improve the quality of work and guidance for future works.
All the organizations and practitioners who responded to the ‘call for good practices’ and
shared their practices and works, deserve special thanks. We would also like to thank all the
organizations shortlisted for field validation and their team members in the field offices, who
coordinated the field visits and extended all cooperation for community interactions.
Our very special thanks to Mr. Richard Mahapatra for the editorial work. We also thank the
Sphere India team –Mr. Vikas Gora, Mr. Raman Kumar, Ms. Monika Madaan, Mr. Sandeep Pathak
and the Finance team at EFICOR – Ms. Joan Lalromawi and Mr. Dan Andrew for extending all their
support to the project.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT iii
DROUGHT

4 HERDING AWAY HAZARDS: DROUGHT

 CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
01 DROUGHT 01
Steps out of drought 04
Banking food security 08
An arid fairy tale 11
A magical twist 16
Thought for fodder 21
A turn around 28
02 CYCLONE 31
A right tide 34
New house order 39
03 FLOOD 43
Course correction 46
A new social order 49
Catch them young 52
New age entrepreneur 55
Healthy practice 59
On a high 62
Pillars of strength 64
Water-wise 68
A basket of happiness 70
Height of safety 72
A different nature call 74
Prosperity plant 76
Seeds of change 79
A roof of own 82
Weaves of change 88
Riches to rags to riches 90
04 EARTHQUAKE 93
Rebuilding trust 96
Unshakable 100
Healing touch 103
Centre of excellence 107
05 INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT 109
A forest reborn 112
For a greater common good 116
Insure and assure 118
Farm on hazards 120
Fair weather 124
Abbreviations 128
Index 129
 FOREWORD

I am very pleased that Sphere India, along with EFICOR, has devised
an innovative approach to identify the good practices of civil society efforts
on strengthening community resilience through disaster risk reduction in the
disaster prone areas of India. It is heartening to note that the call for
Expression of Interest from Non Governmental Organisations received 178
responses of good practices from the various States and Union Territories
prone to natural and man-made disasters.

I understand that the 33 good practices which were shortlisted after a

year long process of tracking these good practices through desk research,
field visits and consultations are being assessed to identify the most
outstanding good practices by a team of disaster management experts and
humanitarian practitioners led by Prof N. Vinod Chandra Menon, Member of
the National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India.
I wish to express my appreciation of the efforts of Sphere India and
EFICOR to document the good practices of strengthening community
resilience in the disaster prone areas of the country through evidence based
research. I am sure that this publication – “Turning the Tide: Good Practices
in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction” would receive the attention
of policy makers, government officials, disaster management practitioners
and the other concerned stakeholder groups, not only in India, but also in
other disaster prone countries which may benefit from these insights. I hope
this publication would strengthen our understanding of the challenging
complexity in managing disasters and contribute to our collective efforts in
working towards a disaster resilient India.

New Delhi General NC Vij

12 January, 2010 PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (Retd)

FOREWORD vii
 PREFACE

It is time we stop a hazard from becoming a disaster. Local communities have

the knowledge and resilience.

India has been highly vulnerable to disasters. Orissa Super Cyclone in 1999, Bhuj
Earthquake in 2001, Tsunami in 2004, Kashmir Earthquake in 2005, Kosi floods in
2008, Cyclone Aila in 2009 and the South India floods in 2009 have been some of the
mega disasters in the last decade. Many times there have been contrasting disasters, like
in 2009; there were floods and drought in many parts of the country. Global warming
and climate change have also led to an increase in the frequency and impact of
disasters. The rapid increase in population in last few decades and inequitable growth
has increased the number of people living in highly vulnerable areas. These people
often come in the way of hazards leading to disasters. These devastating disasters have
not only impacted the economy but have also caused deep human suffering and unrest
in the affected communities.
The Government of India has taken proactive steps in mitigating hazards and
reducing disaster risks. The formation of National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA) has given a new direction to the disaster mitigation efforts. The guidelines on
different subjects for different stakeholders issued by NDMA, the disaster management
policy and the plans for institutional capacity building at all levels are some of the
significant developments at National level.
The civil society and the government is also realising the need to shift the focus to
community based disaster risk reduction. Many communities in different part of the
countries have exhibited resilience and the practices to cope with disasters. The
traditional knowledge of the communities and innovations adopted by grassroot level
Non Government organisations and community based organisations have the potential
for replication by other communities in other disaster prone areas. However, in the
absence of sufficient documentation of these community practices, they remained
confined to their local geographic locations. The documentation of the good practices
will help others learn from the successful experiences and encourage innovations in
other contexts.
“Turning the Tide – Good Practices in community based disaster risk reduction” is
an attempt to promote the culture of documentation at community level. It is a
collection of innovative and sustainable practices in disaster risk reduction drawn from
11 states of India (Assam, Tripura, west Bengal, Orissa, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jammu &
Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttrakhand). These
practices have been classified into five chapters - drought, earthquake, flood, cyclone
and integrated hazard management. Each of them narrates the initiatives taken by the

viii
 PREFACE
Non- governmental and community based organizations in the field of disaster risk
reduction, stories of resilient communities and processes they adopted to eliminate
threats posed by hazards. These stories demonstrate the roles of collective action of
different stakeholders and the importance of integrated hazard management. The
government involvement in some situations is a testimony of state commitment to
building community resilience. By bringing out this GOOD PRACTICE
DOCUMENTATION we do not intend to claim it to be the last word in this direction,
but we wish to present to the community of practitioners in disaster management that
such good practices need attention, support , hand holding and sponsorship to help
mature, replicate and scale up.
This publication is an outcome of a process that lasted over a year. EFICOR, a
national level Christian relief and development agency initiated the idea for
documentation of good practices in community based disaster risk reduction and
facilitated the project. The subject was consulted with experts and practitioners on
disaster risk reduction from the government and non government organisations by the
team from EFICOR to conceptualise and prepare the proposal for the project. It then
initiated as part of Sphere India’s Information and Knowledge Management
Programme. Sphere India is a National Coalition of Humanitarian Agencies in India.
The members include key nodal agencies from Government of India, UN, INGOs, NGO
Networks and National NGOs. Sphere India information and knowledge management
programme is a collaborative initiative of all members to share, collate and develop a
common information and knowledge management resource centre. The concept for
research on documentation of good practices was shared by EFICOR with Sphere India
management committee and the project committee with representatives from EFICOR
and Sphere India was appointed to steer the project. Sphere India information and
knowledge management subcommittee with representatives from UNDP, DCA, CRS,
Welthungerhilfe, Tear Fund UK and IFRC guided the process and the selection of other
members of research team.
The process started with desk research to identify and collect good practices on
community based disaster risk reduction. An open expression of interest was
disseminated widely in Sphere India – State level IAGs (Inter Agency Group), outreach
networks, forums, workshops and similar civil society events. To make it more
inclusive, Sphere India members, leading experts and practitioners also guided in
identification of case studies and exemplary works. The information was also collated
through internet and media research of works on disaster management in India. The
research collated 178 case studies for further analysis and short listing. The case studies
were analysed with respect to the specified criteria and shared with the project
committee members. The entries not meeting the specifications were screened and 33
case studies were finalised for field validation.
To guide the research team, a research design was developed with inputs from
experienced researchers and piloting of the research design was carried out. Two most
difficult scenarios in terms of complexities for field research were selected for piloting

PREFACE ix
and the pilot research was presented to the project committee members for their inputs
and further improvement. The research team was oriented on the research design and
learning of the pilot case studies. Further a contextual analysis i.e. problem, stakeholder
and solution analysis for each case study was done and accordingly survey
questionnaires and methodologies to be followed during field validation were finalised.
This followed the necessary liaisons with the implementing organisations and
extensive field validation for three months. The improved narratives were shared with
the implementing organisations for their consent on the content matter. The project
committee appointed an experienced editor and the final proof reading was done by the
members of the project committee. A panel of eminent experts on the subject matter
provided valuable suggestions for improvement of content and adjudged the three
outstanding good practices. The whole process has been an exciting journey with lots
of learning and we commit to take it forward to enhance the quality and accountability
in humanitarian action in India.
In our opinion, while documentation of this type undoubtedly helps in
dissemination of the knowledge and practices among the humanitarian stakeholders,
such efforts should be made by many others. There is a definite need for a more
powerful mode of dissemination and the electronic media certainly stands to offer this
scope. Therefore, a dedicated social development and humanitarian television channel
is the call of the hour, the much talked about 24x7 weather channel under
consideration by the Government of India could be logically used for such purposes.
The humanitarian organizations and the networks like Sphere India should try and
influence public policy to recognize such good practices. The government should come
forward to recognize and integrate such models in to the public system and thus pave
the way towards building disaster resilient communities in India.

Rev. Dino L. Touthang N.M.Prusty

Executive Director, Chairperson,
EFICOR Sphere India

x
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Gov-
ernment of India, around 68 percent of the
country is prone to drought - nearly 33 percent
area has a chronic drought problem while an-
other 35 percent is prone to occasional drought.
Going by the coverage of drought mitigation
programmes of government, 225 districts out of
the country’s total 604 are drought prone. Thus
every third district in the country suffers from
drought. The Government of India has notified
102 districts as chronically affected by drought.
01
On an average, drought afflicts these areas

DROUGHT
every third year. Taking into consideration the
data of rainfall in the last 100 years, there has
been a severe drought every eight to nine years.
India faced 22 major droughts during 1871-
2002. The Belgium-based Centre for Research
on the Epidemiology of Disasters estimates that
droughts have affected nearly 1,061 million
people and killed 4.25 million people in India
during 1900-2006. Drought seems to be striking
irrespective of rainfall.

1900 Bengal region; 1,250,000

people died

1942 Bengal region; 1,500,000

people died

1964 All India; 166,500,000

people affected

1972 All India; people

affected around 100,000,000
1973 All India; people
affected around 100,000,000

1983 100,000,000 people in three

states affected

1987 300,000,000 people affected in

six states and four UTs; 300
people died of starvation as well

1993 1,175,000 people in nine states

affected

2000 90,000,000 people in six states

affected

2001 Four states affected; 20

starvation deaths reported

2002 300,000,000 people affected

in 16 states

2009 310 districts in 13 states were

declared drought hit; rainfall
deficit by 23 percent
01
The drought section captures the successful experiences
of the community based initiatives for combating the con-
ditions arising out of drought, as well as minimising risks
associated with it. The case study – ‘Steps out of drought’
narrates the innovative concept of ‘step pond’ and the
multiple benefits drawn by the communities practicing it.
Development Research Communication and Services Cen-
tre (DRCSC) introduced this innovative concept in West
Bengal’s Saldiha village, as a long term strategy for miti-
gating water crisis and drought conditions. This initiative
helped the drought striken community of Saldiha to step
out of the vulnerable conditions and yielded the desired
results of water conservation, recharging ground water
and land cultivation. Within three years of its implementa-
tion, the experience of this small village is emerging as the
new mantra for drought proofing villages.
‘An arid fairy tale’, illustrates a similar initiative of long
term mitigation of water crises. It is the case of Alwar’s
Bhaonta village in the desert state of Rajasthan. Tarun
Bharat Sangh (TBS) - a local NGO motivated and mobilised
the communities for water conservation and promoted re-
vival of traditional water harvesting technique called Jo-
hads. Johad is a semi circular earthen structure to capture
runoff rainwater from a specific catchment area. Over the
years, they have not only contained the drought condi-
tions but the web of Johads harvested the rainwater and
fed life to the dead river - Arvari.
The case study – ‘A magical twist’, narrates the drought
proofing measures by Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan (KNNA)
that seeks to revive traditional water sources. Structural
measures such as construction of earthen irrigation dam,
check dams for recharging ground water and farm bund-
ing was taken up as preventive measures to conserve soil
and water. This resulted in increase of cultivable land,
thereby making available sufficient food in the villages.
The initiative also focused on the issues of fodder and food
security to mitigate drought like situations. Fodder security
was addressed by setting up Kaalar, the traditional method
of preserving fodder stock, to meet fodder requirement
for cattle and livestock during the lean season.
Interventions by Action for Food Production (AFPRO) in
ten villages of Udaipur district of Rajasthan attempted to

2 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
fight back the impact of drought. They focussed on attain-
ing fodder security which was an integral part of their
Drought Mitigation Programme. This led to revival of de-
graded pastureland and thus enabling farmers to take up
livestock related activities and supplement their income. It
was for the first time that a drought relief programme was
used for fodder development. The case study – ‘Thought
for fodder’ explains the experiences of the villagers of
Chhaperiya and Khedsiya villages and cites positive
changes brought by the programme such as increase in
fodder production and regeneration of native species. .
In West Bengal, there is a turn around in the barren
lands of Narayanpur village in Birbhum district. The soil
and moisture conservation works initiated by DRCSC with
participation and involvement of the villagers have en-
hanced the water retention capacity of soil, checked ero-
sion and made the land eligible for cultivation. It has
brought back the local ecology and also accentuated the
misery of the vulnerable communities. In few other vil-
lages, vulnerable communities with support from DRCSC
have revived the traditional coping mechanism of saving
fistful of rice for use in times of distress. Grain banks have
been established by the landless and poor families that en-
sures food support for a minimum of sixty days. Different
models have been promoted and communities are inde-
pendent to adopt any model as convenient to their local
conditions and availability of resources. ■

DROUGHT 3
01
DROUGHT

STEPS OUT OF DROUGHT

In West Bengal’s drought prone district of Purulia, a small village along
with a local Non-governmental organization innovates with a step pond that
in every step of it mitigates a specific impact of drought. The innovation is a
result of understanding the causes and impacts of drought in local context.
Within three years of its adaptation, the experience of this tiny village is
emerging as the new mantra for drought proofing Indian villages

PRACTICE: Cooperative approach to

pond excavation and drought
mitigation

IMPACT: Has secured domestic water

needs for 53 families and irrigation
for 33 farmers in Saldiha village

Purulia REPLICATION: Has already been

Kolkata replicated in neighbouring areas; is
suitable for arid- and semi-arid areas
of the country

4 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
S
aldiha’s spin out of the poverty cycle enon of climate change may have serious im-
began in 2006. The residents of this pact on agricultural production due to erratic
tribal dominated village in West Ben- rainfall, higher incidences of flash floods etc.
gal’s drought prone Purulia district have liter- The problem of less cultivable land accompa-
ally stepped out of their disaster-stricken nied by low productivity has led to scarcity of
poverty using the step ponds they have built food and work.
with their labour and wisdom of local climate
and cropping pattern. BABY STEPS
Saldiha is a typical village in the district. So it was but natural for the local Non-govern-
Every year erratic rainfall and lack of surface mental organization (NGO) Development Re-
storage triggers drought. Water scarcity means search Communication and Services Centre
failure of the one critical rainfed crop that this (DRCSC) focused on livelihood security,
village can afford. This in turn forces male drought management and mitigation, to take
members from almost all the 53 households in up water conservation works in this village in
the village to migrate to resourceful districts 2006. Its objective was to increase storage of
for close to six months in a year. For those water so that during the lean period people
who are left behind, mostly women and eld- would be able to fight drought better. Given
ers, it is a desperate search for water. Women the ruined local ecology and the economy and
walk up to five kilometers to fetch water for the problem of widespread migration, DRCSC
domestic use from the nearby Dwarakeswar initiated its interventions with a series of
river. “We used to spend around five hours meetings with the small and marginal farmers
just for fetching water thus compromising on and the two existing farmer groups within the
other productive activities,” remembered the village namely Sidhu Kanhu and Mullu
village women. Mongli Tudu, a resident of the Chandu. Participatory rural appraisal exer-
village says, “Earlier we had to take our cattle cises were conducted with both these groups
also to the river.” Churamoni Murmu, another that found food and water scarcity as the
resident, says, “Bathing during summer prime problem of the area. Thus, to begin
months was considered a luxury.” The district with, DRCSC focused on rainwater conserva-
is also known for high degree of food insecu- tion and utilizing the stored water for fallow
rity. land cultivation. The foundation stone was
The village’s geography is also a disaster thus laid for a wider and long-term disaster
multiplier. About 60 percent of the total culti- mitigation.
vated land is upland. Absence of irrigation fa- DRCSC organized small and marginal
cilities means vast areas of land remain farmers, the worst victims of the recurring
uncultivable. Rain is not a problem for this drought-like situation, into development
district as it receives around 1100 to 1500 mm groups. The groups are like the long-term dis-
rainfall in a year. But it rains only during three aster mitigation village agencies. They had an
months thus making storage of water for the immediate task to motivate villagers to exca-
rest of nine months a critical need. Due to an vate new ponds and renovate old ones. But it
undulated topography and rocky soil with was done in such a way that it involved and
very low water retention capacity, around 50 benefited the entire community and insured
per cent of the rainfall flow away as run off. It them from drought forever.
also causes heavy erosion of the vital top soil. In view of addressing the crisis of water
This impairs agricultural productivity to a leading to food and livelihood insecurity,
great extent. Added to it is the district’s acidic DRCSC introduced the innovative concept of
soil with pH varying between 5.5 and 7.2, and ‘step pond’ with financial support from Karl
containing very little organic matter. As a re- Kubel Stiftung (KKS - Germany). Uniqueness
sult fertility is very low. And recent phenom- of the step pond is its design. It is in three-four

STEPS OUT OF DROUGHT 5

01
tiers on the four sides so that multiple activi- teer, took the responsibility of mobilizing the
ties can be undertaken with the available lim- community for implementing this innovation.
ited resources. In addition, trenches are made They held series of discussions with the two
to channel the runoff water from the nearby existing farmers groups – Sidhu Kanhu and
DRCSC
forest to the pond. Though the prime objective Mullu Chandu. These meetings helped them
invested almost
is to store rain water for irrigation during dry in understanding the local economy and iden-
four years of spells, the steps can also be used for cultiva- tifying the reasons for the sorry state of affairs.
constant work tion as water recedes. This meets the food They found water scarcity as the primary
and mobilization need of the community for a few months. In a problem in the area. They targeted the women
among the way, this immediately provides the small and residents as they are the key player in domes-
communities to marginal farmers a second crop. This alone tic water management. The small and mar-
can stop migration of people from the village. ginal farmers were motivated to excavate the
attain the
Fisheries in the pond provide extra income. pond and renovate the old ponds that existed.
success it was So the step pond is a perfect innovation that DRCSC invested almost four years of con-
looking for takes care of the village’s different but inter- stant work and mobilization among the com-
linked problems. munities to attain the success it was looking
for. It adopted a cooperative approach to make
A LONG WALK this intervention broad-based as well as to
However, this innovation had its own share of make sure that maximum people benefits
challenges. Excavation of pond is a difficult from a single source of water. A suitable land,
and expensive task due to the almost impene- jointly owned by four to five persons, was
trable rocks. This makes mobilization of the identified for the step pond. Staff of DRCSC
communities difficult as they are economi- and members of the farmers group negotiated
cally poor and spending time on such a with the land owners to lease out the land to
labour-intensive task meant losing on other a group of 30 farmers for a period of 30 years.
economic opportunities. The DRCSC field It was mutually agreed that on completion of
team in Purulia led by Bablu Mondal, trainer the lease period, ownership of the pond
of Purulia project office of DRCSC and Kali- would return to the original owners; but the
pada Mandi, a Village Development Volun- group would have the rights to utilize the
pond water for irrigation. So the agreement is
Rich homes: The village farms 40 types of vegetables beneficial both to the land owner and the
small and marginal farmers in long term.
Within the group, they agreed to share the
water for irrigating their fallow lands adjacent
to the pond. It was also decided that yields
from the pond, pond banks and newly culti-
vated fallow land would be equally shared
among the members of the group. This group
also entered into an agreement with other
land owners used to producing only a single
rainfed rice to cultivate a second crop using
the pond water.
Finally in 2006, on the leased plot of about
1.3 acres, the group members started excavat-
ing the pond. Trenches were dug on all the
four sides to channel the runoff water from
nearby forest to the pond. The entire pond and
trench excavation activity was done by the

6 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
villagers of Saldiha and also inhabitants of pe- As they were economically backward, their
ripheral villages on food for work basis. The food comprised mostly of rice, salt and chilies
total cost of the activity was Rs.2,18,800, out and they rarely consumed vegetables. Now,
of which the local contribution was up to they can consume vegetables for close to five
Rs.58,000. In fact women residents con- months a year. Radhika Tudu, the leader of the
tributed around 80 percent of the total labour women’s group says, ‘‘We had never seen or
spent for excavation. Construction finished in heard about some of the vegetables that we are
a record four months (28 February – 3 July growing now on the pond bank and fields.’’
2006) time. During this time villagers, who Another member Suri Tudu says, “We never
used to migrate out for work, stayed back in knew how to cook these vegetables. Then they
the village to participate in the pond construc- (DRCSC staff) trained us. Now we know they
tion work. are really delicious." The pond has started
checking distress migration. Having more
AT THE DESTINATION land for cultivation and the prospect of a sec-
Within a year the step pond started giving eco- ond crop, have encouraged people to stay
nomic returns while insuring it from drought. back in village. This is more assuring when
In 2006, for the first time in living memory, the pond has sufficient water for irrigation. In
the village had water for a minimum of six February 2009, the pond has been made an-
months. It was like a dream come true: this other three feet deep.
mitigated the economic impact of drought to a
large extent. The pond irrigates around 17 A FEW FELLOW FOLLOWERS
acres of fallow land thus substantially increas- The experience of Saldiha in herding away
ing the local income. With the water in the the impacts of drought has inspired many
pond, villagers now grow vegetables for six neighbouring villages to take up similar ef-
months in a year. In 2006 through mixed crop- forts. Numerous villages in the state share the
ping on the banks of the pond, the village cul- concerns of Saldiha, having been impacted by
tivated 40 types of vegetables. In the dry drought for years. Thus, it is no wonder that
season (winter) when the level of water in the step ponds are becoming the instruments for
pond falls, vegetables are grown on the steps insurance against drought. Following the foot-
of the pond. From the bank on all four sides, steps of Saldiha, five villages in the district
trellis were made hanging over the pond for have constructed seven step ponds. A team of
supporting creepers yielding vegetables like watershed experts from Government of India
pumpkin, bottle gourd, lablab bean etc. has recommended this innovation as a
This also had another spin on their lives. model. ■

STEPS OUT OF DROUGHT 7

01

BANKING FOOD SECURITY

Rural areas in West Bengal witness a boom in grain banks; they emerge
as potent antidote for food insecurity during disaster

PRACTICE: Community grain banks set

up in disaster prone areas to ensure
food security

IMPACT: Accepted as an effective disas-

ter mitigation strategy by local organi-
sations. Grain banks ensures food
support for 2 months in case of disas-
Birbhum ters, and reduces migration

REPLICATION: Being replicated in East

Kolkata and West Medinipur, Purulia and 24 Par-
ganas (South) in West Bengal. 160 grain
banks created with 2,400 households as
members in the last one decade

8 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
R
ural Bengal confronts acute food themselves with the locally available materi-
scarcity during September-October als. Of the total cost incurred, DRCSC con-
and April-May as these are agricul- tributes Rs.1,000 and the balance amount is
tural lean periods. Hunger haunts the landless contributed by the members. Labour is free, as
and poor families the most during these peri- it is done by the members themselves. Major
ods forcing them to mortgage their land, live- expense for such a structure is for the con-
stock, assets and labour as security. This lays struction of the base that varies according to
a debt trap for them and reduces their capac- geo-climatic vulnerability. In the dry zone, the
ity to cope during disasters. base is usually made by laying a layer of
DRCSC took the lead in organising the bricks and plastering it with a mixture of ce-
farmers of Lahadda village in Birbhum dis- ment-sand or lime-brick dust. In case of La-
trict, in fixing the problem of food insecurity hadda, it is completely a mud structure and
during such lean periods. Earlier villagers the base is also made out of solid mud mixed
used to keep aside a part of their annual har- with termite repellents. They have also made
vest to face any eventuality that would lead to a hollow in the base for using it as a hen coop
food scarcity. In 2005 Lahadda Chetana and duck house. In flood-prone zone, the base
Sangha (LCS), a group of small and marginal is usually a concrete slab placed on concrete
farmers with support from DRCSC revived stilts. Materials for making the upper structure
this traditional strategy of mitigating food in- include mud, hay, bamboo strips, babui grass
security by starting a community grain bank. ropes according to availability in the locality.
A grain bank is an association of adult So the cost varies according to the difference
members from 20-25 households. Selection of in the base from Rs.2,500 to Rs.10,000. Apart
the members for the grain bank is done after a from the standard contribution of Rs.1,000
detailed survey and based on the food secu- made by DRCSC, the group mobilizes funds
rity analysis of every household in the village. from their own sources and also from the Pan-
The economically poorest families in the vil- chayat.
lage are preferred and given the first priority DRCSC helps members in framing rules Grain bank is a
to be the members of the grain bank. During and regulations for successful functioning of traditional
the harvesting season, the group members the grain banks. During the initial three-four
strategy of
save a mutually agreed fixed amount of their months, they observe the functioning of the
produce in the community grain bank. At the group and on gaining faith and confidence ex-
mitigating food
time of scarcity or any disaster, paddy can be tend a matching grant of 50 kilograms of insecurity during
borrowed from the bank at a low rate of inter- paddy per member, which is repaid by the disasters
est. Members can take loan from the bank group after three years without any interest.
without mortgaging any asset or labour, dur- The repayment is made at the Area Resource
ing lean period or at the time of natural Training Centre (ARTC) set up by DRCSC –
calamities. In the next harvest season, mem- which is an independent apex body with rep-
bers return the loan (grains) with an interest resentations from village level groups. The
of 10 percent which is much less than the in- ARTC uses the amount of grains repaid by the
terest charged by moneylenders (60-100 per- group as a revolving fund for helping other
cent). The amount paid as interest goes to groups to set up more grain banks in the vicin-
increase their own stock. ity.
The grain storage structures are designed The intervention is no more confined to
using local knowledge and technology. Usu- Birbhum district but has also spread its wings
ally, such structures are secured from calami- to the neighboring districts like East and West
ties like flood and attacks from insects or rats. Medinipur, Purulia and 24 Parganas (South)
DRCSC has now seven such different models. in West Bengal. There are around 160 func-
The grain bank is constructed by the members tional grain banks in these districts catering to

BANKING FOOD SECURITY 9

01
2400 households. Most of the banks have less labourers themselves and they no longer
enough grain reserves to last for 60 days. migrate to nearby districts in search of work.
Members of Lahhadda Chetna Sangha have Dependency on money lenders for small
been running the grain bank successfully for loans has drastically reduced. The situation
the last four years. They are also being invited has compelled the money lender to change
as resource persons to facilitate the process of the interest rates on loans and the poor fami-
grain bank formation in other villages. lies are no more working as virtually bonded
Indebtedness has reduced significantly labourers. ■
among the landless families, opines the land-

10 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
AN ARID FAIRY TALE
A village in India’s desert state tames drought by
reviving a traditional water harvesting technique.
In the process it also resurrects a dead river. The
village has since inspired many more villages and
the country as a whole.

PRACTICE: Revival of traditional

water harvesting structures in arid
areas and a strong village institution
to oversee its management
Alwar
Jaipur
IMPACT: The village has surplus
water and dead rivers have been re-
vived. Has set the strategy for sup-
porting the NGO’s expansion to 1000
other villages

REPLICATION: Suitable for arid and

semi-arid areas with low rainfall

AN ARID FAIRY TALE 11

01

“F
or the last 25 years I hear about THE SETTING
drought but has not seen its im- The achievement of drought proofing in
pact on me or my village,” says Bhaonta and other such villages within TBS
Kanheya Lal, a resident of Bhaonta village in work sphere is unprecedented. The country’s
India’s desert state of Rajasthan’s Alwar dis- second largest state receives the lowest rain-
trict. His confidence belies the fact that the fall and accounts for just one percent of the
district is chronic drought prone with an an- total surface water resources of the country.
nual rainfall of around 620 mm, less than half All its districts are drought prone. The water
of the country’s average rainfall. “If we know resources in the state are not only scarce but
we were prone to drought forever, why should also unevenly distributed both in terms of
we be suffering from it? This is plain human time and space. Groundwater also plays an
instinct to prepare for this regular calamity. important role in agriculture and drinking
The Tarun Bharat Sangh does that to drought water supply. In large areas of the state,
proof villages,” he says. The Tarun Bharat groundwater is over exploited and the water
Sangh (TBS), a local non-government organi- table in some areas is going gone down at the
zation, has been in the forefront of drought alarming rate of one meter per year.
proofing the arid state’s thousands of villages Such a situation existed in four blocks of
for more than 25 years. Bhaonta is one of the Alwar district until 1985–86. Alwar falls
first villages where efforts for water conserva- under semi-arid climatic zone and receives
tion started in mid-1980s. The village has not only 620mm of average annual rainfall, out of
felt the impact of drought like loss of crops, which 90 percent occurs between July – Sep-
water scarcity or large-scale migration for the tember. Alwar’s water table declined drasti-
last 10-15 years. “Government has declared cally because of low seasonal distribution of
Alwar district drought affected very often but rainfall and widespread deforestation. Wells
our village remains unaffected,” boasts Lal. and hand pumps remained dry for most of the
“Our strategy has been very simple: rely year. Residents of the district depend on
on local wisdom for drought mitigation that forests and agriculture for livelihoods. But the
has evolved over hundreds of years as a re- decline of water sources was so high that both
sponse to the recurring disasters. So we revive communities living inside and outside the
the traditional water harvesting systems with forests faced severe water scarcity.
the communities themselves owning and The TBS led by Singh started working in
managing the infrastructures,” remembers Ra- the area in 1985. TBS focused on immediate
jinder Singh, the president of TBS. When TBS drought relief, education and primary health
started working in the area – Thanagazi tehsil to begin with. But as Singh remembers, local
of Alwar district – it was officially recorded communities identified water scarcity and im-
as a dark region with severe water scarcity. pact of constant drought as the key problems
For close to five years government has ac- that must be fixed in the long term. So TBS
knowledged the impact of TBS’s water har- switched over to full time water conservation
vesting efforts declaring the tehsil, to be water efforts. The local elders directed the TBS to
scarce no more. “We demonstrated that revive and construct new traditional water
drought proofing is possible in a larger geo- structure called Johad in local parlance. Johad
graphical unit applying the age old traditional is a semi-circular earthen structure to capture
village knowledge. We built hundreds of runoff rainwater from a specific catchment
water harvesting structures that not only cap- area. This has been a key structure in tradi-
tured more water from less rainfall but also tional watershed practice of Rajasthan. It
recharged the groundwater so much that five helps in storing and recharging water, while
dead rivers have come back to life,” says the greenery around it provides fodder for the
Singh. large livestock people keep in the arid state as

12 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
a second option of livelihood. Monsoon rains dead stream, a major drain for runoff water
fill ponds behind the structures. Only the from the nearby Aravali hills. In 1987-88, its
largest structures hold water year round; most impact was visible as the dried wells in the
dry up in six months or less after the mon- village had water for close to six months.
soon. Their main purpose however is not to Within five years, the village had 12 such
hold surface water but to recharge the ground- structures. The village in 1990, took up for the
water beneath. Water stored in the ground first time a winter crop and drinking water
does not evaporate or develop mosquito- scarcity was over.
breeding habitat but is protected from contam- The web of Johads constructed to harvest
ination by human and animal wastes and every drop of rainwater was also feeding life
sweeps in to recharge wells and provide mois- into a river forgotten by everybody. In 1995 In 1987 – 88, its
ture for vegetation across a wide area. the river Arvari gained life when water started impact was
flowing on her surface. “By this time we forgot visible, as the
THE PROTAGONISTS drought,” says Lal. The people of Bhaonta
dried wells in
Bhaonta residents were the first to work along have played a key role in exciting local initia-
the village had
with the TBS to revive Johads. A Gram Sabha tive for participatory river management. Ar-
(village council, consisting of all eligible elec- vari River has become perennial in all but the water for close
torates of the village) in 1986 committed com- driest years because of water harvesting. Vil- to six months
munity contribution to construct Johads while lagers living in Arvari watershed decided that
the TBS supported in terms of grain as relief to they should draw up rules to ensure that the
partially compensate for labour. “We did not newly flowing river was not over-exploited
have much option. Our situation was very bad and encouraged forest protection. In 1999 rep-
and people were looking for long term solu- resentatives of village councils from 34 vil-
tion,” says Lal. The first Johad came up on a lages met and formally declared the creation

Starting point: ‘Our situation was very bad and people looked for long-term solution’

AN ARID FAIRY TALE 13

01

Revival: The local ecology is regenerating in Alwar

of the Arvari Parliament. ment, but they are unable to reject it because
Seventy two villages now send represen- of the unity and active participation of the vil-
tatives to the parliament. Besides dealing with lagers. Most of the tasks are carried out by the
forest and water usage issues it has also forced Gram Sabha. It is obligatory for all households
the state government to rescind a license it to attend the meeting twice a month except
had given to an outside contractor for fishing during the harvesting time. There is no single
rights in the Arvari. While it has no legal au- leader or a core group, and all the households
thority, the parliament has the moral authority take active part in the working of Gram Sabha
to impose fines on rule-breakers and resolve and all the decisions are taken by consensus.
resource-use disputes between villages. The Gram Sabha in the long run can be a sus-
tainable source of resource mobilization. Par-
THE SCRIPT ticipation of the local people is a must for any
Bhaonta village set the future strategy for TBS. developmental activity to take place and TBS
It works in around 1000 villages and has now does not undertake any activity unless the vil-
evolved a well thought out strategy to fight lagers agree to contribute maximum resources
and win over drought. The most crucial aspect in terms of cash and voluntary labour. The in-
of the TBS strategy is co-opting the commu- volvement of the villages gives them a sense of
nity. Before undertaking any developmental ownership and ensures the maintenance of
activity in a village, formation of the Gram the structures in future.
Sabha was the first step. Before initiation of construction activities,
The Gram Sabha created in all the villages the cost required is discussed in the Gram
associated with TBS is different from those Sabha meeting. The construction requires
coming under Panchayati Raj Act. Each Gram mainly local resources such as soil/mud, peb-
Sabha in villages associated with TBS consists ble, labour, etc. Since mud and stones are ex-
of one representative from each household tracted from common land, it is not included
and for all practical purposes coordinate with in the cost contribution norms for each family.
the existing Panchayat. Although some of the A clear guideline was followed by TBS,
Panchayats are not in favour of such arrange- that it will contribute only the external re-

14 TURNING THE TIDE DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
sources required for the construction. In most Impacts of this initiative can be described as
cases, the contribution of the villagers has below:
been more than 70 per cent of the cost because Socio – economic: Water conservation has
Johad being based on local technology, most helped people to be engaged both in agricul-
of the resources required were mobilized ture and livestock rearing. Increased water
within the village. TBS contributed resources availability means more crop production and
for hiring skilled labour (masonry work), ce- thus more fodder availability. This in turn,
ment, iron and diesel for tractors. Villagers leads to increased income from milk products.
contribute in three forms: cash, kind and
labour. In the initial phases, villagers con- Ecological impacts: Satisfying the primary
tributed labour and food grains which were need of drinking water and other domestic
sold to get cash for the construction activities uses seems to be the key achievement of the
but later on villagers started contributing in Johads. Other benefits include increased food
cash also. For example in Bhaonta, apart from production, soil conservation, higher levels of
voluntary labour, each family contributed Rs. water in wells and high bio-mass productiv-
400. In fact in few structures the community ity. The groundwater level of the region has
contribution was around 80 per cent of total increased.
cost.
To make sure that the Gram Sabha emerges Impact on women: As domestic water man-
as a viable institution, a Gram Kosh (village agement is entirely women’s affair in villages,
fund) has been created for each village. Each the increased availability of water has made
villager contributes a fixed amount decided by the lives of women easy. There is no more
the Gram Sabha. The objective of creating a those punishing walks to far away water Water
Gram Kosh is to ensure financial independ- sources. This means women are spending availability has
ence of the village institution in the long run more time with children and on other produc- gone up
and such initiatives towards financial auton- tive activities. triggering an
omy, can be strengthened for future develop-
economic chain
mental activities of the village. THE REMAKES
reaction.
Bhaonta’s experience triggers a swell of sup-
A HAPPY STORY port for TBS to take up large-scale water con- Crops are now
Johad is an economic instrument, as the expe- servation in Rajasthan. The TBS has already protected from
riences of Bhaonta and other TBS villages supported construction of around 10,000 Jo- fluctuating
demonstrate. Water availability has gone up hads in more than 1,000 villages. Many addi- weather and
triggering an economic chain reaction. Crops tional structures have been built by villagers most of the
are now protected from fluctuating weather without TBS involvement. Villagers have also
villages are
and most of the villages are taking up a sec- dug more than 1,000 wells to take advantage
ond crop. Increase in agriculture means more of the rise in groundwater levels. Despite min- taking up a
crop residue for fodder, besides the fodder imal government support often in the face of second crop
cultivation due to increase in water availabil- outright official hostility, TBS's structures
ity. Good livestock has resulted in increased have provided irrigation water to an estimated
milk production adding substantially to in- 140,000 hectares. TBS calculates that around
come from agriculture. GD Agrawal, a former 700,000 people in Alwar and the neighboring
professor of Indian Institute of Technology districts benefitted from improved access to
(IIT), made an evaluation of the economic im- water for household use, farm animals and
pact of Johads. His finding was encouraging: crops. This works out to a cost of Rs. 500 per
for every Re. 1 spent on water conservation in hectare irrigated and Rs. 100 (US$2!) per per-
TBS operational areas, the return has son supplied with drinking water. ■
been Rs. 4.

AN ARID FAIRY TALE 15

01

A MAGICAL TWIST
In Gujarat’s arid Kutch district, a drought proofing programme
makes sure that the shadow of drought recedes forever from
villages. Many drought ravaged villages are getting back their
once prosperous economy; many who migrated are coming back
for a better harvest. The drought proofing programme gives
equal importance to livestock needs that form an integral part of
the local economy

PRACTICE: Recharging groundwater

for long term water security; women
are at the forefront; attaining fodder
Kutch security
Ahmedabad
IMPACT: Agriculture is drought proof
now; reverse migration in

REPLICATION: It is suitable for arid

areas

16 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
J agat Singh, a resident of Tappar village in
Gujarat’s Kutch district, does not regret his
decision to leave a secured job in Muscat,
Oman and come back to his village in 2004.
Not very far from here, another village is
remaking the Tappar experience. Fulpara vil-
lage, located in the Rapar taluka of Kutch with
33 families, is close to the little Rann. The vil-
He was a hesitant migrant anyway. But the de- lage suffers geographical isolation with no
cision to migrate out was a direct fall out of road connectivity and electricity. The village
his village’s state of affairs. Being located in a faces continuous problem of salinity ingress
drought haunted arid zone, his village did not in the ground water. It faced severe shortage
inspire human existence. Drought is chronic of drinking water and crops normally failed
here; rainfall is not only scarce but also er- due to lack of water for irrigation. The com-
ratic. Added to that is the hilly geography and munity earned their living by working in the
water would just flow down. This in totality china clay mines six-seven kilometers away
created severe water crisis. Many traditional from Fulpara with average daily wage of Rs.
wells had dried up. Agriculture, the prime 40/day.
source of income became a difficult proposi-
tion for survival. WOMEN SHOW THE WAY
When Jagat came back to his village in The village joined the drought proofing pro-
2004, he found the Drought Proofing Pro- gramme of KNNA in 2004. The women of the
gramme (DPP) being implemented. He could village took leadership in finding solutions to
sense the scope for better crop production. He their village’s perennial problems. Cohesion
drilled a bore well in his barren land to check Foundation a NGO, supported the village
the water level and to his astonishment found committee for implementation of the pro-
that water was available. Jagat’s mindset soon gramme. An irrigation dam with a capacity of
changed and reinforced confidence in him to 39.68 million cubic ft was constructed
carry out agriculture through irrigated farm- through active involvement of women. They
ing. He stayed back and continued to do agri- played a key role in decision making. This
culture in his village rather than migrating could irrigate 280 hectares (Ha) of land. Also
out. farm bunding was done for soil and water con-
A twist in the fate of his village came when servation in 134.51 ha of land. “When the
three ponds and two small dams were con- women of our village decided to take the re-
structed in his village with support from sponsibility, we were not convinced that they
Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan (KNNA), a dis- would be able to handle it. But they proved
trict network of 32 development organisations themselves. Earlier we used to speak and they
based in Kutch, Gujarat, under its Drought used to listen; now they speak and we listen to
Proofing Programme (DPP). These structures them. And we are happy about that. After one
within two years replenished the village’s de- shower, for the first time in our village, we
pleting water sources. Its wells started having have fodder for our cattle and bajra (a coarse
water and soil got back its life saving mois- cereal) for our children. We have now realized
ture. A good harvest followed. The villagers that for a better future of the village, women
took a conscious decision not to use these should participate in such programmes,” says
structures for irrigation directly. They have re- Ratanbhai Rajput, a resident.
served just to recharge the groundwater on The result has been instant. In addition to
which the village depends for irrigation and it, the village has shown excellent community
drinking water. commitment for making it possible as well as
After seeing the changed situation of agri- sharing the resources generated out of this re-
culture in his village, Jagat came back to Tap- vival. “There has been an increase of five per-
par. He is here to stay and has no plans to shift cent in cultivation this year i.e. 2005. I
anywhere. His ancestral land is alive again. donated four acres (1.6 Ha) of my farm land

A MAGICAL TWIST 17
01
for constructing the dam. And I am happy that villages are heartening given their geographi-
everybody in my village has benefited through cal disadvantages. Both the villages are in
this,” says a proud Velabhai Rajput, a farmer Kutch district. It is a drought affected area.
of Fulpara. “In our village there are poor peo- Here drought strikes for a consecutive three to
ple who do not own any agricultural land. But four years at regular frequency and 85 percent
they belong to our village. Though they do not of total farm lands in the district are drought
have land, they too have the right to benefit prone. In such severe conditions, cultivation
from the dam. We decided to give them work of crop becomes impossible and leads to un-
and let them have a share of the benefits. availability of sufficient food for the village.
Those who had large plots of farmlands gave This leads to migration of the rural people in
land to the landless so that they too could search of work. The last few decades have
earn. Otherwise how would the poor and seen several years of crop failure due to erratic
landless earn?” says a beaming Puriben rainfall. On the other hand, this region has
Patabha, President of the Fulpara village com- substantial livestock population, considered
mittee that supervises the intervention. as a second livelihood option keeping in mind
The experiences of Tappar and Fulpara the uncertainty of agriculture due to drought.
But livestock also suffers from fodder scarcity
Agriculture is profitable again as drought conditions do not support fodder
cultivation as well. So during a drought, the
two most important sources of livelihood get
affected. The government drought relief pro-
grammes made the community more depend-
ent on the government for relief rather than
finding long term solution to overcome the
problem. So what the district economy
needed was a long term planning for preven-
tion of drought rather than cure through spe-
cific drought relief measures.

A WELL THOUGHT OUT PLAN

Under DPP the idea was to enable the commu-
nities to take the responsibility of fighting
scarcity conditions caused by drought and in
future, by undertaking various types of pro-
ductive works both during drought and nor-
mal years. To achieve food security, the basic
idea was to strengthen the irrigation of the
cropped areas because during drought, the
crop failure is due to lack of sufficient water
for irrigation and soil moisture. For irrigation
of the fields, the main structural measure
identified was: construction of earthen irriga-
tion dams, check dams for recharging ground-
water and farm bunding. Each village in the
district has two - three small rivulets of 1.5 to
3 km in length and one - two large rivers of 15
- 25 km of length. The dams were mainly con-
structed in the channel of such rivulets or

18 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
Towards greener pastures arable land, which can support its cattle population
Fodder security is a critical crutch of overall if used for fodder cultivation. So KNNA made fodder
food security in drought-prone areas security an integral component under DPP. The
objective was to enable the community to source
Of late the pastoralists of Moti Suraddhro village do their own fodder at the local level to tide over
not seem much concerned when a drought strikes. scarcity. The KNNA depended on the traditional
But they do remember with pain their long journey to techniques such as fodder banks, grassland devel-
source fodder for their life-saving livestock. Earlier opment and pastureland development.
during scarcity, community used to go to Naliya, a The viability of the fodder bank, as
nearby town 13 km from Moti Suraddhro, with their demonstrated above, is based on the fact that in a
bullock carts and wait for hours in queues to get fod- good monsoon year the price of fodder is half to
der without knowing how much they would get. one-third the cost of fodder in a drought year. So the
Things have changed with setting up of a Kaalar (tra- fodder bought and stored in a good year can be sold
ditional method of preserving fodder stock) in the at 30 percent higher costs to recover the expendi-
village in 2005; most families have fodder stock to ture of the transport, stocking and weight loss in a
last for at least a year. 45 farmers contributed for bad year. It is still cheaper than fodder in the mar-
construction of the Kaalar with a capacity of about ket. Currently there are 10 fodder banks in 10 vil-
2500 mounds (1, 00,000Kgs), which can provide lages.
six months of fodder requirement for about 350 cat- To arrest the migration of cattle, each village
tle during the lean season. developed its rainfed agriculture and grassland for
What is fascinating about the farmers’ efforts is fodder security. The straw from the cultivated crop
the excellence in which the fodder bank was set up. was stored in fodder banks and can be accessed by
The group has members from all castes of the vil- the villagers during the drought years as per mutu-
lage and each member has contributed to the ally agreed rules and regulations. The community
Kaalar based on the number of cattle they own. In representatives manage the fodder banks.
the first year each member contributed Rs. 100 – Every village has some amount of common pas-
150 as membership fee and in addition each paid tureland. Communities take up development of this
Rs. 20 per cattle. They had their cost-benefit calcu- land for village fodder security. The grasslands in
lation ready including all expenses, the price of one the village are also developed for the fodder
mound (40 Kgs) of fodder came to Rs. 100, a mem- availability. Currently 13 villages are involved in
ber got it at Rs. 125 per mound and non-member at grassland development covering 353 Ha of land.
Rs. 150. This was almost half the rate they paid This has secured fodder for 1112 cattle for a period
while sourcing fodder from Naliya. Fodder scarcity of four months.
is common in a drought year in Kutch. Scarcity of Each village has a committee – members
fodder as a result of low harvest and absence of elected by the village in consensus - to specifically
dedicated fodder cultivation results in large-scale manage the fodder bank and grassland develop-
abandonment of animals. The traditional pastoral- ment. The committee members carry out all func-
ist groups confront shortage of fodder as major con- tions related to the management of the fodder bank,
cern during drought years. For the survival of their such as collection of fodder from the members,
cattle, the cattle owner has to either migrate with membership fee and guarding the fodder bank. The
their animals or leave them in Panjrapoles (cattle committee decides upon the amount of money to
sheds put up by charity organizations). This impacts be collected from the members, calculation of the
the local residents’ future economic prosperity as fodder selling price and managing the fund col-
well as capacity to cope during lean phases. lected. The fund collected is deposited in the bank
The district is endowed with large tracts of account in the name of the fodder bank committee.

A MAGICAL TWIST 19
01
rivers to catch the water after rain and allow ural resources in the village and the gap be-
for recharge. Moreover, small irrigation sys- tween requirement and production. After un-
tems were stabilized by which at least one dertaking this exercise, each village committee
critical irrigation crop can be grown even in then presented their planning and priorities of
drought years by building earthen irrigation work in the zonal committee meeting held
dams. As has been mentioned, the DPP also every month with the village committees and
A comprehensive included livestock management, particularly NGOs of the respective zone. After discus-
planning was availability of fodder during scarcity, as an in- sions, clarifications and suggestions from the
undertaken in tegral part of its project design (See diagram: village committees, the work plan was final-
each village Implementation structure and box: Towards ized and priorities were decided based on the
greener pastures). need of the village (See diagram: Implementa-
by experts from
End users play a critical role in decision tion Structure). The labour, managing the
rural community
making, planning and implementation of the funds, payments and management of the struc-
based on their program. This ensured community control ture after the completion, were supervised by
traditional over water utilization patterns in the villages the committee formed in the village. Hence,
wisdom. which otherwise trigger many conflicts and the end users were actually the managers also.
threaten sustainability of the programme. Involvement of end users from the pro-
Partner organizations facilitated the process of gramme’s inception to its implementation and
technical studies regarding water sources and supervision has seemingly yielded quick re-
appropriate methodology to ensure water se- sults. The villages are now able to grow cash
curity in the villages. A comprehensive plan- crops and there is no scarcity of food grains
ning was undertaken in each village by during drought, as villagers have surplus har-
experts from rural community based on their vest. Since the beginning of the programme
traditional wisdom along with engineers and from one village, there are now 30 villages
geologists after undertaking a feasibility study having constructed 62 water conservation
in the village. structures. According to an estimate, in each
Ha the value of crop is around Rs. 1,100. In
DEEP IMPACTS seven villages implementing the programme,
The geo-hydrology of the village was studied 492 Ha of land have been secured from
and the potential of existing structures for drought. There is a whopping 66 percent in-
water and food security was considered for the crease in crop productivity in these villages.
planning. A PRA exercise was conducted in Similarly, the fodder management activi-
the village to understand the situation of nat- ties have also caught the imagination of the
local residents as it completely secures them
Implementation structure from drought. The concept of establishment of
Joint Cell chaired by fodder bank (see box: Towards greener pas-
District Collector tures), grass and pastureland development can
be replicated in any village with a source of
Programme Management fodder and a need to manage it. After the suc-
Committee cess of the fodder banks in the villages many
other private fodder banks have also come up.
These private fodder banks are managed by
Drought 3 zones Village
proofing cell each with 7 drought
individuals or small committees formed by
in Abhiyan to 8 NGOs proofing few households. In Moti Suraddhro village
committees after the setting up of one fodder bank, 100
fodder banks have come up. People have
Resource shown interest in setting up of fodder banks
Institutions to fight the vagaries of drought. ■

20 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
THOUGHT FOR FODDER
A partnership of community, non-governmental
organizations and government reverses the gaps in
Rajasthan’s drought management strategies. It revives the
common pastureland for fodder security thus ensuring a
source of livelihood that plays a critical role in times of
drought

PRACTICE: Making fodder security

integral part of drought proofing and
using government programmes for
Jaipur the same

IMPACT: Not only attained fodder

security but also revived local ecology
Udaipur
REPLICATION: Has potential for
drought prone villages in Rajasthan

THOUGHT FOR FODDER 21

01

I
n Rajasthan, fighting with the hazard of constant drought. This on the other hand re-
drought means securing both humans and duced their capacity to recover from drought.
livestock from it. While in case of the for- Like in most of the villages in the state,
mer it is in agriculture and incase of the latter Chhaperiya had 77 ha of common pasture-
it is fodder. And interestingly both of them are land. But it degraded to such an extent that
inter-linked: most of the farmers take up live- there was hardly any fodder output from it.
stock-related activities as additional or sup- Added to it, the open grazing puts enormous
plementary occupation. In the desert districts pressure on the scarce resource.
of the state, agriculture and livestock account
equally in contribution to local livelihood. In A COMMON AGENDA
case of a drought, earning from livestock takes Chhaperiya’s revival of its grazing land started
precedence. However, there has been gradual from a degraded piece of land. Sahyog Sansthan
neglect of this aspect of drought management. and AFPRO (Action for Food Production)
So over a period of time, fodder security (crit- facilitated the process and organized meetings
ical to sustainable livestock rearing) has and trainings to make the village realize the
slipped out of the government drought pro- importance of pastureland. AFPRO facilitated
grammes’ priority list. this intervention under its Drought Mitigation
The residents of Chhaperiya, a tribal dom- Programme (DMP). It has been facilitating
inated village in Udaipur district, reversed this such programme in 10 tribal villages in the
decline process in 2001. Most of the families district. Its focus on fodder security got valida-
in the village are small and marginal farmers tion from the feedback it got from villagers
and labourers. The economy of the village who identified shortage of fodder, the main
mainly depends on agriculture which is vul- cause due to which animal health was badly
nerable to low and erratic rainfall and live- affected and hence the productivity. Due to
stock that again has seen drastic decline over a crop failure and single cropping practice, fod-
period of time due to continuous drought sit- der produced from the agriculture field was
uation. Many families had abandoned live- not sufficient to meet the requirement of live-
stock after finding them unmanageable due to stock. Hence villagers used to depend upon

Farm and fodder: Farmers in the state majorly depend on livestock

22 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
Dialogue: Constant discussion on village problems led to right solutions

market to purchase fodder which incurred the remaining 37 ha of pastureland was left for
huge investment. Considering this situation, open grazing. In addition, soil and water con-
fodder availability was identified as one of the servation measures like contour trenches, con-
essential needs of village. Hence, achieving struction and strengthening of gully plugs were
fodder security in these villages was one of carried out under government’s drought relief
the objectives of DMP. programme, which was implemented from
To convince residents, AFPRO organized March to June 2003, with technical guidance
an exposure visit to nearby Khedsiya village, from AFPRO. This was for the first time that a
where communities developed and managed drought relief programme was used for fodder
pastureland to attain fodder security for live- development. In DMP, linkage of labour work
stock. In 2002, most of the villagers realized was done with government’s Food for Work
the need and agreed to protect the common programme, where government contributed 75 For the
pasture. However, 15-20 families who had percent of labour cost in terms of grain and common
sheep and goats opposed the idea. The discus- AFPRO contributed 25 percent in cash. pastureland
sion continued for one more year. It was also Community decided the rules and regula- villagers
decided that until the whole village agreed tions for management of developed pasture- contributed 25
and came to a consensus, no steps would be land. For the common pastureland, villagers
percent of the
taken for pastureland development. contributed 25 percent of the cost and for pri-
vate ones contribution was 50 percent. The
cost and in
FIRST FLUSH OF SUCCESS total expenses on the structural measures in the private ones
In 2003 things started moving. The villagers common pastureland was around Rs. 4 lakhs, contribution was
and AFPRO prepared a comprehensive plan for out of which less than Rs. 1 lakh was through 50 percent
the protection and development of 39 ha of village contribution, Rs. 1 lakh from WFI and
community pastureland with active support Rs. 2.10 lakh was government’s contribution
from Wells for India (WFI) a U.K based fund- for grain as wages for the labour work.
ing agency and the government’s relief depart- The role of AFPRO and local NGO in this
ment. A protection wall was constructed programme was mainly to plan the strategy for
around the selected 39 ha of pastureland and the pastureland development and community

THOUGHT FOR FODDER 23

01
mobilization to manage the implementation each part was assigned to 10 families. Each
process and the common pastureland of the family contributes the amount decided by the
village. At first the need assessment of the vil- committee for fodder and fuelwood. A watch-
lage was done by PRA. A separate committee man was hired for guarding the pastureland.
was made for pastureland development. Grass cutting was permitted for 15 days from
The committee members were selected by March onwards on a regular basis. Till 2006
consensus of all the villagers. The committee there was a social ban on felling trees for fuel-
had the responsibility of managing all the ac- wood from the pastureland and allowed re-
tivities related to the pastureland develop- generation of the trees. In 2007, the village
ment such as beneficiary selection, fund collected 500 quintals of fuelwood and in
management, supervising the construction 2008 it was 250 quintals. Fuelwood collection
work, keeping record of the activities carried
out. Apart from these other responsibilities GRASS (LEAP)
with the committee was the unbiased distri- Year Bundles of Cash contribution
bution of the fodder and fuelwood collected grass from each
(in Nos) household (Rs.)
from the pastureland. The construction of var-
ious structures, planting of trees and making 2004 16,000 10
the boundary of the pastureland was done by 2005 22,000 20
2006 32,000 30
the villagers themselves.
2007 42,000 32
In the first year after the pastureland de-
2008 45,000 50
velopment, it was divided into 10 parts and

TARGET ACHIEVED OUTPUTS OUTCOMES

5578 metres of protection • 112.75 ha of community Fodder production increased
wall (stone) and 6278 mts pasture land protected drastically from the protected
of vegetative fencing were with protection wall pastureland (e.g. grass harvested
constructed in the pasture from pastureland of Chhaperiya
land. 305 mts of protection • Grass seeded in 231.52 village increased from 15000 kg
wall repaired. ha of pastureland during 2004 to 25000 kg
during 2005)
6051 plants were planted
in pastureland Natural regeneration increased the
vegetative cover in pastureland
Grass seeding carried out in (e.g. native species
231.52 ha of pastureland come up in the developed
pastureland of Chhaperiya)
1132 nos. of gully plugs
constructed and 367 nos. People are now interested in
strengthen. dairying activities due to increased
availability of fodder 60 cum and
157.08 cum of
LSCD constructed and Degradation of pastureland
strengthen respectively reduced

7 nos. of gabion structure

constructed in the small
streams flows in the
pastureland

20477.75 m of CCT & 13105

cum of SCT constructed
SOURCE: Project completion Report-2006 by AFPRO

24 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
was allowed for five days and total collection production from these lands and thus ensured
is shared equally among the families. sufficient fodder for livestock of all the 10 vil-
lages. Protection of pastureland also helped in
WANDERING IN PASTURELAND natural regeneration of native species result-
Six years of protection has led the pastureland ing more greenery and vegetation. Drudgery
convert into a forest. It has several new of women has also been reduced due to in-
species of plants and trees and different vari- creased availability of fodder from their own
eties of grass. Villagers themselves say that the agricultural field, private pastureland as well
theft of fuelwood from the forest is no longer as common pastureland of the village. The
reported. During 2004-2008, grass harvest al- availability of fuelwood from the common
most tripled from the protected pastureland pastureland has reduced the dependency of
(See table: Grass(leap) Pg 20) and availability the villagers on buying from the market or
of fodder has resulted in increased milk pro- fetching the same from forest areas. This also
duction. Balaram, a small farmer, says, “Ear- leads to protection of the nearby forest areas
lier the milk production was very poor; it was from illicit cutting of trees.
hardly about ½ litre per day. But last year Six years of pro-
(2007-08), I earned Rs. 1200 by selling addi- A WIDER AVENUE tection has
tional milk due to increased fodder availabil- The above intervention has wider ramifications turned the pas-
ity from common and my own pasture.” for other villages in Rajasthan. The rural econ- tureland into a
For pastureland development, the focus omy of Rajasthan has traditionally been based
forest. Today it
was laid on development and proper manage- on livestock and dependent on common prop-
ment of both private and common pas- erty resources, like that of Chhaperiya village.
has 90 new
ture/wastelands through physical treatment In the state more than 80 percent farmers own species of plants
and social fencing in order to increase produc- animals, which is integrated with agriculture. and tress.
tion of fodder and fuel wood. These measures However, the large number of animals in these
not only aimed at fodder security but also to re- districts cannot be supported by existing fod-
juvenate and recharge the water table in the der resources. While part of the fodder deficit
area. The structures (constructed) and in- in the state is met by importing fodder from
creased vegetative cover of the pastureland, neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana, a
formed part of a watershed approach which significant proportion is met through the mi-
targeted restoration of water resources. gration of animals, especially sheep.
Recharge of water in turn increased the avail- Villages in Rajasthan have common land
ability of drinking water and water for irriga- which is used as pastureland for the whole vil-
tion. The wall constructed around the lage and these pasturelands are a major source
pastureland was both of stone and vegetation. of fodder in the State. In this way, a village has
For vegetative boundary, Jatropha is commonly its own source to fulfill the fodder and fuel-
used in fields and proved to be good in stop- wood requirement. However, a huge part of the
ping the cattle from entering the pastureland. pastureland area is barren and unproductive.
In village Chhaperiya, some villagers sold the The reason is overgrazing, soil erosion as a re-
Jatropha seeds and benefitted upto Rs. 30,000. sult of cutting trees and bushes and lastly, be-
The pastureland development in villages cause of the complete ignorance of the
not only resulted in achievement of fodder se- villagers. Earlier these common lands were
curity, but also achieved broader goals of en- managed properly by caretakers but today the
abling the communities become responsible villagers who depend on them for their live-
for their own resources and manage the assets stock are not ready to take the responsibility.
without any external help (See table: ‘Three So, what these villages have demonstrated
villages, one story’). The interventions for de- has to be the future recourse for the state, if it
velopment of pasturelands enhanced fodder wants to secure itself from drought. ■

THOUGHT FOR FODDER 25

01

Three villages, one story Shankar has it all

Village: Jamun
The Drought Mitigation Programme (DMP) of Local organization involved: Prayatna
AFPRO aimed at reducing the impact of drought Samiti, Gudli
on rural livelihood and also create alternate
income generating avenues for the tribal Shankar, a skeptical resident of Jamun village,
communities of 11 villages. AFPRO entered into never thought that the small water harvesting
partnership with grassroots organizations for structures would rid him of his biggest problem:
implementation, and Wells For India (WFI) insuring his agriculture from impact of drought.
extending financial support. The programme When the programme started in the village in
builds on the experiences of the grassroots June 2001, he was not enthusiastic. The series
organizations already working among the local of check dams and anicuts constructed in the
communities for years. This helped in catchment of his land has increased the
sharpening the programme’s intervention like moisture content of his farm besides recharging
focus on water conservation and fodder security. water in his dug wells. He hardly used to take up
The implementation of the project has winter crop but now the situation has changed.
involved participation of stakeholders at three “Winter crop is regular now,” he says. He grows
level - village level, partner level and project onion and mustard due to water availability
level. Community alongwith CBOs were involved irrespective of the low or erratic monsoon. He
in facilitating the program at village level with says, “Small check dams are much better than
guidance and support from the implementing the big concrete dams for storing water at many
partner concerned. AFPRO provided the overall places.” His wife Keshi Bai is also happy for she
project monitoring, review, capacity building and gets drinking water in her own well rather than
socio-technical support. The programme also walking three kilometers to fetch water.
liaisoned with different government and Similarly, family of Nathu, another farmer in the
resource agencies/institutions to access village, is happy that the check dam (naari, loose
optimum resources for the development of the stone check dam) was constructed near his
target villages. As the prime stakeholders of the farm. It has recharged the water table below and
programme, capacity building of the community this in turn keeps his well filled even when
was given utmost priority in the programme rainfall is inadequate. By doing farm bunding in
design. their fields, they are able to cultivate more area
Under the programme each village formed than before (See accompanying table).
a village development committee (VDC) and
elected members for it. The VDC’s responsi- Nayagaon’s first green revolution
bilities included beneficiary selection, Village: Nayagaon
designing and implementation of village Local organisation involved: Manav Kalyan
specific projects. Samiti, Kolyari
Profile of three villages that have shown
outstanding results using the programme: Nayagaon’s economy is totally dependent on
agriculture (37 percent of the village land is used

Harvesting time
2001 2002 2003 2004 Major crops
Area under Kharif crop in ha 23.72 23.89 25.59 27.95 Maize and pulses
Area under Rabi crop in ha 1.99 0.35 2.11 3.46 Wheat, mustard, gram
Source: Project Completion Report-2006 (Monitoring data)

Contd...

26 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
for agriculture). But it is rainfed and thus irrigation brought agriculture revolution in
vulnerable to drought that happens almost every Nayagaon.
year in varing intensity. It was a long cherished
dream of villagers to have a proper irrigation Change, they could
system. The dream almost came true in 1992 Village: Malawari
when the Mahan Seva Sansthan (MSS) with Local organization involved: Gandhi Manav
financial support from District Rural Kalyan Samiti, Ogna
Development Agency (DRDA) started a Lift
Irrigation System (LIS) in the village. Villagers Malawari’s economy is undergoing a structural
contributed voluntary labour. A water source was change. In 2001 daily wage labour option
created in the river Wakal. Within a very short accounted for maximum local livelihood. Local
span of time, the system started operation but residents say that earlier 40 percent of their
unfortunately it could not sustain for a long time. income came from daily wage labour, 30
Within four years, technical problems in the percent from selling fuelwood and 30 percent
system led to over consumption of fuel thus from agriculture. Currently, it is 50 percent from
leading to cost escalation. Besides, recurring agriculture, 30 percent from daily wage labour,
technical problems meant high maintenance 10 percent from fuelwood and 10 percent from
cost as well. People did not find it cost effective. animal husbandry. In 2001, collectively they had
It was again in 2001, villagers revived the system 5 bulls, 10 cows and 20 goats but now they own
with a comprehensive micro plan for the village 10 bulls, 30 cows and 50 goats. It is a welcome
under the DMP. They agreed to contribute 50 change in contrast to the national scenario of
percent of the required budget for the revival of agriculture losing ground very fast.
the LIS. A committee consisting seven members Malawari, a tribal village of undulating
was formed to look after the management topography, is located on the bank of a huge
aspect of the LIS unit. Committee evolved rules reservoir. Despite this, drought always haunts
and regulations for operation of the LIS and a the village. As the livelihood options of past show,
person was appointed to run the pump set and villagers almost abandoned agriculture due to
maintain the LIS. Two meetings annually are constant drought. The DMP supported large-
conducted to decide on the maintenance of the scale water conservation works such as earthen
LIS and the area to be harvested based on the field bunds, stone field bunds and gully plugs.
water availability in the river. LIS committee has The work started from November 2001. The
a bank account to deposit the money collected. results were unbelievable: revival of agriculture
The committee fixed Rs. 10 per ha as the despite drought. Naka Ram, a resident of the
monthly charge for irrigation and diesel is given village, and his nine brothers today cultivate 40
by the farmers themselves. Around 20 ha of land bighas (6.4 ha) of land instead of 1.6 ha they
belonging to 35 families are irrigated from this were cultivating before 2001. These 30 bighas
LIS. Due to assured irrigation system, there is a have not been bought from anyone but was
boom in agricultural activities. Now, grain is rather part of a barren hillock with zero
available throughout the year and in five years productivity. Today the hill is lush with green
the wheat cultivation increased along with musli maize fields. This result has been achieved after
and mustard. Several other activities like undertaking land leveling, farm bunding for soil
construction of field bunding, other soil and and water conservation and deepening of wells.
water conservation measures, promotion of Earlier they used to migrate for work but now
organic farming, introduction of improved seeds they have enough work in their own fields.
variety and skill enhancement of villagers under Because of irrigation facilities and better fields,
DM programme along with assured water for they go for wheat cultivation in winter.

THOUGHT FOR FODDER 27

01

A TURN AROUND
Soil and moisture conservation works in barren lands
bring back the local ecology to life as well as profits to
local farmers

PRACTICE: Integrated soil and

moisture conservation

IMPACT: Food security has increased

Birbhum and vulnerability to hazard has
reduced
Kolkata
REPLICATION: Can be replicated in
arid and semi-arid areas

28 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

 01

DROUGHT
I
t is almost moonscape in the villages of Ra- gradient to hold the runoff water as well as to
jnagar block of Birbhum district of West stop erosion of the valuable top soil as far as
Bengal. Barren lands roll beyond horizon; possible. DRCSC mobilized the villagers of
one would not find a single tree for kilome- Narayanpur to form a self-help group called
ters. Rain during monsoon triggers soil ero- Narayanpur Shishu Samity (NSS) in January
sion, taking away the fertile topsoil. This has 2008. Out of the 16 members of NSS, 14 be-
made the land unproductive. Water retention long to the scheduled tribe and 2 belonged to
capacity of soil has also come down drasti- general caste. Together they planted drought-
cally. So the land remains fallow and unculti- tolerant trees around these semi-circular
vated for years, which accentuates the misery bunds by making use of the water stored in
of the people. The landless and marginalized the pits guarded by the bunds. The water
people remained unemployed for at least five- helps in keeping the area moist and in getting
seven months. This is the root cause of dis- the underground aquifers recharged. The roots
tress migration. So, the district’s biggest of the trees bind the soil and helps in check-
development challenge is to make irrigation ing soil erosion to a great extent.
possible. Five villagers (landlords) owned the 17
Narayanpur, a small village of the district, acres of land on which this activity of planta-
was no exception. But things started changing tion started. The NSS entered into an agree-
in 2008. DRCSC with funding from Christian ment with them for taking the land on a
Aid took up the challenge to usher in a para- 20-year lease and DRCSC facilitated the whole
digm shift in the vulnerable condition of the process. In a bid to regenerate the fallow land
village. In a bid to transform the barren as a permanent asset for the village, 36 tree
patches to prosperous forests, they started species were selected by applying the partici-
constructing semi-circular bunds across the patory tool called Social Analysis System

No more barren lands, there is hope

Semi-circular
bunds across the
gradient helps
hold the runoff
water as well as
stops erosion of
the valuable top
soil as far as
possible

A TURN AROUND 29
01
2008. DRCSC played a pivotal role in motivat-
ing the NSS members and the villagers, in tak-
ing them on exposure visits and generating
awareness, in transferring knowledge on soil
water management and in raising nurseries for
seedlings. NSS members were involved in
digging pits, constructing contour bunds,
planting, watering and protecting the nascent
saplings. Trenches around the plot with four
ridges, 50 semi-circular bunds and five stone
bunds were made. The semi-circular bunds
were done scientifically so that the water
spilling out from one check bund is stored in
the next check bund down the line. The work
was started with planting of intermediate
crops like maize, bottle gourd, kidney bean
and long - term crops.
Seasonal crops fulfilled the basic vegetable
needs of the families. At the end of the Kharif
season in 2008, the villagers harvested 150
kilograms (kg) of vegetables, 15 kgs of maize,
200 kgs of roselle and 250 kgs of fodder. The
initial investment was about Rs 2.5 lakh in-
cluding 30 percent from local contribution in
Nursery for life terms of labour. The work generated 1342 man
days with 16 families getting 155 days of work
(SAS). Some 19,600 trees were planted. It in- on an average. Now the villages that adopted
cluded multi-purpose trees yielding fruit, fod- soil and moisture conservation have success-
der, firewood and other things useful for fully fought the impact of dry spells. Through
humans as well as for animals, birds and in- the plantation, the near extinct trees could be
sects. They took up pulses and oilseeds as regenerated. The plantation protected the soil
inter-crop. The agreement with the owner of from sun, wind and rain, restricted soil ero-
the land was to share 50 percent of the sale sion and led to increase in bio-diversity. The
proceeds from sale of mature trees with him success in Narayanpur, has motivated the
and the rest would go to the protecting group. nearby villagers of Manik dihi, Gurkata, Agya
The inter-crop would be shared equally bandi, Gobra and Dubrajpur and they have
among the group members. initiated similar soil and moisture conserva-
The group started their work in April tion works. ■

30 TURNING THE TIDE: DROUGHT

India has a coastline of about 7,516 km, 5,400
km along the mainland, 132 km in Lakshad-
weep and 1,900 km in the Andaman and Nico-
bar Islands. India is one of the world’s most
vulnerable countries in terms of human casual-
ties and damage to property due to disasters.
There are 13 coastal states and union territories
(UTs) in the country, encompassing 84 coastal
districts which get affected by tropical cyclones
every year. Although the North Indian Ocean
(NIO) basin (including the Indian coast) gener-
02
ates only about 7 percent of the world’s cy-

CYCLONE
clones, their impact comparatively is very high
and devastating, especially when they strike
the coasts bordering the north Bay of Bengal.

Oct.1847 Hit Bengal, 75,000 people and

6000 cattle killed
Oct. 1874 Hit Bengal, 80,000 people killed

Nov. 1946 Hit Andhra Pradesh (AP), 750

people and 30,000 cattle killed
Dec. 1972 Hit Tamil Nadu, 80 people and
150 cattle killed

Sept. 1976 Hit Bengal, 10 people and 40,000

cattle killed
Nov. 1977 Hit AP, 8574 people and 40,000
cattle killed
May. 1979 Hit Tamil Nadu, 700 people and
3,00,000 cattle killed
Sept. 1985 Hit Orissa, 50 people and 25,800
cattle killed
Nov. 1987 Hit AP, 50 people and 25,800
cattle killed
Jun. 1989 Hit Orissa, 61 people and 27,000
cattle killed
May. 1990 Hit AP, 928 people and 14,000
cattle killed
Nov. 1991 Hit Tamil Nadu, 185 people and
540 cattle killed
April. 1993 Hit West Bengal, over 100 people
killed
Oct. 1996 Hit AP, 1057 people killed and
647,000 houses damaged
Jun. 1998 Hit Gujarat, 1261 people killed
and 2,57,000 lakh houses
damaged
Oct 1999 Hit Orissa, 10,086 people killed
and 21,60,000 houses damaged
May. 2009 Hit West Bengal, 149 people
killed and 8,208 are still missing
02
Cyclones are most deadly while crossing and making a
landfall in the coastal states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal and one UT (Puducherry)
on the east coast and the state of Maharashtra and Gujarat
on the west coast.
Tropical cyclones generally originate in the eastern side
of the NIO basin and initially move in a west-north westerly
direction. The frequency of cyclones in the NIO Basin is bi-
modal, which is specific to this region. Cyclones occur in the
months of May–June and October–November, with their
primary peak in November and secondary peak in May.
On an average, about five to six tropical cyclones form
in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea every year, of which
two to three may be severe. More cyclones form in the Bay
of Bengal than in the Arabian Sea and the ratio is 4:1. It
has been observed that between 1891 and 2006, 308 cy-
clones crossed the east coast, out of which 103 were severe.
Less cyclonic activity was observed on the west coast during
the same period, with 48 cyclones crossing the west coast,
out of which 24 were of severe intensities.
Tropical cyclones are characterised by destructive winds,
storm surges and very heavy rainfall, each one having its
own impact on human and livestock, and their activities.
Climate change and its resultant sea-level rise can signifi-
cantly increase the severity of cyclones in India. The inten-
sity is likely to increase by 10 percent by 2100 compared to
present day events.
The community based good practices narrated herewith
under ‘Cyclone Section’ are trend setting stories on risk mit-
igation and preparedness of vulnerable communities af-
fected by cyclones and cyclonic storm. ‘Coming together is
a beginning, staying together is progress, and working to-
gether is success’, Henry Ford’s statement befits a successful
policy advocacy initiative by Social Activity for Rural Devel-
opment Society (SARDS) in Andhra Pradesh. A collective
community led advocacy efforts by the salt farmers under
SARDS guidance resulted in building social capital and re-
ducing vulnerabilities. Prakasam District Salt Farmers Forum
– a confederation of salt farmers, a brain child of SARDS
has become a community platform to lobby with district
administration and take up common grievances for the salt
farmers who had long been ignored.

32 TURNING THE TIDE: CYCLONE

 02

CYCLONE
The democratic approach of fight for right by the Forum
earned recognition to salt farming as an agriculture status
by State Government, which was otherwise kept under a
stringent industry category. First time in the history the salt
farmers were recognized as deserved to receive flood or cy-
clone compensation by the state government. This recogni-
tion not only made the poor vulnerable salt-workers
eligible for compensation of loss due to natural calamities,
but also fetched electricity subsidies at par with other farm-
ers. Along with it, Mutually Aided Cooperative Society
(MACS) was also promoted to assist the salt farmers in tasks
related to their profession and explored the possibilities of
developing insurance schemes and products that catered
to the needs of the salt farming community.
Similarly in Sunderbans in West Bengal, GOAL, a leading
humanitarian organisation adopted an integrated approach
for uplifting the vulnerable conditions of the poorest of
poor communities. Under its Model Villages in the Sunder-
bans Delta Programme, GOAL along with a local NGO –
Sabuj Sangha facilitated and supported in habitat develop-
ment. It supported in building disaster resistant houses and
promoted revival of the vernacular architecture and tradi-
tional construction techniques. In addition, they also ex-
tended health, education and livelihood opportunities.
The newly built houses have not only served as life sav-
ing structures during calamities but also has acted as Tech-
nology Demonstration Units promoting disaster resistant
yet cost-effective housing technologies and have inspired
people to adopt such hazard resistant housing solutions.
During the process, local masons and carpenters were also
imparted training on vernacular architectural systems and
disaster-proofing constructions. The case study – ‘New
house order’ narrates the experiences of Jamila biwi and
how she could sustain her family from the storm surge and
high speed wind caused by cyclone Aila in 2009. ■

CYCLONE 33
02

A RIGHT TIDE
Community based advocacy is an effective tool to reduce
the vulnerability of disaster prone communities to
hazards. By helping communities realise the power and
scope of collective action, Social Activities for Rural
Development Society (SARDS) discovered a definite
means of ensuring the sustainability of its disaster risk
reduction efforts in Andhra Pradesh

PRACTICE: Right-based approach to

hazard management

IMPACT: Communities identify and

Hyderabad take up their own hazard mitigation
activities
Prakasam
REPLICATION: Has the potential for
the country as a whole but needs
policy back up from government

34 TURNING THE TIDE: CYCLONE

 02

CYCLONE
S
alt farmers, as a community, are entirely tides and periodic flooding which apart from
at the mercy of the weather God. In disrupting salt production, destroys the farm-
2006 the salt farmers of Prakasam dis- ers’ assets (such as pumps and protective
trict of Andhra Pradesh realised that besides bunds). The lack of any infrastructure for dry-
the weather God they also need an equally ing and storage of salt always leads to distress
supporting government policy to survive, par- selling of their products. This results in huge
ticularly hazards like cyclones and floods. losses for the salt farmers. The dependence on
A severe flood in 2006 disrupted their salt moneylenders, who also double up as middle-
production cycle causing enormous losses for men for salt traders, lays the debt trap. High
the farmers. From here started a long struggle lending rate, constantly losing occupation and
to seek assistance from the government. The the low capacity to recover make the district’s
local salt farmers made a representation salt farmers the poorest community in the
through an advocacy committee to the local state.
Mandal (block) Revenue Officer for compen- Following their initial relief activities after
sation for the losses inflicted by the flood. Fol- the Tsunami, SARDS commissioned a de-
lowing this, they approached the district tailed study called ‘Uncommon Salt’ to docu-
collector who expectedly directed the Mandal ment the challenges experienced by the
Revenue Officer to carry out an assessment of community and their working conditions. The
losses. At the end, the communities did not study highlighted a number of issues that
get anything. But they went through a very SARDS felt could only be addressed by adopt-
useful experience that generated confidence ing a rights based approach. Some of these
among themselves; it brought them together challenges included:
as a cohesive group to push for common in- • Unlike other farmers, the ‘industry status’
terests before the government. accorded by government to salt producers,
This marked a significant beginning. The made them ineligible for compensation in the
Social Activities for Rural Development So- event of production disruptions caused due to
ciety (SARDS), a local NGO, facilitated the floods or unseasonal and heavy rains.
formation of the Prakasam District Salt Farm- • The industry status also made them ineli-
ers Forum in February 2006, a confederation gible for electricity subsidies which other
of the salt farmers in the district. The Forum farmers enjoyed. The only way they could ob-
instantly became the community platform to tain saline water for salt production was by
take up common grievances while SARDS pumping ground water, which necessitated
guided it and provided some financial help. using their pumps for long hours and they in-
For SARDS as well, this was a new begin- curred significant expenditure on electricity
ning. It began working with the salt farming (12-15 percent of their total costs). As a result,
community following the Indian Ocean they were burdened with considerably higher
Tsunami of 2004. In the course of their inter- industrial rates.
actions with members of the community, As part of these initiatives, SARDS pro-
SARDS discovered that the community faced moted the Prakasam District Salt Farmers and
extreme vulnerabilities and had received lit- Workers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society
tle attention from the government or volun- Limited. The Forum was only a loose front
tary organisations. floated by SARDS as they did not want to be
at the forefront of the struggle. It was not a for-
COMMON HAZARDS, UNCOMMON mal body.
VULNERABILITIES The MACS on the other hand is a regis-
Apart from unseasonal rainfall, the single tered body formed under the MACS Act, 1995
biggest threat to their livelihood, the salt farm- of Andhra Pradesh. The MACS was promoted
ers are also affected by regular cyclones, high with the aim of assisting the salt farmers

A RIGHT TIDE 35
02
specifically in tasks related to their profes- and Member of Parliament (MP), district au-
sion. These include: providing training and thorities and provided the salt farmers an op-
guidance on enhancing productivity, market- portunity to interact with them and air their
ing support and helping them meet their grievances. Following this, the Forum wrote
credit requirements. to the Chief Minister and political leaders cut-
The Society with 1200 members, provides ting across party lines, trade union representa-
them with training in better production and tives (as salt farming was classified as an
marketing techniques and also helps cater to industry) and to the local media appraising
their credit needs through a revolving loan them of the problems and concerns of the salt
fund (See box: CAREfull). farming community.
The salt farmers’ campaign finally met
A TURN AROUND with success: on 9 September, 2008. The Gov-
The Forum’s real test as a community advo- ernment of Andhra Pradesh issued an order
cacy platform came in February 2008 when announcing a compensation of Rs. 600 per
heavy rains in the district damaged the salt acre for damages to the salt fields due to heavy
farms. Evoking the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi’s rains. The order also gave salt farming an agri-
Dandi March in defiance of British ruler’s op- culture status, fulfilling the farmers’ long
pressive salt laws, the Forum and SARDS standing demand. The salt producers of
used this crisis as an opportunity to highlight Prakasam district received a total of Rs. 28.06
the plight of present day salt farmers. They or- lakh as compensation. Further lobbying by
ganised a ‘stakeholders interaction’ which farmers with the government resulted in the
brought together the local representatives like issuance of an official order to the power dis-
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) tribution companies to charge the salt farmers

CAREfull
The salt farmers of Prakasam wanted an insurance ised awareness camps for farmers to clarify their
against natural hazards that often destroyed their queries and doubts. The final insurance scheme
saltpan. SARDS and CARE India decided to explore that evolved through consultations and studies
the possibility of developing an insurance scheme specifically addressed losses caused due to rains.
that catered specifically to the needs of the salt Two insurance companies – IFFCO Tokio and
farming community. CARE India provided technical, ICICI Lombard - agreed to insure around 500 acres
managerial and funding support to the initiative of salt pans. The premium was set at Rs 800/acre
while Weather Risk Agency developed the policy by IFFCO Tokio and Rs 750/acre by ICICI Lombard.
after extensive studies and consultations. SARDS The maximum payout, in the event of complete loss
conducted assessments, identified vulnerabilities, of produce was set at Rs 6,500/acre. For the pur-
helped in promotion and obtaining feedback on the pose of claims, the insurance companies rely on
initiatives. rainfall data available at local weather stations.
The Prakasam District Salt Farmers and Work- CARE agreed to extend a loan for the payment of
ers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society Limited the first premium. The loan was given to the farm-
acted as the nodal agency for the farmers. SARDS ers’ society. The society in turn decided to make
along with the salt farmers’ society undertook a coverage under the insurance scheme, mandatory
number of promotional activities aimed at educat- for members seeking credit from the society.
ing the farmers about the insurance scheme and SARDS hope that the society will have a major say
the benefits in the event of losses in production. in the management of the scheme and ultimately
They launched information campaigns and organ- take over the role as the nodal agency.

36 TURNING THE TIDE: CYCLONE

 02

CYCLONE
Uncommon courage: Community plays leadership role in local resource management

the agriculture rate (amount less than one- government to listen to and act on local griev-
third of what they used to pay per unit) in De- ances and demands as was the case in the
cember 2008. coastal villages of Devalampallipalem, Basi-
The process of mobilising communities to napallipalem and Bhavivadapalem in the Sin-
lobby with the government for their rights was garayakonda block of the district. The
not easy. Initially, some community members villagers, comprising mostly of fishing fami- Another
were reluctant to confront government author- lies, face hazards like regular strong winds challenge for
ities. They were apprehensive that this would and cyclones. Situation aggravated during a
SARDS was to
adversely impact their relationship in the long disaster, as the villages did not have infra-
run and jeopardize future benefits. Another structures like an approach road to the sea for remain
challenge for SARDS was to remain politically quicker evacuation as well as to save time dur- politically
neutral and also not being seen as favouring ing normal fishing business. Villagers had to neutral and not
any particular political grouping or party. It wade through waterlogged areas and walk on being seen as
managed by promoting the Forum that be- an uneven path to transport their catch from favoring any
came a neutral public forum for community their boats to the village. This significantly in-
particular
advocacy. creased the time taken to transport fish im-
pacting their livelihood.
political
NO FULL STOPS To push for an approach road to the sea, grouping
The strategy to mobilise the community to ac- communities in these three villages set up or party
cess their rights has set in a chain reaction. Panchayat Task Force Committees and Disas-
Salt farmer communities in the district, using ter Mitigation Committees consisting of local
the experiences from the initial mobilisation representatives. Recognising this vulnerabil-
phase, have started asserting their rights and ity, SARDS in partnership with CARE India
grievances in a united way. This is forcing the supported the construction of a culvert in the

A RIGHT TIDE 37
02
waterlogged areas. SARDS then provided area for community advocacy that has an im-
guidance to the locally constituted institu- pact on local preparedness for facing hazards.
tions to approach the Panchayat. The Pan- They extended necessary support to the com-
chayat responded positively by bringing the munities to approach the line department of-
issue to the notice of the Mandal Revenue Of- ficials and the District Collector. Finally the
ficer (MRO) and the Mandal Development Of- District Collector ordered for a complete re-
ficer (MDO). Their efforts were successful: pair of cyclone shelters across the district.
using the Rural Employment Guarantee The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-
Scheme money, the approach road was con- 2015, adopted by the member states of the
structed at a cost of Rs. 4.5 lakhs benefitting United Nations, laid special emphasis on the
around 700 families in three villages. This role of local communities in disaster risk re-
success has encouraged the community mem- duction. Empowering communities, by facili-
bers to lobby for an all-weather road using the tating the emergence of community leadership
NREGA. structures and helping them lobby with the
In another community intervention, the appropriate authorities for what is rightfully
district authorities had to take up an extensive theirs, can play a significant role in reducing
renovation and maintenance of cyclone shel- the vulnerabilities of a community. In addi-
ters during January – February 2008. tion, it also had positive spillover effects, by
Cyclone shelters constructed by the state gov- helping them take charge of their affairs and
ernment in the district were in dilapidated providing them the confidence to take on fur-
condition due to lack of maintenance and ren- ther activities and address issues concerning
ovation. SARDS identified this as a potential their well being. ■

38 TURNING THE TIDE: CYCLONE

 02

CYCLONE
NEW HOUSE ORDER
In Sunderbans, which is extremely vulnerable to
cyclone, an Irish Humanitarian organization - GOAL
with the support of a local NGO revives vernacular
architecture and traditional construction materials
to build disaster-resistant houses for the poorest of
the community, thereby reducing their risk of shelter
loss due to natural calamities

PRACTICE: Revival of traditional

architecture

IMPACT: Poorest communities have

been insured from cyclone impact

REPLICATION: Potential for

Kolkata
communities in coastal areas

Sunderbans

NEW HOUSE ORDER 39

02

I
n May 2009 when the devastating cyclone says Jamila. Cyclones, floods and storm surges
Aila hit, Jamila Bibi, a resident of Maha- are a common phenomenon in Sunderbans,
batnagar village in West Bengal’s Sunder- an ecologically fragile delta region to the
bans relived the trauma of her cyclone south of Kolkata. Jamila Bibi and others take
experience, but from a more secure home than solace in the knowledge that their new homes
that of 2005. On 19th September 2005, a tidal are safe and the risks of becoming shelterless
surge swept away her home along with her once again has been considerably reduced.
husband. The tidal surge in the Bay of Bengal
breached embankments and submerged many BUILDING BLOCKS
villages in the Sunderbans - the delta of river In India, GOAL supports long term develop-
Ganges. Sea water gushed through these ment programmes for the poorest communi-
breaches inundating large tracts of area result- ties in West Bengal and responds to the
ing in the damage and destruction of houses, humanitarian needs of those affected by natu-
standing crops as well as several deaths. The ral disasters. The MVSDP is one of GOAL’s
poorest families of the villages residing in the flagship programmes in India and habitat de-
low-lying areas lost everything and Jamili Bibi velopment was conceived as one of the most
was one of these families. important elements of this programme and
Jamila almost lost all hope – she had to technology transfer emerged as one of the crit-
sustain her family of seven, four daughters ical elements in this habitat movement. It is
and three sons. She worked as a daily wage an ambitious programme that led to develop-
labour for 15 days and having not much work ment in 24 villages in the Sunderbans, and
in rural areas and not enough options for earn- about 85,000 people were supported to im-
ing, she utilized rest of the month for begging prove the quality of their lives. The pro-
and earning something. Her total earning was gramme adopts an integrated approach
Rs. 800 a month. “Managing the family with whereby health, education and livelihood op-
this meager income is a tough task. For days, portunities are components of lifting the com-
we can not afford a meal for all of us,” she munities out of poverty.
said. In addition, there is the constant threat of The programme takes into account the en-
another tidal surge or cyclone and so Jamila vironmental context of the communities liv-
and her family survived on a day to day basis. ing in the targeted villages and has integrated
Jamila’s home was a precariously cramped disaster risk reduction strategies in designing
shanty held together by torn polythene sheets sustainable poverty reduction solutions. The
and certainly not strong enough to withstand region and the poorest of the poor communi-
a cyclone. ties living there are particularly vulnerable to
When cyclone Aila ripped through her vil- the recurring hazards of storm surges and cy-
lage on 25 May 2009 leaving behind a trail of clones. One such storm in 2006 rendered an
destroyed houses, death and large scale inun- estimated 100 families homeless in the pro-
dation, ironically, she was among the few fam- gramme area. A total of 50 families were se-
ilies whose home was not damaged. She and lected to receive complete reconstruction
her children survived the cyclone in their new support while another 10 families were pro-
home, built in 2006. GOAL, an Irish humani- vided with partial reconstruction support.
tarian organization, supported the construc- Traditional wattle and daub construction
tion of about 250 disaster resistant houses methodologies were integrated in a flood re-
during 2006 - 2007, under its Model Villages sistant core design for the houses recon-
in the Sunderbans Delta Programme (MVSDP) structed. The choice of construction was
implemented by Sabuj Sangha, a local NGO. influenced by a number of factors including
It was a dream come true for Jamila and other appropriateness of building materials and ver-
families in the community. “We are relieved,” nacular architecture. It sought to provide a

40 TURNING THE TIDE: CYCLONE

 02

CYCLONE
Development Professional Forum (DPF), a
Bhubaneswar based agency, specializing in
shelter and habitat solutions was engaged by
GOAL, to provide supervisory support to
Sabuj Sangha in implementing the shelter in-
terventions and technically guided the
grounding of the model houses for the affected
families.
The beneficiaries of the programme were
the poorest of the poor in an area where the
annual average incomes of most families
ranged between Rs. 2500- 3500. The choice of
construction specifications incorporating tra-
ditional construction methodologies and im-
proving upon them, allowed GOAL to involve
the beneficiaries and local artisans to con-
struct the houses without any significant
training, administrative, monitoring or sup-
port costs.
The construction process was designed to
be managed locally and a detailed capacity
building plan was implemented. Beneficiar-
ies, community representatives, masons, car-
Sacred Goals: The poorest of the poor are the
beneficiaries penters and supervisors underwent training
on site selection, selection of appropriate
complete, functional and disaster resistant building materials and quality assessment,
house to the poorest of the poor at a cost good construction practices and other admin-
which is slightly higher than the cost of a istrative issues. This group of trained local
house provided under the IAY Scheme of the people became volunteers and supervisors for
Government of India. the MVSDP. In addition to this, local masons
An intensive research on designs, local and carpenters got training on vernacular ar-
building materials and technologies, architec- chitectural systems and disaster-proofing con-
tural and structural designs, was carried out structions. The new houses have been The design
as the intension was to build a core house, designed not only to serve as life-saving struc- specifications
that would facilitate the family to expand tures during calamities but also to act as tech- were finalized
around it, as per the family’s need and afford- nology demonstration units, promoting these in a participatory
ability. Various shelter design options were safe yet cost-effective technologies and inspir- process
worked out depending on the size of the fam- ing people to build their own houses.
involving
ily, site location (which governed its physical An additional 200 disaster resistant
vulnerability) and availability/ orientation of houses were constructed in 2007. The disaster
artisans,
land, etc. Ultimately, the design specifications risk reduction strategies of the programme beneficiaries
were finalized in a participatory process in- were not limited to the construction of safe and members of
volving artisans, beneficiaries and members of homes only, but also applied to the community
the community (See box - ‘Aspects of design’). multi–purpose community buildings using
The participatory process allowed the entire appropriate construction techniques. All gov-
construction to be completed in two months ernment schools in the area were recon-
despite difficult logistics in the area. Each structed and renovated, deep tube wells were
house was completed at a cost of Rs. 30,000. installed along with community solar lights

NEW HOUSE ORDER 41

02
and communities were made aware of their ple during the calamity. While the losses of
risks and risk management strategies. livelihoods have been immense, the loss of
Aila shattered a large part of the Sunder- lives and shelter has been minimal. It is worth
bans delta but houses constructed under the mentioning that the disaster risk reduction
MVSDP withstood the powerful cyclone. The strategies of the MSDVP have been successful
Multipurpose Community Centers and recon- and can be effectively replicated in the coastal
structed schools sheltered thousands of peo- villages of India. ■

ASPECTS OF DESIGN

 All the shelter designs incorporated multi-hazard resistant features. One design had verandahs on all
four sides of the core room which was very typical to the local vernacular architecture styles. Another de-
sign option had core room with only one verandah in the front, as these sites lay precisely along the coast
of the rivers and were extremely vulnerable to cyclonic winds and floods.
 The core house stood on concrete foundations made of brick and concrete mortar with plinth beams,
depending on location of site. Plinth heights were decided based on the High Flood Level in the village.
Building materials used were brick, cement, sand and Jhama Khoya.
 Walls were made of bricks and bamboo mats. Roof is of pyramidal shape and roofing is done as wooden
truss with straw thatching over the central room and tiles over the verandah with a ventilation gap between
the two roofs. This gap permits flow of wind and prevent damage of the roof during cyclones due to wind
suction. Roofs were partly thatched partly tiled, inorder to avoid early rotting of the thatch due to water dep-
osition.

42 TURNING THE TIDE: CYCLONE

Flood is a recurrent phenomenon in India and
causes huge losses to lives, properties, livelihood
systems, infrastructure and public utilities.
India’s high risk and vulnerability is highlighted
by the fact that 40 million hectares i.e. around
12 percent of the country’s total geographical
area is prone to floods.
A major flood occurs once in every five years
in India. Annually, on an average, 75 lakh
hectares of land gets affected by floods displac-
ing 30 million people, 8 million severely affected
03
and 1,600 dead. The annual damage caused by

FLOOD
floods to crops, houses and public utilities is es-
timated at Rs. 1,805 crores.
Normally, flood occurs due to high precipita-
tion that takes place in the monsoon months
from June to September. The rivers bring heavy
sediment load from the catchments. These, cou-
pled with inadequate carrying capacity of the
rivers are responsible for causing floods,
drainage congestion and erosion of river-banks.

1993 Punjab witnessed worst floods in

45 years
1994 Major floods hit Kerala, Gujarat,
Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar
Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa.
One lakh people marooned in
Madhya Pradesh
1995 Flood hit Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal
and Sikkim
1996 Major floods throughout the
country
1997 Severe floods hit Himachal
Pradesh
1998 Severe floods in Assam
1999 Delhi was severely hit
2000 Himachal Pradesh was badly
affected by floods
2001 Torrential rains triggered floods
in Tripura
2005 Devastating floods affected mil-
lions in Maharashtra. Mumbai
city was deluged with 37 inches
of rain in 24 hours
2008 Various states like Maharashtra
and Andhra Pradesh were affected
by floods; it took a catastrophic
form in Bihar as the embankment
in Kosi River breached
2009 Floods severely affected two
south Indian states – Andhra
Pradesh and Karnataka
03
Some of the most devastating floods in the Indian sub-
continent have been caused by failure or breaching of nat-
ural or manmade dams.The instances of rivers changing
course are very common in recent years. The most flood
prone states are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Assam, West Bengal, Haryana, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Gu-
jarat and Kerala. However, Rajasthan too was severely af-
fected in 2006 due to unprecedented extreme precipitation.
The community level good practices as collated here
under ‘Flood Section’ are innovative and trend setting sto-
ries that talk about flood risk mitigation and preparedness
at grassroots by local grassroot organizations. The Ghagra
Visthapit Sangharsh Samiti of Mahasi Tehsil of Baharaich
district of Uttar Pradesh with support from Panchsheel De-
velopment Trust mobilised affected communities for advo-
cacy with government and local authorities. This initiated a
multi-stakeholder project for construction of embankments
and spurs along the banks of river Ghagra.
Another case study included in this section is on the in-
terventions under the Barmer Ashray Yojana (BAY) by SEEDS
India initiated to reconstruct the houses damaged by floods
in Barmer district of Rajasthan in 2006. BAY was a rehabil-
itation programme where in interim shelters were made
available to the flood affected and marginalised families.
Community participation was the focus of this programme
and in the construction of the interim shelter, local archi-
tectural style and environmental factors were given due im-
portance. The programme not only provided shelter but
also rebuilt local livelihoods by providing training on ma-
sonry skills along with technical knowledge on the safe con-
struction and making of building materials.
RVC (Rural Volunteer Centre), a grassroot organisation
in Assam, mobilised local communities to innovate and
adapt to the recurrent floods. RVC have been a pioneer in
institutionalising disaster risk reduction measures, be it
educating children in disaster preparedness, recovery of
post-flood livelihood activities through women entrepre-
neurship, community owned self-sustained health services,
promotion of hygiene basket concept, promoting sanitation
through construction of high raise toilets, promotion of in-
digenous flood resilient housing adopted from traditional
knowledge of the Mishing tribe, erection of earthen flood

44 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
mound-cum-shelter and introduction of traditional sand
filter system in villages.
Jana Unnayan Samiti Tripura, a Tripura based NGO led
the mass awareness campaign of plantation of a local plant
Kamlilata to check soil erosion caused by flash floods in the
Golabari village situated on the banks of river Khowai. Sim-
ple but continuous effort of JUST in promoting mass plan-
tation of Kamlilata on river banks not only protected the
embankments from breaching but also prevented the rapid
runoff from the river channel when the river is in spate.
The spirit of ‘tomorrow is today’ has inspired another
NGO – Indo Global Social Services Society (IGSSS) in estab-
lishing seed banks in the flood affected villages of Lakhim-
pur and Dhemaji. Besides ensuring livelihood security, this
initiative helped farmers with availability of seeds for lean
seasons. The democratic way of managing the seed bank by
community ensured equal access to all, easy terms for re-
payment of seed loans and sustain the initiative.
Uplifting 130 weaver families of Gothakam village out
of vicious circle of poverty by Arthik Samata Mandal (ASM)
created another trend setting story in Krishna district of
Andhra Pradesh. Assistance in terms of construction of
bunds, purchase of dobbies, market linkages, vocational
training and SHG formation by ASM has given the weaver
community a new lease of life.
Local knowledge of creating spurs and reclaiming eroded
land from the river was transferred from Palakad District of
Kerala to Morigaon district in Assam by Komrul Hussain
Choudhary. It resulted in checking soil erosion in chronic
flood affected areas. Kudos to Mr. Choudhary has not only
come from people but also from-local administration. ■

FLOOD 45
03

COURSE CORRECTION
In a little known district of Uttar Pradesh flood vic-
tims unite to tame an ever changing river by forcing
the local authorities to embark upon a long term
flood mitigation plan

PRACTICE: Victims embark on direct

public action for hazard mitigation

IMPACT: Government acts and a

Bahraich stronger community supervision
builds up for hazard management
Lucknow
REPLICATION: Can be replicated in
any hazard prone areas

46 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
I
t is a beautiful example in a difficult place. munity based association in 2001. The idea
The virulent Ghagra River, originating behind setting up the association was to proj-
from Nepal and flowing through Uttar ect a united front against the erosion and the
Pradesh, changes its course very often. In Ba- accompanying hazards to the people before
haraich district’s Mahasi tehsil its impacts are the government. “We aimed at uniting people
felt more than anywhere in her course. Long affected by the river erosion and build poten-
ago, the river was not a part of the tehsil’s tial leaders for advocacy,” says Dhruv Kumar
landscape; it was 40 kilometres away. It was of Panchsheel Development Trust - a local
once in five or six years that flood could im- NGO. Panchsheel Development Trust sup-
pact the villages in the tehsil. But things ported the association in facilitating their or-
started turning worse some nine years ago. ganization and strategy. Each village selected
Ghagra changed her course towards the 12 youths to be active members of the Samiti.
villages in Mahasi. It caused massive soil ero- Bahraich Vikas Manch, another local group of
sion creating ravines. Villages like Rehwa, like minded people had also came forward to
Mansoor, Kayampur, Golaganj, Tepra, support the people’s struggle.
Trivedipurva, Shuklpurva, Silauta, Mun- This followed a series of demonstrations
shipurava, Mathurapurva, Chacherva, Chu- and sit ins outside the offices of the District
ralia, Atodar, Chamarahi, Baurhi, Ratanpur Magistrate, sub-divisional Magistrate and the
and Bhauri were already on verge being Tehsildar during March - April 2002. People
pushed into the watery grave. Secondary data warned of fast unto death and committing sui-
shows that erosion from Ghagra severely af- cide by jumping into the river, thereby
The very threat
fected 21 villages in 2004. As the river contin- showed sign of unity and determination. This
ued eating away around 3500 houses in these attracted considerable media attention and the to existence
villages, those who lost their houses and lands resultant was public pressure on the local ad- gave birth to
did not get any compensation and neither was ministration for taking measures to check ero- Ghaghra
there any efforts to rehabilitate the affected sion. Many leading politicians of the state Visthapit
families. In effect, villagers were pauperized including the then Chief Minister Rajnath Sangharsh
and relegated to being marginal and landless Singh, former irrigation minister Munna
Samiti,
farmers. Singh and former General Secretary of the
Congress party Motilal Vohra visited the site.
a community
A HAZARDOUS CHANGE Vohra raised the issue in Lok Sabha and Rajya based
Today Mahsi Tehsil is considered most prone Sabha on July 31 2002, which mounted pres- association
to floods. Literarily they have lost a civilized sure on the local administration to take cor- in 2001
existence to the river: all basic infrastructures rective measures.
like houses, drinking water sources, schools,
electricity points have been lost to river ero- IN PUBLIC INTEREST
sion. Floods have become more frequent and A public interest litigation (PIL) case was filed
intense. Silauta village has an interesting by Suresh Kumar Kaaliya, a resident of
story. Its primary school was washed away Baundi and an advocate in the Lucknow High
due to changing course of river Ghaghra in Court. The court ordered the administration
2001. Government made a decision and trans- on April 12 2002 to make every possible effort
ferred the school to another village in govern- to prevent erosion.
ment records. But as the people were not This resulted in the immediate construc-
rehabilitated, the decision made no practical tion of two studs or spurs on the river. But
difference to the children. They remained ironically, these were swept away by the river.
without a school. Thereafter under a long-term planning for
The very threat to existence gave birth to 2003-08, seven studs or spurs were con-
Ghaghra Visthapit Sangharsh Samiti, a com- structed in the affected area on the river over

COURSE CORRECTION 47
03
the next four years. This to some extent eased cial supports and other organizational facili-
the problem of erosion. Some 650 houses in tation. The two organizations spent approxi-
Baudi and Ratanpur and 250 houses in Joga- mately Rs. 3-4 lakhs on the entire campaign.
purva villages have been saved from erosion. As many as 900 families have benefitted di-
The irrigation department constructed an em- rectly and been saved from being homeless.
bankment on the river from a Rs. 7 crore loan The economic condition of the people has
from NABARD to the state administration. As substantially improved; their lives and liveli-
a result of the construction of the embank- hood have been insured. They are no longer
ment, the number of people affected by ero- apprehensive of relocation. Now land is avail-
sion is steadily coming down. able to Golaganj and Jogapurva village for agri-
In this entire process, Shohratgarh Envi- culture due to protection work. This has
ronmental Society and Panchsheel Develop- ensured a safe livelihood to the victims for the
ment Trust have, directly and indirectly, future. ■
provided significant support in terms of finan-

48 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
A NEW SOCIAL ORDER
An unprecedented flood resulted in a new social order and
hazard management style. The desert district of Rajasthan,
Barmer has not only recovered from the flood devastation
but also put in place a mechanism that would insure them
from future hazards

PRACTICE: Community-based shelter

creation to fight multiple hazards

Jaipur IMPACT: Community has done away

with caste segregation in habitation
united to fight hazard
Barmer
REPLICATION: Can be replicated in
desert areas

A NEW SOCIAL ORDER 49

03

W
elcome to House No. 301! It is the SEEDS decided to build intermediate shel-
landmark of Sheo village in ter as against temporary houses as these of-
Barmer. Pushpa Devi, the proud fered better living conditions and greater
owner of this house and a mother of two sons, strength. In addition to it, these shelters could
symbolizes how Barmer district crawled out also be gradually altered by beneficiary fami-
of the devastating flood of 2006 using local lies to permanent housing. The BAY focused
wisdom, solidarity and supports. The smile on sustainable shelter provisions. Under this
on her face is reassuring: the district’s flood programme it constructed 300 houses in 15
victims are confident of fighting this hazard flood affected villages within six months. The
again. key objective was to provide immediate shel-
When she asked for a house under the ter to the marginalized and socially excluded
Barmer Aashray Yojana (BAY) in January families. Women-headed households and peo-
2007, a joint rehabilitation programme of Sus- ple with disabilities got preference under the
tainable Environment and Ecological Devel- programme.
opment Society (SEEDS India), Christian Aid
and the European Commission Humanitarian SOCIAL ENGINEERING
Aid, the programme was nearing completion Community participation was a key condition
with 300 houses built and handed over to peo- in the programme. To ensure this and more
ple who lost their homes in the flood. She local supervision of the construction works in
came as a test for the programme’s social in- each village, a VDC was set up consisting of
clusion objective. The Village Development 6-10 villagers. The members of the VDC in-
Committee (VDC), set up under the pro- cluded community representatives, teachers,
gramme to manage the rehabilitation, vouched Sarpanch and some were chosen by the vil-
for her need. They took a collective decision lagers by consensus. This team had the re-
to construct a house for her using left over ma- sponsibility to keep the accounts and monitor
terials, voluntary labour and free services the development of construction in each vil-
from the masons. In the end they created a lage. The beneficiaries were finalized in con-
monument of their solidarity. sultation with the VDC. The beneficiaries also
actively participated in the construction of
BAY OF HOPE their houses. They supervised the construc-
Barmer district is located in the middle of tion work and also got engaged in some of the
Thar Desert. The state’s desert areas got un- works like digging at the site and bringing
precedented rains on 21 August 2006. Barmer water for the construction.
district received 577mm of rainfall in three Local architecture style and environmen-
days, which is more than double of its annual tal factors were deciding factors in designing
rainfall of 277mm. The district had never the houses. Traditional houses were made of
known experienced such high rainfall and mud, circular in design and had thatched
there was no disaster management mecha- roofs, whereas new houses were mud stabi-
nism to fight flood. The thick gypsum layer lized with five percent cement, circular with
beneath the soil did not allow the rainwater interlocking blocks, proper foundations, struc-
to percolate thereby causing water logging. So tural bands for strength, and thatched roofs for
most of the villages remained submerged in thermal comfort. More precautionary features
water for more than a month. Out of the 100 were added to insure the houses from future
villages affected by floods in the district, hazards. The traditional circular structure of
Kavas, Malua, Bhadaka and Shiv were the houses in the district is to withstand sand-
worst affected. In these villages 95 percent of storms which are frequent in the area. The
the population became homeless and moved door of the house opens outside rather than
to higher sand dunes. inside because in case of any disaster, this

50 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
The programme aimed not only to provide
shelter but also to rebuild local livelihoods.
For the massive construction works, the pro-
gramme used the flood victims by training
them in specialized masonry works. Local ma-
sons were identified from the area and trained
in masonary skills along with technical
knowledge on the safe construction (flood and
earthquake resistant houses) and block mak-
ing. The masons were also given tool-kits.
Community workers managed five manual
machines and four strategically located block
fabrication units. There was a team of highly
skilled construction workers which guided
New houses are based on local ecological consideration them throughout the construction work.
New houses and an unexpected hazard
Key member have scripted a new social life. Rewant Singh
Cladding (2nd
Layer) and Chutada Ram, two residents of New Kotra
village, are happy to be recognised as the best
Purlin masons in the region. Earlier they used to
Cladding (1st
Layer) work individually and take up little construc-
tion work in the village. Today they work with Unexpected
Rafter
their own team of workers and can take up big
hazard have
construction assignments. Rewant Singh is in-
scripted a new
volved in construction work for Suzlon, a
multi-national company that is setting up social life
Bedblock windmills in the area. Chutada Ram is taking
Shelf up construction work for the government and
has even gone to Orissa to help construction
Mud
Tie beam there in cyclone prone areas.
plaster
New Kotra has also emerged as a model
Lintel Mound village. It is the only village which has been
Plinth
relocated out of the 15 villages under the pro-
Frame Mud gramme. The residents from Jalela village
flooring
were relocated to this new village. SEEDS
built 65 houses for equal number of families
in the village. With a new village, a new so-
cial order has been engineered. New Kotra vil-
lagers decided to do away with caste
segregation in village habitation planning.
kind of door makes escape easier and frees Keeping with the SEEDS campaign of safe
some extra space inside the house. The com- construction practices and culturally and en-
position of the blocks used in the house con- vironmentally friendly houses, the foundation
struction enables the wind to pass through of the houses are built in ascending order of
and keep the house cool. In the low-lying height from the roadside to keep it in propor-
areas platform of the house was raised to a tion to the sea level. This means that the
safe height so that water does not enter the houses are better protected from natural disas-
house (See design). ters, such as floods. ■

A NEW SOCIAL ORDER 51

03

CATCH THEM YOUNG

In Assam, a state affected by flood every year, a local
non-government organization involves children in educating
communities in understanding the changing nature of
hazards. This has ensured a new generation that is better
equipped in hazard mitigation and management

PRACTICE:Capacitating children
Dhemaji through education, mockdrills, train-
ing and preparation of school safety
Dispur plans for a better disaster response

IMPACT: Younger generation are bet-

ter equipped in managing floods that
have changed characters

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood prone areas

52 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
T
he children of Dhemaji and Lakhim- their knowledge on any form of natural disas-
pur districts in upper Assam have ter. In the face of constant hazard, it is impor-
gone to war. The enemy: regular dev- tant to equip them adequately with
astating flood. It is unusual for many as chil- appropriate training to tackle such crisis. The
dren are often ignored as the least capable of existing disaster relief and rehabilitation ac-
managing hazards. But the Assam based tivities of Government and various NGOs do
NGO - Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC) thought not focus on building the capacity of children
otherwise. During a usual monthly staff meet- to address emergency flood situation. The re-
ing in December 2006, RVC came across a cent disaster management legislations hardly
stark reality, particularly in the two severely take care of the concerns of children. The Na-
flood affected districts of Assam – children tional Disaster Management Act, though a
are the worst victims of flood but their knowl- positive step, hardly focuses on children. The
edge base or capacity to cope with hazard Assam Relief Manual of 1976 speaks little
have not been spruced up ever. about children in crisis situation. As for edu-
The vulnerability of children to hazards is cating children on disaster, the Central Board
also very high. The situation turns grave dur- of Secondary Education (CBSE) has intro-
ing flash floods or heavy storms which are duced disaster management in its curriculum
quite unpredictable. Experiences of RVC in while the Secondary Education Board of
the river basins of Simen, Gai and Jiadhal Assam is yet to do the same.
Rivers (tributaries of Brahmaputra) in Dhemaji
District reflect that during flash floods chil- NEW CRISIS, NEW GENERATION
dren were found alone in their home, while On the other hand the nature of flood in the
their parents were busy in agriculture works state has also changed. The traditional flood
in fields. Similarly in many instances during coping mechanism of the community is ade-
heavy storms children were far away from quately strong in the state and well knitted to
their homes busy with their studies in combat natural flood (resulting from monsoon
schools. Thus came into existence the Sishu rainfall). But intensive human intervention
Duryug Pratirodh Samiti (SDPS, Children Dis- (deforestation, setting up of extractive indus-
aster Risk Reduction Committee). tries on the upper reaches of run-off water sys-
Ranjan Pait, a 14-year-old resident of tem, obstruction to the river flow caused by
Lokhimi Tongani village, says, “The flood construction of mega bridges etc) on the river
brings many problems for us: damage to crops, basins has changed the character of the rivers
houses and household items, surface commu- thereby making flood more unpredictable and
nication, damage to school building and dis- devastating. This has weakened the tradi-
ruption of studies, injuries, outbreak of tional coping mechanism of the community.
waterborne diseases and unhygienic living In such situation, children are more vulnera-
conditions.’’ ble as the community as a whole is not able to
Flood devastates these two districts every cope with regular floods.
year. Though the calamity is of temporal na- The concept of SDPS deals with this least
ture, it leaves behind scars that remain for talked about victims of hazards. The RVC is
days. Floods impact the entire community in aware of the inadequacy of the traditional
general but in specific, children are the worst coping mechanism in face of a changing flood
affected lots. Some children die during floods pattern. Thus it feels the need for changing the
and others sustain injuries. Many of them are community’s understanding on floods so that
left orphaned; the mental trauma of child appropriate practices emerge to cope with
flood victim is difficult to cure. flood on the basis of this understanding. The
Given children’s vulnerability to any form core strategy of the SDPC is to educate and
of disaster, it becomes imperative to enhance build capacities of the children. This is be-

CATCH THEM YOUNG 53

03

LESSON PLANS
Early warning task force: The members are trained Health task force: The members of this group are
on how to keep abreast on the latest information trained to handle all kinds of first-aid in case of nat-
on disasters. The team is trained to be aware of up- ural calamity – flood or earthquake. In critical
coming hazards like breaching of an embankment cases, they refer them to health centers. They are
so that they remain prepared to avert loss of life also trained on how to carry patients using self-
and property. made stretchers.
Rescue task force: Apart from knowing techniques Relief task force: Mainly engaged in management
to save people from drowning in case of flood or of relief camps including ensuring cleanliness and
from being buried under debris in case of earth- hygiene and safe drinking water supply. This group
quake, the members of this team are also aware of is also trained to counsel families whose members
how to handle cases of snake bites, which is quite are missing or have been injured
common during floods.

cause it would be easier to educate the chil- force regularly with support from volunteers
dren on the changing trend of floods with ref- of RVC and school teachers.
erences from their text books. Keeping in
mind the above need, SDPC was incorporated FULL MARK
in lower primary and middle English schools The major social impact of SDPS has been the
in Brahmaputra Basin of Dhemaji district all round involvement of children in disaster
where the flood vulnerable children of risk reduction. This has also resulted in in-
Brahmaputra River basin are trained to re- volvement of school management committees
spond to crisis emerging as a result of a disas- and many NGOs working in the flood plains
The major ter. The volunteers of RVC and the local of Upper Brahmaputra River Basin in disaster
social impact school teachers play the pivotal role in SDPC. mitigation and management. Inception of
of SDPS has Formation of SDPS is followed by formation SDPC has put in place the practice of vulner-
been the all of four task forces: early warning task force, ability and risk mapping and working out
round rescue task force, camp management task school safety plan every year. A direct impact
force and health task force. Each task force is that the children of Dhemaji district have
involvement of
consists of six student members (three boys sent proposal to Sarva Siksha Abhiyan Mis-
children in
and three girls each). The formation of task sion for constructing schools on raised stilts
disaster risk forces is well documented and roles and re- to fight flood better. To sustain interest of the
reduction sponsibilities of the task forces are provided children in the committee, efforts have been
to each member (See Box: Lesson plans). made to engage them in other initiatives as
The formation of task forces is followed by well. The village Disaster Risk Reduction
training of task forces members by volunteers Committee of Lakhimi Tongani village situ-
of RVC and also involving Government de- ated on the bank of Tongani River in Sissibor-
partments concerned. Follow up orientation gaon Block of Dhemaji District sent two boys
camps are organized periodically as per deci- to participate in Yoga competition in Dibru-
sion of the school management committee. garh and they came back winning laurels for
After two or three orientation meetings, the their village. Encouraged by this success, it
SDPS along with the task forces, volunteers of was decided to send them for similar compe-
RVC and school teachers work out the vulner- titions in future, to be organized in Nagaon
ability and risk map for the school as well as district. Similarly every Sunday, children
the school safety plan. Mock drills to address from the village meet at the community built
flood and earthquake are taken up by the task shelter for lessons in singing. ■

54 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
NEW AGE ENTREPRENEUR
Women in flood affected Assam take over local flea market
and use that to sell local products and secure livelihoods

Dhemaji PRACTICE: Using local SHG members to

manage flea markets to compensate
livelihood losses in flood
Dispur
IMPACT: Empowerment of women
groups and their involvement in
hazard management

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in any

hazard prone areas

NEW AGE ENTREPRENEUR 55

03

W
hy is Matu Gogoi, a resident of A LOSING PROPOSITION
Silapathar of Dhemaji District of Since mid-1980s it has been observed that
Assam so worried about fashion sand deposition, river bank erosion, shifting
trends in Guwahati? In fact she is so worried of river course and other adverse effects of
that she has gone to the extent of studying the chronic floods on fertile agricultural land,
weather of Guwahati to ascertain whether silk have permanently affected the agro-based tra-
or cotton would be more suitable for the area. ditional livelihood practices. Total break
As a victim of flood who struggles every year down of the surface communication system
to recover from its devastating effects, she is affected the animal husbandry sector as well
not supposed to think about fashion. It is as traditional handloom and handicrafts sec-
strange but true: Matu is the new age women tor, by creating hindrances in access to mar-
entrepreneur emerging from Assam’s flood af- kets and in turn making the producers
fected areas. A unique livelihood programme dependent on exploitative middlemen.
for women flood victims initiated by Rural This crippled the village economy trigger-
Volunteer Centre (RVC) has targeted the busi- ing displacement, seasonal and permanent
ness instincts of women to compensate losses migration both within the district and state.
from regular floods. This in turn, has brought Women suffered the most in this melt down
back women into social mainstream. Matu is in local economy. Alienation from traditional
the president of Matri Amar Bazaar Kendriya practices has reduced women’s control over
Samiti, a local market association floated by household and community resources. Since
the women self-help groups. mid-1990s in most of the riverine villages in
The Matri Amar Bazaar Kendriya Samiti upper Brahmaputra river basin, women have
runs a handloom garments production cum become daily wage labourers. The same
training center in Silapathar. Matu felt that women used to command respect and take
while there was high demand for their prod- pride in their contribution to the village econ-
ucts in local market, the markets in Guwahati omy. This resulted in decline in children’s ac-
and in West Bengal did not prefer their prod- cess to education, especially girl child, poor
ucts. It was affecting the association’s business health of women, increase in girl child labour,
and thus the profits of its members. “I found child trafficking and domestic violence
that our clothes were not suitable for the against women.
warm weather in Guwahati and West Bengal. This period also coincided with the advent
So we shifted to cotton,” she says. This deci- of women empowerment as the core of both
sion opened up the market. They are now national and international development pro-
planning to have a yarn bank in which all va- grammes. The flood plains of upper Brahma-
rieties of threads would be stored and given putra river basin witnessed the formation of
to the people for producing cloth. To under- women SHGs for income generation activities
stand the design requirements of consumers under various programmes of development
in urban areas like Guwahati, they have sent agencies. This led every development player
their members for training to Sualkuchi Insti- to target women as primary beneficiaries
tute of Fashion Technology in Guwahati. Two under various socio-economic development
trained members, now in turn trained girls schemes. But critical observation reflects that
from different villages. Not limiting their little or no practical knowledge and under-
search just for a better market share, the standing of the market-dynamics has either
Samiti is exploring market linkages and build- left the women debt-ridden or victimized in
ing its understanding of demand and product the hands of middle men.
pricing. Matu is planning for a full fledged in- To overcome this, RVC came up with the
stitute and has already met the Deputy Com- Amar Bazaar concept.
missioner for land in Jonai Block.

56 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
Amar Bazaars: Women are back in social business

A NEW DEAL ket avenues were run by influential individu- The programme
In 2004, RVC started this programme called als to whom the revenue collection authority
is unique as it
Amar Bazaars. The prime objective of the pro- was given by the government. RVC facilitated
is based on the
gramme is to enable women entrepreneurs to the shift of control of these markets to the
take charge of their livelihood and create women SHGs by mobilizing support from ethical belief
cadre of women entrepreneurs. Amar Bazaar community and government. Each Amar that if women
is a community based programme that enables Bazaar differs in size according to local mar- have access
women living in flood plains to learn, choose ket size: the number of shops varies from a and control over
and take up income generation activities from minimum of 20 to a maximum of 100. Women resources they
a wide ranges of choices. This contributes to- groups have created the market infrastructures
can plan better
wards supplementing the losses in traditional like sheds using their own savings. They
livelihoods that they suffer due to recurring charge a rent of Rs 5 to Rs. 10 per market day
and implement
floods. The programme is unique as it is based (weekly) to vendors depending on the kind of effectively
on the ethical belief that if women have access products they sell. disaster relief
and control over resources, they can plan bet- In Amar Bazaars vendors sell daily household and
ter and implement effectively disaster relief requirements like fruits and vegetables mostly rehabilitation
and rehabilitation activities both at household grown in local farms, food items and tradi-
activities
and community levels. tional cloth from local weavers. Now there is
Intervention started with setting up of a separate market for selling pigs, goats and
Amar Bazaars by rural women SHGs in flood chicken. Livestock rearing is very common in
plains of Brahmaputra river basin through re- the region and women members realized that
taining the existing village weekly markets or they had a good potential to be sold in their
opening new markets for a cluster of villages. market. Thus emerged the concept of Janwar
Earlier, in such weekly markets the sole mar- Bazaar (animal market) for which they set up

NEW AGE ENTREPRENEUR 57

03
Janwar Bazaar Samiti in every village where the Amar Bazaar picked up business, the mid-
there is an Amar Bazaar to look into sale and dlemen who lost business connived with the
purchase of animals. The idea behind setting Panchayat members to forcefully capture the
up Janwar Bazaar Samiti was also to reduce markets. To overcome this, women represen-
dependence on middlemen. Running Amar tatives from the 21 Amar Bazaars decided to
Bazaars does not mean only renting out shops establish the Kendriya Amar Bazaar Paricha-
to vendors, but also understanding market, lana Samiti in 2004. This became the common
products in demand and securing rent from front for the women groups that took up the
vendors. Thus for setting up Amar Bazaars matter with the District Commissioner. They
women members were trained in organizing explained the importance of Amar Bazaar to
and educating the women members of SHGs ensure their livelihood and how an attempt to
on market mechanism (demand and supply, capture the market would lead to loss of their
quality of products, market linkages etc). It livelihood. The Commissioner debarred the
also involves mapping out the choices for se- Amar Bazaars from being auctioned by Pan-
lection of income generation activities and the chayat. It was a major victory that also helped
required skill/quality upgradation among the programme to spread further. In 2006, the
them. A major part of this training activity is Kendriya Amar Bazaar Parichalana Samiti
to understand and manage the market. was rechristened as Matri Amar Bazaar
In setting up market linkages, RVC encour- Kendriya Samiti, which covers 50 Amar
aged the market to production route i.e. to Bazaars in 2009. This apex body of the Amar
map the requirement and then produce ac- Bazaars works for coordination and manage-
cordingly. This ensures the right kind of prod- ment of the programme.
ucts for marketing. Engagement with the Amongst other benefits, the Amar Bazaar
markets enables women groups to understand has proved to be a boon for local unemployed
the market mechanism. Understanding of the youth. They set up shops on rent for selling
market has encouraged groups to go for se- their products. The rent is levied based on day
lected products and set their own vendors in to day earnings. If the earning has been good
their market. the tenants have to pay the full rent and if the
earning is poor, they are charged less. Women
TEETHING PROBLEMS members keep a track of the earnings of ven-
Setting up Amar Bazaars was not without hur- dors. In case of default in payment, the shop-
dles. The biggest challenge was to bring to- keepers are not given a shop on rent next
gether the women groups who could run the week or until the payment has been cleared.
market. Constant engagement with the women The bottom line is women have started find-
groups in villages of Sissiborgaon Block of ing out ways by themselves to ensure smooth
Dhemaji district and constant negotiation at functioning of Amar Bazaars. Earnings from
community and government level resulted in Amar Bazaar vary from Rs 5000 to 10,000 a
formation of 21 Amar Bazaars in 2004. The month. Each Amar Bazaar member saves ru-
next hurdle came from the Panchayat. When pees five every month. ■

58 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
HEALTHY PRACTICE
A cadre of married women trained in emergency
health management in Assam’s Dhemaji district
brings down morbidity and mortality rate in post-
flood situation

PRACTICE: Training women in

Dhemaji pre-, post- and during-disaster
health management

Dispur IMPACT: Disaster related health

burden has come down including
reduction in mortality from
waterborne diseases

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood and cyclone prone areas

HEALTHY PRACTICE 59
03

G
o to any flood devastated village in 0.343, for Dhemaji district it is 0.186. Analysis
Assam’s Dhemaji district, there is a of health services in the district cuts a sorry
high possibility that you would spot a picture, both in terms of availability of infra-
community health volunteer (CHV) busy structure and skilled manpower. The situation
preparing people to fight post-disaster health becomes more alarming during floods when
risks. During disasters like flood you would the dilapidated surface communication sys-
find them equipped with medical instruments tem results in even the barest minimum
and medicines to treat immediate health health services from reaching the people.
needs. There are 160 CHVs in Sissiborgaon An independent study supported by Rural
and Jonai Development Blocks of the district Volunteers Centre (RVC) in the flood plains of
rendering preventive and curative health serv- Dhemaji found high rate of morbidity and
ices to 400 flood affected remote villages on a mortality due to waterborne and vector borne
regular basis. A CHV’s job description is diseases. The study was conducted in 26
broad: she has to deal with preventive health riverine villages of Dhemaji in 2003. It found
service including educating the village com- 3422 morbidity cases (jaundice/diarrhea/viral
munity on social and preventive medicines fever/severe cough/skin disease) out of which
for a range of waterborne diseases, vector 80 percent were children. Twenty-eight mor-
borne diseases, maternal and child health, re- tality cases were found in 11 villages of which
productive health, STI and HIV /AIDS. Their 18 were children.
curative services include treatment for water-
borne diseases like diarrhea and dysentery, THE COMMUNITY CADRE
vector borne diseases like cholera and malaria To ensure achievements of the Millennium
and sexually transmitted infection. To a large Development Goals (No. 4 and 5), RVC initi-
extent their efforts have reduced morbidity ated the process of setting up community
rate as well as mortality rate from waterborne based and owned self-sustaining health vol-
and vector borne diseases in the flood stricken unteers network. This was to make sure that
villages. the flood vulnerable and affected people of
Dhemaji district is the most flood vulner- Brahmaputra river basin have access to emer-
A CHV’s job
able district in the state. Being situated in a lo- gency health services before, during and post
description is cation where the eastern Himalayas abruptly floods.
broad: she has to drops, forming a narrow valley which makes In 2004, the process started with training
deal with the region, as well as the whole Upper of 30 Community Health Volunteers (CHVs)
preventive health Brahmaputra river-basin, immensely vulnera- from 30 remote villages of Sissiborgaon Devel-
service including ble to flood, and affecting 50 - 70 percent of opment Block of Dhemaji. The CHVs are se-
the population. Flood has been regular since lected by the community through a village
educating the
last three decades. meeting to ensure that they remain account-
village
able to the community on providing services.
community on DHEMAJI’S HEALTH BURDEN Usually young married women are selected as
social and During floods access to proper health care is a because, unmarried women might have to
preventive major concern. Even in normal time, access to move out of the village after the marriage.
medicines health care has been a pressing concern. An The selected volunteers are imparted in-
analysis of the health scenario in Assam tensive in-house training for 15 days by expe-
places it in the 14th rank amongst the 15 low rienced health personals working on
performing states in terms of Human Develop- preventive and social health medicine. They
ment Index (HDI). The HDI value for Assam is are trained on preventive health for a range of
0.407 and the same for Dhemaji is 0.277. Fur- water and vector borne diseases, maternal and
ther zeroing on health index indicates that, child health, reproductive health, STI and
while for entire Assam the figure stands at HIV /AIDS. On the curative services they are

60 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
The catalysts: CHVs, above, have played a critical role in reducing mortality rate

trained to treat water and vector borne dis- Realizing the absence of a proper supply
eases. The CHVs are also trained to check chain for essential medicines, RVC has set up
blood pressure, measure temperature and read a mini-medicine depot in its premise to en-
the pulse. If the CHVs come across any seri- sure uninterrupted supply of essential medi-
ous patients, they refer them to health center cines to the CHVs. The CHVs have to keep a
in RVC premise or to the nearest hospital. record of their medicine stock and update on
The core components of the training their requirements to RVC staff on a monthly
process are learning through analyzing social basis. The medicines are purchased from only
case studies and constant practices. This first WHO certified centers in Guwahati to keep
phase of the training is followed by a week- the cost low.
long orientation camp of the CHVs conducted The CHVs today are a confident lot. In
by professional doctors from all medical 2007, a group of 50 CHVs formed an apex
streams. On successful completion of the body called Gramya Swasthya Sewa Samiti
training, the CHVs are provided with a medi- (GSSS). In December 2008 they decided unan-
cine-box containing wide range of essential imously to register the federation under the
generic medicines for common ailments and Trust Registration Act. Each CHV deposits Rs.
manuals explaining key symptoms, preven- 5 every month in the bank account of the fed-
tives and curative measures for each disease. eration. This money is used for procuring
The medicines are provided as one time medicines and giving loans to villagers for un-
assistance along with a rate chart at which the dergoing treatment at very low interest rate. ■
CHV can provide medicine to the community.

HEALTHY PRACTICE 61
03

ON A HIGH
How to secure houses and property from devastating
floods? Just keep them high and away, that is the mes-
sage from community in Dhemaji district of Assam who
built houses on bamboo stilts

Dhemaji PRACTICE: Building houses on bam-

boo and concrete stilts

Dispur IMPACT: Drastic reduction in damages

to house and property

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood and cyclone prone areas

62 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
M
ishing tribe residing in Assam’s
flood prone Dhemaji district, al-
ways prefer to reside near rivers as
they are their lifeline. But recurring floods al-
most snapped this lifeline. Erosion caused by
flood has displaced them; they have lost fer-
tile agricultural lands as well. Added to that,
the remaining farms have been sand cast. It
was a livelihood crisis for the community. The
only way out was to lessen the flood impact
on their livelihoods and property.
The Mishing tribe attribute the recurring
catastrophic floods to manmade interventions
like dam construction, deforestation and min-
ing the river for sand and thus destroying her
natural course. For the people residing in
these areas, the first and foremost concern was
to reduce loss of property and livestock.
The Mishing community innovated the
form of building houses on raised stilts to
overcome this recurring problem. The Deori
community living in the areas already uses
such structures to cope with floods. So it was
a time tested structure but needed adaptation.
Rural Volunteer Centre (RVC), a local non-
governmental organization in Dhemaji district ber stilts costs around Rs. 32,000 while the
of Assam promoted this age old indigenous one on concrete pillars cost around Rs. One
technique of house construction on raised lakh.
stilts in its operational areas, that gets affected These houses are safe from flood impacts
by floods. and less vulnerable to inundation. The non-
In this flood-resistant structure, houses are inundation characteristic of the structure
built on raised bamboo stilts of 5 to 12 feet helps people to maintain a hygienic living en-
high. Families who can afford use concrete vironment and in turn prevent health compli-
pillars in lieu of bamboo stilts. The platform is cations to a large extent. Experience shows
made of timber or bamboo matting. Roof is al- that floods no more cause extensive damage
ways sloping and made from thatched mate- to houses. It has reduced the economic loss to
rial or CGI sheet depending on people’s a large extent. It has also largely reduced the
affordability. It has been observed that these shifting to relief camps/highlands in search of
houses are sturdy and do not need much safe living space during flood. Bhupen Taid,
maintenance. Drawing lessons from these a resident of Bauli Miri village on the bank of
structures, latrines on raised plinths, raised Brahmaputra River in the district, says, “The
hand pumps/ tube wells, seed banks, raised devastating flood of 1998 caused damages to
community shelters have been constructed in only seven out of 70 houses built on raised
a number of villages in the flood prone dis- stilts. Moreover, damage to household items
tricts of the region. Timber houses have a life was also nominal. People managed to save
period of 25 - 30 years. A house built on tim- livestock as well.” ■

ON A HIGH 63
03

PILLARS OF STRENGTH
Raised community flood shelter withstands the
onslaught of flood. Provides shelter to the village
community in Assam’s Chirang district

PRACTICE: Reviving traditional archi-

tectural designs and utilising locally
available resources to build commu-
nity shelters. The design is flood and
Chirang earthquake resistant
Dispur
IMPACT: A confident community
evacuates on their own to these safe
shelters during flood

REPLICATION: Easily replicable in

other villages in the region. It is cost
effective and requires low
maintenance

64 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
F
or the residents of Chirang district of served that some of the houses in the area
Assam, the raised flood shelter has were raised to combat flood. Each shelter
come as a blessing. The district in the costs around Rs. 3, 62,000, which is supported
foothills of Bhutan is flood prone and flash by NEICORD.
flood strikes it very regularly. For its predom- NEICORD started its operations in 20 vil-
inantly tribal residents, floods are an annual lages in the district by creating awareness
curse that robs of their economy every year. and building capacity of local communities.
Five rivers transverse through the district and These were some of the key factors for suc-
all of them get flooded at the same time cessful implementation of the project. This is
resulting in several days of flood and water- because once the community understands
logging. the concept and is equipped, they look for
The floods of July 2004 were unprece- ways to address or tackle it with their own
dented. It impacted 250 villages and two lakh ideas and sustain the initiatives. The project
people. With flood being a recurring problem staff from NEICORD had a series of meetings
in the district, the North East India Commit- with local communities on how to mitigate
tee on Relief and Development (NEICORD) - the effect of flood on the community.
a NGO in Assam along with village people Members of the Village Disaster Risk Reduc- It was commu-
felt the necessity to have a shelter which tion Community were also involved in the
nity’s idea to
could withstand the onslaught of flood and project.
provide shelter to the community when flood It was community’s idea to have high
have high raised
occurs. It introduced the concept of high raised bamboo flood shelter in their village. bamboo flood
raised community flood shelter in Daokabaha They supported by selecting an appropriate shelter in their
village of the district. Daokabaha is the most site, giving land for the construction of the village
vulnerable, as it is surrounded by river Tak- shelter, contributed labour and raw materials
lai on the east and river Aie on the west. The like bamboo. They also helped constructing a
community is primarily tribal belonging to house for the workers to stay and for storing
the Bodo tribe. The village has a total popu- various equipments. The community took
lation of 263 covering 53 households. Gener- ownership for the flood shelter by monitoring
ally poor, they live in houses made of mud the work regularly but at the same time NE-
plaster with thatched roofs, and situation ICORD’s disaster management committee
worsens when the houses submerges as the monitored the entire construction.
rivers swells. .
The high raised community flood shelter DETAILS OF THE STRUCTURE
structure is basically placed above the ground
by putting in concrete or bamboo pillars so Selection of bamboo :
that flood water does not have any impact on For longevity and sustainability of the shel-
the shelter. It is predominantly built of local ters, bamboo is selected on the basis of its size,
wood and bamboo, to keep the cost low and profile and species. The bambusa balcooa
its maintenance is possible every year at local (bhaluka) available commonly in Assam is
level. It used traditional design that uses bam- widely used for this purpose. It is brownish
boo because it is the fastest regenerative mate- green in colour and has distinctive tapers to-
rial appropriate for construction thus wards the top. It is favoured for construction
providing a sustainable source of material. because of its typical properties and fibers are
Assam being in a highly seismic zone, the compact and well built.
shelter has been designed to be earthquake-re- • The wall is typically thick (diameter of a
sistant. The concept of the raised flood shelter whole bamboo varies from 70 to120 mm).
emerged within the community as it was ob- • Internodes are closely spaced giving it

PILLARS OF STRENGTH 65
03

strength (internode spacing ranges from proportion are poured inside the bamboos
200 to 450 mm). Total length of a mature through the drilled holes.
piece would be upwards of 12 – 15 metres. 3. The holes are then sealed by using putty
• The walls are thick (wall thickness of or wax.
10 – 30 mm). 4. The bamboos are then allowed to dry
under shade for 3 to 4 days to absorb the
TREATMENT AND PRESERVATION OF oil.
BHALUKA’S The bamboos treated by this process can be
used for both internal and external use. By
After the initial sorting of bamboo on the this process, borers, termites as well as fungi
basis of its dimensional character and matu- (decay) can be prevented and the durability of
rity, it is then further cut and sized as per re- bamboos increases. The bamboos treated by
quirement. The internode portion is then this method are used for poles (columns),
dressed and sand papered for a smooth pro- purlins, rafters and other construction mate-
file. The position of concrete grouting is rials for house construction.
identified in the columns and a 30 mm di-
ameter hole is carved into the pole at about Joinery Detailing:
450 – 500 mm above its end. It is the key factor in bamboo structure. Bad
joinery details can undo all good structural
Internodal injection with Creosote oil : planning. For the longevity of a structure it is
1. Holes are drilled below the internodes of important to protect the bamboo from split-
the bamboos using a 6mm diameter drill. ting. Most of the detailing is done to protect it.
2. With the help of a wash bottle; 25 ml of the All the support are laterally secured by bolts.
creosote oil mixed with diesel in equal The columns are fixed to the base with a con-

66 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
Shorter
span

Column

Diagram of Beam detail

Ridge detail Beam detail

crete detail. Many other joinery details are a munity in building and maintaining the same.
combination of steel, bamboo and concrete. Given the high involvement of the local
Residents of Daokabaha village now have community especially the committed leaders,
a safe shelter where they can evacuate safely, such initiatives have proved successful and
as the river swells during monsoon. This has sustainable too. The model of high raised
given them confidence as it has increased their community flood shelter can be easily repli-
coping capacity to a great extent. Apart from cated, if the concept and idea is local in na-
being used as shelter during flood, the struc- ture. The concept of raised shelter has been
ture is also used for operating school, organis- advocated with the local government to use as
ing meetings and as a community hall too. a model to replicate in other areas of the
This ensures larger involvement of the com- district. ■

PILLARS OF STRENGTH 67
03

WATER-WISE
Flood contaminates water sources resulting in
widespread waterborne diseases. Local communities
revive the traditional water filter system and reduce
the burden of diseases by 80 percent

Dhemaji PRACTICE: Popularising sand filter

system for clean drinking water

Dispur IMPACT: Drastic reduction in diseases

and spread of epidemic

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood and waterlogged areas

68 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
S
agalikata village of Sissiborgaon block nance.
in Dhemaji district by any modern liv- The technology involved in sand filter is
ing parameters, is inhabitable. Cut off based on local knowledge and materials. All
from the mainland and in the absence of a that is required to devise a sand filter is a tin
road connectivity, the only way to access the container or an iron polygon shaped tumbler,
village is by crossing a river by boat. More- sand deposited along river bank, pebbles of
over, recurring floods and resultant erosion uniform size or charcoal and clean cloth. This
pushed the village further away from the river traditional method of water purification using
bank. But to find all the 55 households in the a normal sand filter without any specification
village having their own supply of clean of sand grain size could remove about 70 per-
drinking water, is indeed awe inspiring. cent of bacteria from water. Drawing lessons
The situation was not so a few years ago. from these findings, the team of public health
There was no water supply arrangement to the professionals from RVC looked for options to
village and people depended on tube wells. increase the effectiveness of the filter to re-
However, the water was not of drinking qual- move the iron content as well as the pathogen.
ity with a pungent smell and heavy iron con- For this they used an extra layer of coarser
tamination. Pathogen contamination of sands without mica particles on the top fol-
groundwater was also high due to flood water lowed by a layer of less coarser sand grains
sipping into the aquifer. Those who could not preferably without or minimum mica parti-
access tubewell had to dig the ground and col- cles. This is followed by a small layer of ei-
lect water by sipping for drinking purpose. ther charcoal (two inches thick) or a layer of
It was in 2002, that Rural Volunteers Cen- stone pebble above a plastic/cloth screen. The
tre (RVC) introduced the traditional sand fil- size of the sieve at the bottom of the pot is
ter system in the village. For a district where made a little larger. This has ensured an in-
waterborne diseases account for majority of crease in discharge from the filter by 2.5 liter
illness, it was a definitive step towards a safe per minute and a reduction of pathogen by 98
life. Floods usually aggravate the situation by percent and 100 percent removal of dissolved
inundating large areas and thus contaminat- iron making water safe for drinking.
ing water sources. During a disaster people The cost of installing a new unit is be-
use boiled water but very few households tween Rs 50 to 60. Once installed, only in
adopted this practice. This is mostly due to cases where plastic sheet and charcoal are
non-availability of fuel, utensils and other co- used, Rs 30 to 40 is incurred per month in
ordinates in a crisis situation. It was also procuring the same. In cases where pebbles A study by RVC
found that waterborne diseases were preva- and cloth is used, there is no monthly expense found that the
lent throughout the year. So the main issue for replacing the same. The cloth/ plastic use of sand filter
was to ensure safe drinking water round the sheet, charcoal, stone as well as the sand, has reduced
year and at affordable cost to ensure the prac- needs to be replaced on a monthly basis. The waterborne
tice is adopted by all. sand is easily obtained from river bed. Women
diseases by more
The public health team from RVC found of Sagalikata village inform that there has
that sand filters, an indigenous practice, were been a huge decline in number of diarrhea
than 80 percent
in use in some of the villages to filter water cases after the filter system was introduced.
and used for drinking. But this system had This has encouraged them to ensure that the
some limitations like not being effective in fil- filters remain usable through out the year. A
tering out iron contents and in removal of study by RVC has found that the use of sand
pathogen. Despite the above problems, RVC filter reduced water borne diseases by more
officials felt these filters had the potential of than 80 percent. Encouraged by the success of
being introduced in other villages, given the the filter system, it has been promoted in 46
local technology and the low cost of mainte- villages of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts. ■

WATER-WISE 69
03

A BASKET OF HAPPINESS
Floods leave behind a long trail of health hazards.
It impacts children and women the most. The Rural Vol-
unteer Centre comes out with the concept of ‘hygiene
basket’ to tackle the problem

Dhemaji PRACTICE: Ensuring health and hy-

Lakhimpur giene for children and women during
flood
Dispur
IMPACT: Helps children, women and
expectant mothers to cope better

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood and cyclone prone areas

70 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
A
fter the devastating flood of Septem- sity and use of items contained in the basket.
ber 2007 that affected 150,000 people A number of items provided in the basket
in 161 villages of Dhakuakhana Block such as anti-septic liquid and the baby soap
in Lakhimpur district, Rural Volunteer Cen- were not in use in the local areas before.
tre (RVC) conducted a detailed assessment of To overcome the first challenge, RVC staff
vulnerabilities in 10 worst affected villages of held regular meetings in the village with
the block. The survey found that children, women and members of local women SHGs.
pregnant women and lactating mothers were In these meetings key health concerns of chil-
the most vulnerable groups that needed spe- dren and women were discussed and solu-
cialized and targeted helps during and after a tions were sorted out. Initially attendance in
disaster. The survey found specialized sup- such meetings was low but over time, it
ports were needed in health and hygiene, pre- picked up. After long persuasion, a few
vention of vector borne diseases like malaria women agreed to adopt the ‘hygiene basket’.
and encephalitis and protection from flees. They were told about its utility in village
RVC initiated the ‘hygiene basket’ concept meetings and inspired others to adopt this.
that has been designed to address mother and Beneficiaries were selected in village meet-
child health during flood emergency. The ‘hy- ings. This was followed by distribution of ‘hy-
giene basket’ contains all first-aid materials giene basket’. Prior to distribution of the
and specific emergency needs of children and products, beneficiaries were oriented on
mothers. The programme faced initial chal- emergency health and hygiene issues and re-
lenge of bringing about behavioral changes spective use of materials in the ‘hygiene bas-
amongst women. Introducing the ‘hygiene ket’. Each ‘hygienic basket’ costs Rs. 1400. To
basket’ also meant extensive awareness cam- begin with, RVC incurs the cost after which
paign to make people understand the neces- the beneficiaries have to buy the materials. ■

Women power: Village women are in control of health issues

A BASKET OF HAPPINESS 71
03

HEIGHT OF SAFETY
Raised earthen flood shelter in the village helps in sav-
ing human and livestock and fasten recovery. This also
helps villagers to organize themselves

Dhemaji PRACTICE: Community flood shelter

Lakhimpur with local contribution and
participation
Dispur
IMPACT: Reduces vulnerabilities and
speeds up recovery

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood and cyclone prone areas

72 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
T
he devastating flood of 2000 in upper finally, the government granted permission to
Brahmaputra basin made one thing construct the flood shelter.
clear: a safe community flood shelter
would have saved many lives both during and A COMMUNITY AFFAIR
post-disaster period. People could work out The shelter was estimated to cost Rs. 3 lakh.
their escape from the flood well in advance if RVC provided financial support for the shelter
there was a community shelter. Without this, while the villagers provided labour through
the risks are higher. Usually people with their the Food for Work programme. But a member
livestock and belongings take shelter on em- from each of the 50 households in the village
bankments or dykes that threaten their safety. had to participate in construction to instill a
Residents of Changmari village in Dhemaji sense of community ownership for the proj-
district, facing recurring floods and without ect. The village committee supervised the
community shelter, would move to Dhemaji work and maintained transparency in wage
town, some 15 kilometers away. To ensure the payment both cash and food. Technical inputs
safety of their livestock, they would leave for construction of earthen structure were pro-
them in nearby market. But there was no guar- vided by RVC on compaction of the soil,
antee for their safety. After consultation with which directly impacts the life span of an
village heads, community and other experts, earthen structure. A community selected
it emerged clearly that a shelter in a highland Flood Shelter Maintenance Committee man-
would save a lot in terms of property. ages the shelter.
In Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts, Rural The flood shelters have helped people to
Volunteers Centre (RVC) started the raised be in their villages which in turn accelerates
earthen flood shelter. To begin with 11 such the process of rebuilding their lives. Staying
shelters were constructed in Sissiborgaon and nearer to their villages during critical times
Jonai blocks of Dhemaji District and provides a high sense of security to the
Dhakuakhana block of Lakhimpur. The flood women, who otherwise has had to take shelter
shelter is constructed with the objective to re- in distant government relief camps. For chil-
duce risks of disaster in flood plain where dren staying close to their village helps them
flood water raise to a height far above the overcome the trauma that disaster causes. The
homestead or raised stilts. The villages where community ownership over the flood shelter
such shelters were created are low lying flood has contributed towards strengthening the
affected villages. intra-village as well as inter-village social in-
Undertaking such construction was not tegration. The Panchayati Raj system was revi-
easy. Construction of shelter needs consider- talized in the state in 2002 after a gap of 10
able land and its availability was a problem. years. During an orientation workshop for
Moreover, the shelter must be located in a Panchayat representatives, RVC presented the
commonly accessible place. In Changmari concept of raised earthen flood shelter. This
there was a 155 by 155 square feet land at the resulted in Panchayats pushing for this con-
centre of the village, which belonged to the cept to be adopted in their villages through
government. To get the land sanctioned for the then Employment Assurance Schemes,
construction, the application was routed to the National Food for Work Programme and
the district commissioner through the Chang- the National Rural Employment Guarantee
mari Panchayat. It took a lot of persuasion and Act. ■

HEIGHT OF SAFETY 73
03

A DIFFERENT NATURE CALL

A toilet designed to withstand flood and safe in its disposal
of waste substantially brings down water contamination

Dhemaji PRACTICE: Raised plinth toilets

Lakhimpur inspired by local tradition

Dispur IMPACT: Reduces disease burden and

water contamination

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood and cyclone prone areas

74 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
D
uring and post flood period sanitation and any village mason can construct it. Un-
and hygiene is often ignored resulting derstanding the honey comb concept, attach-
in spread of contagious diseases. In ment of the water sealed trap with the
Assam’s flood devastated areas people spend squatting plate and the operation of the emer-
substantial time in flood relief camps set up gency outlet is important. To ensure this a
by government. Even in these camps, sanita- public health team from RVC trained the local
tion is never given the importance it should mason on the same. The design for the raised
have got. This is reason for which the flood af- structure has been adopted from the raised
fected people feel reluctant to go to relief stilt households that have been in existence in
camps even during the most disastrous flood the region for ages now. Raised stilt houses are
situation. In absence of any sanitation facility, common structures built by Mishing commu-
people retort to open defecation in flood af- nity living in the region. Each toilet costs
fected areas which is the main cause of drink- around Rs. 6000 and in villages with better
ing water contamination. transportation facilities the cost can come
It is in this context that the Rural Volun- down to Rs 4000. ■
teer Centre (RVC) started discussions with
community members on solution to the prob- Safe, secure and surely cost effective
lem of sanitation in flood affected villages.
The solution that emerged was simple: design
toilets that stands above water and build in
safe waste disposal mechanism. The raised
plinth latrine thus came into existence, which
can be used during floods without causing
any damage to environment. The main objec-
tive was to create provision for safe and envi-
ronmental friendly latrine which can be used
even during flood. More importantly, the ob-
jective was to provide security, privacy and
safe defecation site for the flood affected peo-
ple, especially adolescent girls, married and
pregnant women within affordable distance
during floods.
There were few challenges. First, the
tough task of transporting construction mate-
rials to the villages. Community members
came forward to help out. Then the more chal-
lenging was to convince people to construct a
toilet in the vicinity of their houses. There
was a social taboo in locating toilets within
the house boundary. To overcome this chal-
lenge, RVC organized regular meetings with
community members. RVC volunteers met
members of women SHGs separately to advo-
cate the cause of sanitation. The Village Disas-
ter Management Community also intervened.
Finally, the community accepted the ideas
and the programme.
The raised plinth toilet is simple in design

A DIFFERENT NATURE CALL 75

03

PROSPERITY PLANT
A local plant that binds soil has become the new
weapon against soil erosion caused by flash
floods in Tripura

PRACTICE: Using local soil binding

plants to arrest soil erosion

West Tripura IMPACT: Villagers are reclaiming land

Agartala lost by erosion

REPLICATION: Can be replicated with

similar plants in flood prone areas

76 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
S
ahena Begam is literarily reclaiming her The roots of Kamlilata have a vegetative prop-
life from the virulent Khowai river. A agation. Once they touch the ground they
resident of Golabari village in Tripura’s grow laterally and perpendicularly and forms
West District, she typifies the village’s journey a fabricated reinforcement. It can survive in
back to life after almost being vanquished by adverse conditions. The plant has multi-uses
the river. like the branches can be used as firewood and
Golabari, situated on the banks of Khowai paper processing.
river, is deluged by flash floods every year. On an experimental basis, villagers
Atharamura hills, some 20 kms away from the planted Kamlilata in and around their lands
village, are the catchment of Khowai river. and within 10 years the result was miracu-
Heavy rains in the hills trigger flash floods in lous. It not only protected the embankments
Khowai and flood the entire habitation resid- from breaching but also prevented the rapid
ing along its banks. Flash floods not only de- run off from the river channel when the river
stroy crops but also erode large patches of was in spate. Further, eroded land got back to
agricultural land. Floods also bring in massive original state as these plants captured soils
amount of silt that deposits on farms and bury from flood water and spread them backward.
houses forcing villagers to shift to new places The once lost land has now become cultivable
and rehabilitate them. Government has been land. Soon, its plantation spread across vil-
implementing programmes to check soil ero- lages on the river banks. It is normal now for
sion but that has not been effective. the villagers to plant Kamlilata.
Sahena landed in Golabari in 1996 in Staff of Jana Unnayan Samiti Tripura
search of a decent livelihood. She managed to (JUST), a local NGO, identified this tested
buy a piece of land and thought life would community knowledge for combating floods
move on smoothly. In 2000, a flash flood and soil erosion and adapted it for use in
swept away all her belongings and damaged other flood prone villages. It launched the
the house severely. She did not have any place Community Based Disaster Programme
to take refuge. The sufferings did not end (CBDP) supported by Caritas India. JUST
there. Soil erosion started eating away her team consulted experts in the governments
land. In a year she was left with just one - Forest and Water Resource Department and
tenth of her land, practically not useful for held consultation in flood prone villages to
any purpose. After loosing land and other pos- find out the traditional way to reduce erosion.
sessions, she was forced to take loans from the This revealed the vital role played by
money lender at high interest rate. She was Kamlilata plant in preventing soil erosion. Flash floods not
being laid into a debt trap. For a loan of Rs. This information and knowledge collected only destroy
10,000 taken eight years ago, she has been from community was incorporated as an im- crops but also
paying an interest amount of Rs. 1000 every portant component of the CBDP. erode large
month without even touching the outstanding patches of
capital. She had to withdraw her daughter A NEW DRIVE
agricultural land
from the school. “What would I do if another Sensitisation and plantation drive started in
flood strikes?” she asks. the project villages in April 2007. The field
team of JUST educated the community on the
20 YEARS AGO scientific reason behind erosion and the effec-
Hopes of a new life were sprouting elsewhere. tiveness of Kamlilata in arresting erosion.
Some 20 years ago, few villagers observed that They presented success stories and documen-
places covered with Kamlilata (Ipomea Rep- tary films. Efforts were made to encourage
tans), a local plant, were not affected by soil community members to plant Kamlilata. For
erosion. The plants not only held the soil tight protection of Kamlilata, each family residing
but also regulated the speed of flowing water. along the river bank was made responsible to

PROSPERITY PLANT 77
03

‘During this flood, Kamilata saved my house and land from erosion’

take care of the patch of land behind his/her bamboo bush along the river bank to reduce
house. Conditions were also set to plant 10 erosion. It was included in Jagannathbari Pan-
plants in exchange of the five plants that got chayat Action Plan and would be imple-
damaged and people were motivated to plant mented under the National Rural
at least three Kamli everyday before bathing. Employment Guarantee Act. .
Government bodies like Gram Panchayat, Sahena is getting back to life. Realising the
forest departments, block office and other gov- importance of Kamlilata, she started planting
ernment departments accepted its effective- it on the river bank near her house to save her
ness in preventing soil erosion caused by land. “During the floods of 2008, Kamlilata
flood. At present the forest and water resource saved my house and land from erosion. Now
department is encouraging people to plant I am planting more of it on the vertical bank
Kamlilata. Jagannath-bari Panchayat has sub- too. Everyday I am spending sometime on that
mitted an estimate of Rs 5 lakhs to Teliamura as I want to set myself as an example for oth-
Block Office for plantation of Kamlilata and ers,” says a confident Sahena. ■

78 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

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FLOOD
SEEDS OF CHANGE
Seed banks in Assam’s flood affected districts
encourage pre and post monsoon crops, thus
reducing farmers’ vulnerability to flood damages

Dhemaji PRACTICE: Seed banks to encourage

Lakhimpur lean season crops

Dispur IMPACT: Food security has increased

and flood vulnerability has reduced

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood prone areas

SEEDS OF CHANGE 79
03

F
loods affect Lakhimpur and Dhemaji maji. These NGOs were already working in
districts regularly. Both the districts are the region thus it was logical to start the proj-
crisscrossed by several rivers including ect. The second phase from March 2008 to
the mighty Brahmaputa, face food scarcity in February 2009 focused on rehabilitation and
post flood period. Floods that strike almost was supported by IGSSS.
every year leave vast patches of agricultural Most of the families covered under the
lands inundated thus, destroying the standing project depend on monsoon crops as the main
summer crops. Given that summer crop is the source of earning. The seed banks support was
main survival option and recurring disaster for paddy and mustard that are taken up and
striking the local farmers face severe food in- harvested between September to May thus
security. Most of the time they do not have avoiding the monsoon and floods. This be-
seeds for the next year. Added to that, is the sides ensuring livelihood security allowed
risk of taking loans from local moneylenders farmers to use the lean seasons productively.
and buying seeds but not being able to repay Conscious efforts were made under the proj-
in the face of a disaster striking again. Over a ect not to change the traditional methods of
period of time this vicious cycle of disaster cultivations under practice. Seeds that grew
and economic loss has resulted in chronic under local conditions were provided to en-
poverty in the region. sure their adaptability.
The only way out from this vicious cycle is
to create a buffer against the main summer DEMOCRATIC DESIGN
crop and also a less exploitative support sys- A representative village committee managed
tem for seeds and other emergencies. With the seed banks. The committee is selected
this objective, Indo-Global Social Service So- through a democratic process. A village meet-
ciety (IGSSS) - an NGO based in Delhi, ing attended by a member from each house-
launched a project of establishing seed banks hold selects the committee. Once elected, the
in the flood affected villages of Lakhimpur committee manages the day to day operation
and Dhemaji. of the banks. To ensure women representation
in the seed bank management committee,
THE BEGINNING women membership was made mandatory.
The project focuses on supporting lean season They are selected from different SHGs opera-
crops that could bring additional income to tional in the region, which in a way brings in
the community, before or after monsoon. It is certain management skill to the committee
to strengthen the food security of vulnerable also.
Conscious efforts communities by creating additional liveli- A seed bank, usually of 8 feet X 10 feet size
have been made hood options. The project began in September and placed five feet above the ground, costs
2007 and has already established 30 seed around Rs. 50,000 depending on the quality of
under the project
banks in 60 villages covering 5,000 families. materials. They are constructed with local ma-
to sustain the
The project, supported by ECHO and terials like bamboo and timber. A seed bank
traditional Welthungerhilfe (formerly German Agro Ac- of this size can store 2000 kg of paddy and
methods of tion), was launched in villages worst affected mustard seeds.The village committee circu-
cultivation by flood. The implementation process had lates a notification calling applications for
under two phases. The first phase, from September seed loans in local language. The circular car-
practice 2007 to February 2008 was inclusive of relief ries instructions on processes to obtain appli-
items and was supported by four grassroot cation forms and key dates like closing of
level NGOs - Community Action for Develop- application. The seed banks usually distribute
ment (CAD) and Nava Bihan Samaj (NBS) in mustard and paddy seeds of local variety. The
Lakhimpur and People’s Action for Develop- amount of seed given to a farmer depends on
ment (PAD) and Amateur Group (AG) in Dhe- the size of landholding. There are certain rules

80 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
Seed bankers: Seed banks have enhanced people’s coping capacity

that need to be followed. For every kilogram Money generated from farmers paying
of seed borrowed, two kgs of seeds have to be back in cash is deposited in a bank account in
returned. But seed banks committee are inde- the name of the village committee. This fund
pendent to decide on their specific rate of re- is used to lend loans to villagers who need
turn. In case some can not repay in seed, they money urgently at very minimal interest rate
have the option of paying back in cash money. of two per cent.
In adverse situation where crops have failed After completion of the first two phases of
or the yield has not been upto mark, the rules the project the success rate has been 50 to 60
are relaxed. Farmers in such situation repay percent. Successful harvests from crops grown
in affordable instalments or the amount to be during lean season have ensured increased
repaid is reduced. But it is mandatory that livelihood security. Seed banks have brought
they have to pay back. Defaulting farmers are down farmers’ reliance on high interest loans
barred from loans. However, there have been for buying seeds. ■
very few instances of defaults.

SEEDS OF CHANGE 81
03

A ROOF OF OWN
Ensuring flood resilient shelter can reduce hazard
vulnerabilities to a large extent as this experiment in
Orissa’s flood prone Balasore district shows

PRACTICE: Building flood resilient

Balasore shelters with community
participation
Bhubaneswar
IMPACT: Lessens vulnerabilities

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

flood prone areas

82 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
B
alasore district of Orissa is prone to families, especially for those who had no ca-
multiple hazards. But the series of pacity to rebuild houses on their own. These
floods in 2007 were unprecedented shelters incorporate traditional features. It
and ironically brought out the district’s unpre- also addressed the pathetic sanitation situa-
paredness in coping with hazards, particu- tion by constructing 200 sanitation units. Fur-
larly among the poor. In August 2007, the ther, to promote disaster risk reduction, five
district witnessed seven flash floods wreaking schools were retrofitted to function as emer-
havocs, in a span of three months. Damages to gency refuge centers for local communities.
property and agriculture were estimated to be SEEDS followed a three - stage process for
worth Rs. 508 crores. Due to its proximity to selecting beneficiaries. Though village elders
Bay of Bengal, it is vulnerable to regular cy- and local Panchayat members were involved
clonic storm and depression. Being inter- in the selection process, independent assess-
sected by several rivers like Subarnarekha, ment was carried out by the team in accor-
Budhabalanga, Jalaka, Kansabansa and Sono, dance to set criteria. Acceptance of the design
the whole district is flood prone and Jaleswar, by communities and the beneficiaries was a
Bhograi and Baliapal are the worst flood af- driving factor during design development. So,
fected. the whole process of construction, stressed on
The flood of 2007 triggered by incessant partnership with the beneficiaries instead of
rain, is termed as the worst in the living mem- donation. The programme called for benefici-
ory by people. Most of the villages were under ary participation and contribution for roof,
10 feet of water for a week. There were wide- door, windows, extension of walls and plinth
spread damages to houses and most of them and allowed beneficiaries to express them-
were beyond repair demanding construction selves and make each unit according to their
of new houses. Impact on the poor and land- own individual needs. Site selection is a com-
less was the most, as they did not have the ca- munity prerogative.
pacity to build new houses. Sustainable The shelter unit was designed by combin-
Environment and Ecological Development ing local available building materials, con-
Society (SEEDS – India) - a national NGO, vis- struction practices and flood and cyclone
ited the flood affected areas and after an initial resistant technology. Locally available materi-
damage assessment, initiated few interven- als and components such as RCC columns, fly
tions to rehabilitate the flood victims. It ex- ash blocks and bamboo thatch roofing, etc.
tended interim shelter to reduce was used. By design, it allowed stable plinth
vulnerabilities of the affected community in and strong foundation for the unit. The con-
Basta block of the district. SEEDS in partner- struction from plinth to roof level was done
ship with Christian Aid and the European by SEEDS whereas, few responsibilities were
Commission Humanitarian Aid Department laid on the households too. Each beneficiary
initiated the Balasore Aashray Yojana (Bala- would compact his own plinth and shall de-
sore Shelter Programme) in few selected vil- cide requisite size, shape and height of the
lages of Basta block to rehabilitate the flood plinth. This was their physical labour contri-
victims. bution towards their own shelter unit. The
The programme intended to make vulner- roofing was also to be done by the beneficiary
able communities resilient to recurring floods family. They were allowed to upgrade the roof
and restrict damage to human life. The strat- covering, originally designed with thatch, to
egy is simple: create flood secured shelters. It their desired material. As all members of fam-
intervened in four gram Panchayats (Raghu- ily were part of the construction activity, they
nathpur, Kulida, Santoshpur and Paunskuli) developed a sense of ownership for the shel-
covering 43 villages. A total of 400 resilient ter. In a way, the shelter unit has provided a
shelters were constructed for worst affected cushion for people, allowing them to divert

A ROOF OF OWN 83
03
their existing resources for other fruitful pur- included him in the beneficiary list.
poses.
One of the strengths of the programme was FEATURES OF THE HOUSE AND BUILDING
the theme of owner driven construction. At COMPONENTS:
the start, each beneficiary submitted their Openings: Beneficiaries were left to install
land documents to the project field office and their own traditional doors and windows. To
then once their registration was complete they maintain a water tight seal around the door,
began to organize the transportation of materi- sand bags were provided with every shelter.
als to the site. From there, they were respon-
sible for dictating the height and proportions Plinth: Raised plinth, constructed by the ben-
of the plinth, the orientation of the shelter and eficiaries raises the level of the shelter above
the position of window and door openings. the prevailing flood level and provides a sta-
As the shelters were largely built on the
site or close to the beneficiaries previous
homes, they were aware of the level of water
during previous floods, prevailing winds and BUILDING COMPONENTS
access routes. The beneficiaries had to mobi-
lize labour and materials to build their plinth PLINTH
before the team of masons could commence The raised plinth is constructed by
the beneficiaries to bring the level
the shelter construction. The roof was the as- of the shelter above the prevailing
pect of the design that offered the most poten- flood level. It provides a stable
base and is protected against fu-
tial for permutations and expression by the ture erosion by a retaining wall of
beneficiary as they were responsible for FOUNDATIONS blocks and mortar.
The foundations are constructed
choice, procurement and construction of the from reinforced concrete additional
roofing material. pipes filled with concrete and rein-
forced rods. These foundations in-
The stage at which the beneficiary com- crease the lateral stability of the
pleted their roof is the point at which they structure to resist cyclonic wind pres-
sures, fast flowing flood water, and
take full ownership over their shelter and also the adverse effects of weak sub
begin to start living in it. One such beneficiary soil.

was S.K.Phapaujdin of Masada village of

Paunskulli Gram Panchayat. Forty-one year
old Phapaujdin is physically challenged and
lived with his 70-year-old mother who was
PLINTH BEAM AND SILL BEAM
also visually challenged. Till the BAY was im- The plinth beam not only provides a
plemented, they both shared a small house stable structure, but also provides a
level base for block wall and water-
which was in a dilapidated condition wors- tight seal ensuring that flood water
does not penetrate the shelter. Both
ened further with the consecutive floods in
the sill beam and plinth beam hold
2007 and 2008. The disability pension of Rs. the structure together and provide
lateral stability against extreme
200 from government was insufficient to sup- winds and flood waters.
port the family, so he was forced to begging.
Further, his disability prevented him from
FLY-ASH BLOCK WALLS
standing for long period, so in such condi- The blocks are made from fly-
ash, a waste product from coal
tions, living and maintaining a livelihood was
fired factories. They also have
a constant challenge for him. With no other as- a lower embodied energy in
comparision with traditional
sets than his dilapidated house, he was reliant bricks as they do not require
on any assistance that was made available to firing. In addition, the blocks
require no mortar due to their
him. His family was slightly relieved, when ‘lock and key’ design.
SEEDS acknowledged his vulnerability and

84 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
ble base. Plinth size was decided by the ben- sured a water tight seal and protected from
eficiary, as s/he expands his shelter unit ac- flood waters upto 4 ft above the height of the
cording to his needs and homestead land plinth.
availability. The plinth is protected on all
sides by a retaining wall that offers stability Plinth beam and Sill Beam: Plinth beam not
and protects the foundations from mild or only provides a stable structure with a strong
moderate floods. The plinth protected with horizontal band, but also provides a level base
blocks and mortar ensures its stability for for block walls. Further more, the plinth beam
longer duration and also combat soil erosion provides a water tight seal at the base of the
during flooding. During a moderate to severe shelter ensuring that flood water do not pen- The plinth is pro-
flood, beneficiaries were advised to stack sand etrate the shelter from the floor below. Both tected on all
bags against the plastered block walls. It en- the sill beam and plinth beam hold the struc- sides by a retain-
ing wall that of-
fers stability and
ATTIC protects the
The roof structure offers the potential
for the beneficiaries to add an attic to
ROOF foundations from
The roof has been designed with the
provide additional space within the traditional building materials of bam- mild or moderate
shelter for storage. During times of boo. Three primary roof trusses are
flooding this raised floor will provide manufactured offsite as a single com- floods
safe refuge for their belongings. ponent and can accommodate the
beneficiaries’ choice of thatch, tin
sheets or terracotta tiles.

FLOOD RESILIENCE OF SHELTER DESIGN

During a mild or moderate flood the raised plinth and
plinth beam will provide suitable protection from flood
waters.
During a moderate to sever flood it is advised that the
cement bags provided are filled with sand to create a
water tight seal around the entrance.
During extreme and sustained flooding it is advised
that all belongings are stored at attic level and the fam-
ily moves to higher ground.

OPENINGS
The design of the openings is left to the
beneficiaries to install their own tradi-
tional doors and windows. To maintain
a water tight seal around the door
sand bags will be provided with each
shelter.

A ROOF OF OWN 85
03
ture together and provide additional lateral stubbing. RCC hume pipes were used and
stability against winds and flood waters. these pipes filled with concrete and reinforce-
During a mild or moderate flood, the ment rods offer foundations up to a depth of
raised plinth and plinth beam will provide ad- 6.5 feets for columns. Such foundations not
equate protection from flood waters. The only increases lateral stability of the structure
The roof plinth beam will provide a water tight seal at to resist cyclonic wind pressures and force of
design allows low level and resist rising of flood water from fast flowing flood waters, but also overcomes
key components the ground beneath. adverse effects of weak sub soil.
to be removed for
use in temporary Fly-ash block walls: The block walls raised to Roof: The roof was designed with traditional
the height of the sill beam provides a number building technique using bamboo frame and
shelter
of advantages over traditional clay bricks. The thatch. In case flood water engulfs the shelter,
blocks contained a lower embodied energy in it must be temporarily abandoned. The roof
comparision with traditional bricks as these design allows key components to be removed
required no burning. Furthermore, the fly ash for use in temporary shelter. Three primary
used is a waste from coal fire stations. Sec- roof trusses have been provided to work inde-
ondly, the blocks require no mortar owing to pendently from the rest of the roof. Manufac-
its unique ‘lock and key’ design. Walls are tured off site as a single component, the
plastered inside and pointed on external trusses can be removed by simply cutting key
façade. rope ties. The light weight frames can be car-
ried to higher ground and utilized in an im-
Foundation: The foundation of the unit is mediate temporary shelter for the family and
constructed from reinforced cement concrete their belongings. If flooding continues and the

Houses built were in harmony with local environment

86 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
shelter is no longer safe, it is advised that the
3 main roof trusses are cut from their roof
joints, removed and carried with their belong-
ings to higher ground. Using polythene sheet
or thatch, they will be able to erect immediate
temporary shelter for refuge for their family
and storage of valuable belongings.

Attic: One key value addition here was to

raise the gradient of the roof and construct a
bamboo attic, which will provide additional
space within the shelter for storage. During
times of flooding, this raised floor will pro-
vide safe refuge for their belongings and for
people. During extreme and sustained flood-
ing, they have been advised that all belong-
ings are stored at attic level within the roof
space. If the onset of the flood is extremely
sudden, it is also advised that family members
can take refuge at this higher level.
The houses built were in complete har-
mony with the local environment in terms of
design and technology used. Hazard and vul-
nerability profile of the area was also consid-
Home coming: New structures have insured residents from
ered to ensure safety from future disasters. ■ hazards

A ROOF OF OWN 87
03

WEAVES OF CHANGE
A weaver community crafts a new design for life
in a flood prone area

PRACTICE: Housing and technology

intervention to fight flood hazard
Hyderabad
IMPACT: Lessens vulnerabilities and
Krishna revives economy

REPLICATION: Can be replicated for

similar communities in flood prone
areas

88 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
J
. Pullaiah, a resident of Gothakam village tending loans at very high rate of interest and
under Ghantasala Gram Panchayat in paying them low rates for the products pur-
Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district, is a chased from them.
content man. He rarely slips hint about his In an effort to wean the community off its
past but is ever ready to narrate it to convince dependence on the master weavers, ASM fa-
anyone on how to fight hazard. cilitated collaboration between the National
The 130-odd weaver families of Gothakam Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad and the
were relocated by the Government of Andhra weaving community. A visiting team from
Pradesh in 1972 after a massive fire destroyed NID helped the weavers in moving away from
their earlier houses. However, they soon re- solely weaving traditional sarees in limited
alised that the settlement, beside the Gunderu colours and designs to lucrative dress mate-
drain of the Krishna River, is prone to severe rial market.
flooding during rainy season. Being in a low From the year 1990, ASM supported by
lying area, their houses would remain flooded SCF (UK), Oxfam (UK) and Plan International
for three to four months every year. They did embarked on an integrated development
not have any alternate option either. This set scheme for the weavers. This included ele-
in a downward spiral of poverty laying a debt ments of flood control. It constructed 330 me- The problems
trap. Pullaiah recalls how indebtedness forced tres of flood bund along the Gunderu drain to of the weavers
many of them to send their young children prevent flood waters from entering the village.
were manifold
away to work. They used to come back home It upgraded pit looms to stand looms, pro-
only when needed to assist in weaving. He vided financial assistance for the purchase of
and needed
himself lost a son to ill health and malnour- dobbies and provided market linkages by or- intervention on
ishment. ganising exhibitions and sales for the weavers several fronts.
Arthik Samata Mandal (ASM) first came across India. In addition, ASM provided vo- This realisation
in contact with the community in the course cational training to youths to shift to other resulted in ASM
of their emergency relief activities following livelihoods. ASM also facilitated formation of
adopting an
the cyclone of 1990. They realised that the SHGs and Community Based Organisations
integrated
problems of the weavers were manifold and (CBOs). They built elevated houses and in-
needed intervention on several fronts. This re- creased the height of roofs to accommodate approach
alisation resulted in ASM adopting an inte- stand looms. During the construction, it was
grated approach while dealing with the made mandatory to have a work place, living
vulnerabilities of the community to natural place and kitchen. Government subsidies for
hazards. ASM’s programmes worked to re- housing were also accessed for this housing
duce the vulnerability of the communities, es- project. House owners also contributed
tablish a safe and secure living environment labour.
and to improve the standard of living of the The new implements and training have re-
weavers by raising their levels of income. sulted in considerable improvements in their
Weavers in the settlement were perpetu- wage rates. Pullaiah says the wage has gone
ally in debt and depended on the master up from a paltry Rs. 3-5 per metre to Rs. 18-25
weavers for their credit needs. Master weavers per metre. “Never in our lifetime did we imag-
provide yarn and also purchase the finished ine we would come this far,” says Pullaiah.
products from them. The master weavers un- Villagers attribute the house construction in-
derstood markets and always exploited the tervention as the game changer as it has im-
weavers to their benefits. They took advantage proved their quality of life as well as
of the weavers’ dependence on them by ex- livelihood. ■

WEAVES OF CHANGE 89
03

RICHES TO RAGS TO RICHES

A unique experiment reclaims land lost to flood and erosion in
Assam. At the same time it has organized the community that is effec-
tively fighting the hazard of flood

PRACTICE: Reclaiming land by

manipulating river current

IMPACT: Reclaimed land support

Dispur
Morigaon livelihoods and reduces
vulnerabilities

REPLICATION: Can be contextually

replicated in similar situations

90 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

 03

FLOOD
“O
ne morning I got up to find my like the few mentioned above, it is a tale of
cowshed washed away by the riches to rags. Flood is the culprit for their
river. We started to shift our be- plight. Inundation is one of the immediate af-
longings to a safer place. But within an hour fects of flood. But erosion is constant and
my house became a part of Brahmaputra,” keeps impacting them and their livelihoods.
says Hareswar Koch, a local resident of Bhura- The Bhuragaon Circle land records show that
gaon in Morigaon district of Assam whose about 5,349 hectares of land have been eroded
house was at least 15 meters away from the since 1960. The phenomena is not confined to
river bank. “Floods were no problem. They Bhuragaon alone. According to experts, 3.15
used to cover my farm with fertile silt,” says million hectares of land along Brahmaputra
Rohima Khatun of Bhuragaon. “But now the and Barak rivers are prone to heavy floods and
main problem is erosion. The river is now de- erosion. Due to large scale deforestation in the
vouring our fields. The place where I sowed mountains, large stones are carried as runoff
paddy last year is now in the river. I have lost along with water, which gets deposited on
all my fields and am now landless,” adds Brahmaputra’s river bed. Added to it, massive
Khatun. Another villager Abdul Hussain nar- siltation makes the river bed shallow. This im-
rates a similar story. His father the late Nah- pacts the current flow in the river and triggers
sur Ali owned more than 20 hectares of land. soil erosion.
Erosion took away all the land in 1976. Abdul “Apart from loss of land and property,
is a daily wage labourer now. people have also lost their livelihood op-
People of Bhuragaon are not stranger to tions,” says Komrul Hussain Choudhary,
floods. But what they now really dread about member of VOICE (Voluntary Initiative for
is the river erosion that is literarily threaten- Community Empowerment), an organization
ing their existence. For most of the villagers, working for the rehabilitation of flood affected

Erosion has impacted local livelihood security

RICHES TO RAGS TO RICHES 91

03
people in Morigaon. Once upon a time the re- much interest. Meetings he called for, hardly
gion was prosperous due to high yield of agri- had any attendance. After discussion with a
culture. few of NGOs working in the region like the
Morigaon Mahila Mehfil, he shifted his mobi-
A WAY OUT lization efforts to local markets where people
A solution to the problem came from a visit of were readily available thus ensuring an easy
Komrul Choudhary to Vaniyakulum Pan- audience. This worked and the process slowly
chayat in Palakkad District of Kerala in 2001. began to draw people’s attention and Choud-
There he saw the river Bharatpuzha being hary’s meetings also got more and more peo-
blocked by creating bunds for lift irrigation ple. In the meetings Choudhary shared his
purpose which also stopped erosion substan- plan and mobilised the community’s support.
tially. He adopted the technique in Assam. He Finally local residents agreed for labour par-
selected a few points along the Brahmaputra ticipation in the project and made available
river where barriers made out of sand-filled provisions like puffed rice and jaggery at the
jute bags were erected. The technique works work site. Women contributed by way of
like this: when the river hits the bunds, its sewing jute bags for the bunds. It was emerging
current breaks and silts carried by the river get as a completely community supported project.
deposited at its base. Over a period of time as Later the Government gave 20,000 jute bags.
silt mounts up, the river changes its course. People from the villages have realized the
This way, an eight kilometer long and four benefit of the project and are ready to extend
kilometer broad land has been created. Vil- continued support for the project. Choudhary
Local residents lagers are staying on this reclaimed land and set up the Raijyor Shram Daner Brahmapurtra
cultivating also. Local residents say that earn- Garakahania Protirodh Samiti in the year 2003
agreed for labour
ing from agriculture is more than what they at Bhuragaon, which has 10,000 people from
participation in
used to get earlier. Slowly they are back to 80 villages. The villages are spread over 35 sq
the project and their good old days. At present around 5000 km area. The organization has also set up a 31-
make available people are living in the land in five settle- member executive committee that takes stock
provisions like ments. of the land reclamation project.
puffed rice and However, mobilizing people for this initia- The district administration has accredited Mr
jaggery at the tive was not an easy task. Initially, when Choudhary’s work and awarded him a citation
Choudhary began the project no one showed for his achievement. ■
work site

92 TURNING THE TIDE: FLOOD

Earthquake per se does not kill but the collaps-
ing buildings do. The incorporation of earth-
quake resistant structures in the housing and
infrastructure projects has been neglected in
India where, historically earthquake damage is
high. An earthquake with an epicentre in the
vicinity of a megacity of India has the potential
risk to cause one million fatalities.
The Koyana quake of 1967 and Latur quake
of 1993 made the geologists realise that the
peninsula part of India is no longer immune to
04
seismic activity. Accordingly, seismic zonation

EARTHQUAKE
map was revised, which now classify 58.6 per-
cent landmass in India is in high seismic risk zone
of III, IV and V. The historical earthquake data as
below also indicates that the Indian sub-conti-
nent is highly vulnerable to seismic activity.

June 16, 1819 Kutch peninsula in western state

of Gujarat, 8.0 on Richter scale,
2,000 dead

June 12, 1897 Shillong plateau in eastern state

of Meghalaya, 8.7 on Richter
scale, 1,542 dead

April 4, 1905 Kangra valley in northern state

of Himachal Pradesh, 8.0 on
Richter scale, more than 20,000
dead
January 15, 1934 Indo-Nepal border, 8.3 on Richter
scale, more than 10,000 dead

August 15, 1950 Northeastern state of Assam, 8.5

on Richter scale, 532 dead

August 21, 1988 Indo-Nepal border, 6.5 on Richter

scale, about 1,000 killed

October 20, 1991 Himalayan foothills of northern

Uttar Pradesh state, 6.6 on
Richter scale, 768 killed

September 30, 1993 Western state of Maharashtra

(1993), 6.3 on Richter scale, 7,601
dead, 15,846 injured

May 22, 1997 Central Indian state of Madhya

Pradesh, 6 on Richter scale, 40
dead, 500 injured

March 29, 1999 Northern state of Uttaranchal

(Chamoli), 6.8 on Richter scale,
more than 1,000 dead

January 26, 2001 Western state of Gujarat, 7.9 on

Richter Scale, over 20,000 dead
(based on news reports)

December 26, 2004 Earthquake in Indian Ocean gen-

erated tsunami, 12,405 people
dead, 6,913 injured and 647,599
people displaced in India

October 8, 2005 Kashmir-Kohistan , 1366 dead,

6587 injured, 1,12,554 houses
damaged
04
The strategies for reducing structural vulnerabilities are
to incorporate earthquake resilient features in new construc-
tions, retrofit existing structures and transfer risk through in-
surance. This desires appropriate techno-legal regime at
policy levels and transfer of technology at community levels.
The community level good practices as narrated in this
‘Earthquake Section’ are innovative models that demon-
strate the implementation of above strategies.
Never let a crisis go waste. ‘Rebuilding The Trust’ was an
initiative of a local NGO, CEE (Centre for Environment Edu-
cation) - Himalaya that helped 301 beneficiaries in rebuild-
ing their lives in Uri Subdivision of Kashmir that was
devastated by an earthquake in 2005. CEE’s livelihood
restoration programme has in every way facilitated the ben-
eficiaries in exploring the fortunes of their shattered lucks
from the rubbles of devastative quake.
The ‘Unshakable’ is another motivating story on mason
training programme, which make the people realize that it’s
not earthquake but the quake shaken collapsed buildings
that kill people. Since 1991 Uttarkashi earthquake, People
Science Institute (PSI), an NGO based in Dehradun, Uttarak-
hand has come a long way in popularizing the quake safe
housing techniques not only in Uttarkhand but as well in
Maharastra, Orissa, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nico-
bar islands and Kashmir. As rightly recognized by PSI, the
onus of convincing house owners for earthquake safe con-
struction lies with the masons. Hence, PSI has targeted the
local masons to induct earthquake resistant housing tech-
niques in social milieu. It facilitates and conducts training of
masons as a continuous learning and adaptation process. In-
vitations from the authorities of every post-disaster recov-
ery areas of India to carry out similar efforts are a corollary
to the PSI’s effort of institutionalizing the process of tech-
nology transfer through mason trainings.
Happiness lies, first of all in health. This old proverb fits
into one such good practice by Swayam Shikshan Prayog
(SSP) that has constantly advocated for setting up local
health governance groups who would work for awareness
on health, sanitation and basic services to reduce critical vul-
nerability of affected population during post-disaster recov-
ery period. Be it recovery period of Latur earthquake (1993),
or Bhuj Earthquake (2001) or Tsunami 2005, SSP promoted

94 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

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EARTHQUAKE
women based health governance groups under the banner
of Arogya Sakhis for Health Awareness and Action (ASHAA)
to address post-disaster health needs especially of women.
The specific story with the title ‘Healing Touch’ speaks about
a community based health & sanitation programme in
tsunami affected 10 selected villages of Cuddalore district,
Tamil Nadu where ASHAA workers promoted awareness on
health & sanitation, linkage and increased use of PHCs, pro-
motion of community health fund and partnership with
nearby private hospitals for discounted medication and
minor surgeries. The programme considerably reduced the
annual expenditure of tsunami affected people and sus-
tained not only good health of affected communities but
also their earning capacity throughout the year.
Parking the hazard safe construction technologies at the
door step of earthquake and cyclone prone people of
Bhachau district is another mission driven by an NGO - UN-
NATI Organization for Development Education. UNNATI set
up a Technology Park to disseminate disaster safe construc-
tion technologies and alternate building materials with in-
formation on the hazards of earthquake and cyclone. The
Park’s mission driven approach also prescribes retrofitting
technologies for existing structurally weak buildings. The
Park has evolved a local level one-stop resource centre for
the people on disaster preparedness and mitigation. The
NGO takes up training of village volunteers and masons in
earthquake resistant construction technology. ■

EARTHQUAKE 95
04

REBUILDING TRUST
Communities in earthquake devastated Kashmir use the
crisis to bring in long-term livelihood security

PRACTICE: Restoration of traditional

and other locally suitable livelihood
options
Baramullah
IMPACT: Long-term livelihood
Srinagar security

REPLICATION: Can be contextually

replicated in similar situations

96 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

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EARTHQUAKE
S
habnam Naaz had always dreamt of Life emerging victorious from ruins of the
owing a cosmetic shop. But she never earthquake is not limited to Shabnam and
realized that the dream would take Ahmed. People have used the crisis as an op-
wings from the ruins of her home. An earth- portunity to bring in long term development
quake of magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale solutions and a secure livelihood. In
that hit Jammu and Kashmir on October 8 Noorkhah people came up with the idea of a
2005 flattened her home. A resident of computer centre. The support of CEE made it
Noorkhah village in Baramulla district, one of possible. Now the Centre is accessed by SHG
the worst affected districts by the earthquake, members, students, teachers, local govern-
Shabnam almost lost her dream to this disas- ment officials and local people. The fee col-
ter. “I was more concerned about my home lected pays for the rent of the shop, the
than the dream of having a cosmetic shop of instructor and the maintenance of the equip-
my own,” she says. But she had a glimmer of ments.
hope when Centre for Environment Educa-
tion Himalaya (CEE) working for rehabilita- A LONG VISION
tion and revival of local livelihood It is inspiring to hear so many positive stories
post-earthquake, offered her a cow or sheep coming from this earthquake devastated area.
for livelihood support. Rather she demanded The earthquake killed 1400 people and in-
support for a cosmetic shop and got it. CEE jured 6,149 people besides damaging houses
gave her cosmetic items worth Rs. 20,000 to and properties in Baramulla and Kupwara dis-
set up the shop. Out of her make-shift tin tricts. As a response to the colossal damage
roofed house she started nurturing her dream. and destruction of livelihood and assets of
Within four years, it has taken wings and she people, CEE Himalaya intervened not only to
is equipped well to cope with life. Today her relieve people from psycho-social stress but
shop is stacked with stuff worth Rs. 40,000 – also to build local capacity for coping future
50,000. She approached the bank for a loan of hazards and restore the livelihoods of the peo-
Rs. 2,00,000 which the bank willingly gave ple affected. It undertook livelihood restora-
her. Because of the strategic location of the tion programme keeping in mind the need for
shop, the advantage of having women sales- economic self-reliance for the community
person and reasonable rates has made her after a disaster. Most relief work after a disas-
shop the most sought after in the area.. ter excludes the livelihood aspect as reported
Tanveer Ahmed Khan, another resident of by the World Disaster Report 2001. The report
the neighbouring Bugna village had been run- said that only 10 percent recovery projects fo-
ning successfully a medical shop for years. cused on livelihoods while 53 percent fo-
But the earthquake turned his shop into a cused on rebuilding infrastructure.
heap of rubble. Like Shabnam, he also used Initially, under the CEE livelihood restora-
the crisis to further strengthen his dream. His tion programme, a detailed survey was done
immediate concern was to revive his sole of the villages to have all the information on
source of earning and in such a way that it various social, physical and economic as-
would yield him more than what he used to pects. Based on the data collected in the sur-
earn previously. The CEE supported him vey major livelihood options were identified
under the livelihood restoration programme which included not only the traditional op-
funded by CARE India and Welthungerhilfe tions but also those suitable to the local cli-
(German Agro Action). He was given the mate and environment. The traditional
medicines he listed out. He shifted his shop livelihood options identified were livestock,
to Noorkhah because of its central location. poultry, carpentry, catering, welding and um-
Now he is independent and needs no support brella repairing.
as the shop gives him a better return. The target beneficiaries for this pro-

REBUILDING TRUST 97
04
gramme were the ones who had lost every- cash. Bank accounts were opened in the name
thing and left with no alternatives to resume of the SHGs for fund management.
their livelihoods. Women, elders and disabled Trainings sessions and meetings were con-
people were given priority. Beneficiary selec- ducted for the beneficiaries wherever re-
tion was done based on the village survey. A quired. For example, the beneficiaries
village level committee was also formed provided with sheep and cows were informed
which assisted in the beneficiary identifica- about day-to-day care of their livestock. Gov-
tion. This committee comprised of Sarpanch ernment departments, such as animal hus-
(head of local Panchayat), Nambardar, ward bandry, provided support in the trainings
member and teachers. Altogether 301 benefi- conducted. Training sessions were also con-
ciaries were identified. ducted for all the SHGs formed to inform them
Livelihood restoration has been addressed about functioning of a SHG and the role of the
A village both by capacity building and providing sup- members. Keeping in mind the safety of the
livelihood port based on the needs which emerged after assets distributed, insurance was also pro-
support the participatory needs assessment. The ben- vided. CEE Himalaya paid the premium for
committee was eficiaries were given the choice of selecting the first year and thereafter beneficiaries paid
the livelihood option. Group approach was the premium. But in almost all the cases there
formed to
followed while providing livelihood support. was no continuation of the policy after one
monitor at the Self- Help Groups (SHGs) was a new concept year.
village level to the area and was not followed there earlier. The programme followed multi-layer mon-
Support was provided in groups for the liveli- itoring system. A village livelihood support
hood options like catering, computer centre, committee was formed to monitor every as-
tailoring centre and poultry. In the livelihood pect at the village level. After the support was
restoration programme all the supports pro- provided to the beneficiaries from time to
vided were in terms of material and not in time the monitoring was also carried out by

SHG concept was new to the region but it caught the women’s imagination

98 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

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EARTHQUAKE
A new innings: Relief was distributed to groups instead of individuals

the CEE Himalaya staff. CEE also constituted ings were held in the wards of marginalized
a project implementation committee within people and their needs were discussed. Sus-
its own institutional set up to guide and mon- tainability of the programme was one of the
itor the programme. major challenges because the aim of the pro-
The society in Kashmiri region is conser- gramme was to make the beneficiaries inde-
vative and patriarchal. So the big challenge pendent economically in the long-term. To
was to involve women in the SHGs. Constant overcome this challenge the support provided
meetings and discussions with villagers fi- was in groups wherever possible rather than
nally made it possible. Another issue was en- to individuals. Beneficiaries also signed an
abling the marginalized people of the village undertaking to use the support given for long
to assert their rights and needs as they seldom term benefits and not to sell the support
raise their issues and needs in general village extended. ■
meetings. In such cases, focus groups meet-

REBUILDING TRUST 99
04

UNSHAKABLE
In earthquake and tsunami prone areas the People
Science Institute is training local masons in tradi-
tional earthquake safe techniques for making com-
munities secure from these hazards

PRACTICE: Revival of traditional

earthquake safe structures through
mason training
Dehradun
IMPACT: Safety from earthquake
hazards

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

similar situation with local
contextualisation

100 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

 04

EARTHQUAKE
A
crisis often brings out our best. That training. As these masons usually employ
happened when a massive earth- other masons to assist them, they pass on the
quake hit Uttarkashi in 1991. While imparted skills to the rest. This helps in creat-
most of the modern houses collapsed, few tra- ing a cadre in a chain reaction method. A
ditional houses known as pherols in local training session usually covers 15 to 20 ma-
parlance withstood the earthquake. It brought sons for a period of 5 days.
out the earthquake resistant features of tradi-
tional houses built with local wisdom and ma-  Training manuals are written in local lan-
sons. Since then, the Peoples Science Institute guage. As much as possible locally used terms
(PSI), a NGO based in Dehradoon, Uttarak- and words are used in such manuals, booklets
hand has been popularising earthquake resist- and posters. So far PSI posters have been de-
ant houses. It started from Uttarakashi veloped in Hindi, English, Gujarati, Urdu,
immediately after the earthquake and has Tamil and Marathi.
been doing so in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Orissa,
Maharashtra and Andaman and Nicobar is-  PSI staff and trained masons take training
lands. sessions. Use of local masons helps ensure
The PSI has targeted the local masons to that the instruction is done using local jargon
perpetuate the earthquake resistant features. and terminology.
It facilitates and conducts training of masons
as a continuous learning and adaptation  Instruction is carried out using a mix of
process. PSI’s mason training activities started lectures and audio visual aids.
immediately after the Uttarkashi earthquake.
The experience of traditional houses not being  Three dimensional models and simula-
affected by earthquake convinced PSI that it tions such as ‘shaking tables’ are used to
was possible to minimise casualties in an demonstrate the effects of an earthquake on
earthquake by adhering to certain principles buildings and the differences between regular
while constructing houses and buildings. PSI buildings and those that employ principles of
sought to institutionalise this traditional earthquake safe construction.
knowledge through mason education and
training programmes. First such programmes  The lectures are accompanied by practical
were conducted in 1992 in Uttarkashi region. lessons. Masons collaborate to build earth-
While this set of programmes came to an end quake safe house in the course of their train-
in 1993, PSI has taken this programme to ing.
other disaster prone areas including Latur in
Maharashtra, Jabalpur, parts of Gujarat, the  Masons are paid a stipend for the duration
Andaman and Nicobar islands, Tamil Nadu, of training. This covers their travel expenses
Kashmir and across the state of Uttarakhand to the venue of training and also compensates
and Himachal Pradesh. them for their loss of wages.
PSI starts the programme in the aftermath
of a disaster when communities have imme-  All masons are also provided with a CD
diate need for temporary housing. The types and some literature on earthquake safe con-
of houses constructed depend on the local struction techniques. Masons use these mate-
conditions and available materials. For its rials to educate and convince prospective
training programmes, PSI partners with local home owners on the need for incorporating
organisations in the disaster affected area. these techniques into their construction.
The key elements of the mason training
programme are:  A masons’ guild with over 250 masons
 Only experienced masons are selected for across the state have been formed. These ma-

UNSHAKABLE 101
04
sons share their experience through phone earthquake and high rise waves during
calls or post cards. tsunami, were constructed using hollow ce-
ment blocks, bamboo mats and wooden
PSI’s programme in institutionalising the frames. Houses in Kashmir used raised floors
earthquake safe features in overall house con- and foam within the walls to cater to the cli-
struction through mason training in Uttarak- matic conditions of the area.
hand has evoked positive responses from all PSI has a robust feedback mechanism in
quarters. The District Magistrate of Latur in- place to monitor the effectiveness of the
vited PSI to work in reconstruction and train- mason training programme. It has established
ing of masons after the earthquake of 1993. a guild comprising of all trained masons. The
PSI has since been involved in a series of guild charges a one time fee of Rs 50 for mem-
mason training programmes in partnership bership. All members receive a regular
with local organisations across the state of Ut- newsletter (published by PSI), which updates
tarakhand till 2008. These trainings have ben- them on the latest developments and also
efitted close to 400 masons. In Latur, PSI serves as a platform through which masons
PSI has a robust translated its posters and publicity material can share their concerns and experiences. PSI
feedback into Marathi and conducted mason trainings. distributes self-addressed postcards to trained
Latur and the adjoining district of Osmanabad masons for writing back to PSI on their expe-
mechanism in
were also the first places where PSI undertook riences and feedback. On few occasions, PSI
place to monitor construction of permanent shelters. Here, the staff visits masons’ worksites and provide
the effectiveness PSI innovation of common walls between two them with additional guidance on earthquake
of the mason houses, reusing old materials and bulk pur- safe construction techniques. Regular feed-
training chase of construction material helped reduce back sessions are conducted for masons to bet-
programme. It the costs of reconstruction significantly. ter understand the challenges they face in
Later on, PSI worked on temporary shel- implementing what they are taught in the
has established
ters in earthquake affected Chamoli region of trainings.
a guild
Uttaranchal and in districts of Orissa affected The onus of convincing house owners for
comprising of all by super cyclone in 1999. The same work con- earthquake safe houses lies with the masons.
trained masons tinued in Bhuj, hit by the earthquake in 2001 PSI estimates the additional costs incurred for
and in Tamil Nadu and Andaman Islands af- employing earthquake-safe construction tech-
fected by the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. niques to be between five to seven percent
PSI is working in the Kashmir valley follow- above the normal cost of construction. This
ing the earthquake in 2005. poses a challenge as the trained masons often
While adhering to principles of earth- find it difficult to convince home owners in
quake-safe construction, PSI has used locally opting for earthquake-safe constructions.
available materials and designs for construc- Some house owners also express doubts about
tions of temporary shelters and homes built in the structural viability of the new methods of
the aftermath of a disaster. For instance, the construction and are reluctant to adopt them.
houses constructed in Gujarat - termed mid- PSI is working at overcoming this challenge. It
term shelters as their life exceeded the 12-15 has been lobbying for provision of an incen-
months – used the locally available ‘morvi’ tive to house owners who opt for earthquake-
tiles. Similarly houses in the Andaman Is- safe construction that will cover the extra
lands, which experienced the effects of both costs. ■

102 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

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EARTHQUAKE
HEALING TOUCH
Swayam Shikshan Prayog, a Non governmental
organization based in Tamil Nadu, has mobilized
women groups to ensure basic health facilities to
tsunami affected communities

PRACTICE: Mobilisation of women to

Chennai ensure health facilities for
communities
Cuddalore
IMPACT: Accessibility to government
Nagapattinam health centre has increased and
health expenditure has reduced

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

any hazard prone area

HEALING TOUCH 103

04

F
or the tsunami victims of Tamil Nadu training and are responsible for the education
the wide ranging experiences of of ASHAA volunteers for two villages each.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), a HGs are trained by local physicians about im-
NGO based in Mumbai, came handy. SSP has portant health subjects, including antenatal
been mobilizing disaster stricken communi- and postnatal care, family planning and the
ties to rebuild their lives in a sustainable and treatment for a host of ailments.
participatory manner in many states for more HGG leaders call village wide meetings to
than 15 years. They conducted a participatory convey the importance of working collectively
mapping process in tsunami affected villages to improve community health and sanitation.
by involving earthquake survivors from Ma- This leads to formation of ASHAA groups at
harashtra and Gujarat. It found a critical gap the village level comprising mostly of women
in post-disaster activities: inadequate health volunteers. Women active in various village
service delivery and access to safe water and activities are picked up by their peers and the
sanitation. Tsunami severely damaged health SSP during local meetings to be ASHAA. Al-
and drinking water supply infrastructures. though there are no set criteria or skill pre-
The survey also found that women suffered scribed for being an AASHA, a strong and
most from this gap as they traditionally prior- genuine interest in improving community
itized their husbands’ and children’s health health are some qualities expected. SSP con-
neglecting their own. stantly works with these groups and helps
So SSP used its experiences of working them in identification of health problems and
with women groups during and post earth- on finding solutions to them. This process of
quakes in Maharashtra (1993) and Gujarat partnership leads to the emergence of a clear
(2001). This resulted in the formation of local vision for the AASHA. This group of women
health governance groups (HGGs) called Aro- undertakes village settlements mapping and
gya Sakhis for Health Awareness and Action household surveys to understand major health
(ASHAA) in 2005. These are women led problems, related expenditures and access to
groups that address their basic health needs health services. In the beginning they found
post-disaster. The focus on addressing the that people spent $100-120 per year on doctor
health gap aims at building more resilient fees, medicine and transportation to access
communities. Awareness on health, sanitation health services. This was in addition to wage
and basic services has reduced a critical vul- losses incurred. A strong preference to private
nerability of these affected populations to fu- clinics over government managed Primary
ture disasters. Moreover, these groups address Health Centers (PHCs) was reported due to
the gap by addressing two critical but comple- wrong perception of the quality of services
mentary processes: being poor, corrupt and being ill-equipped to
 Creating grassroots demand for better handle their health needs. This information
health services and sanitation and working was effectively used by leaders to organize
with government service providers to improve women to address the health needs of their
quality villages. Their key responsibilities included:
 Access to health and basic services and ac-
countability of service providers to communi-  Promotion of Herbal Medicines and Com-
ties. munity Health Fund:
As part of their overall illness prevention
The program began in August 2005 in 10 se- strategy, HGGs distribute traditional home-
lected villages of Cuddalore district. Initially made herbal medicines. They impart training
the ASHAA structure began with Health on preparation of herbal medicines and also
Guides (HGs) at the helms of affairs. Health on developing herbal gardens for minor ail-
guides are women who receive specialized ments. Additionally, to sustain the health

104 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

 04

EARTHQUAKE
The initiative has raised awareness on hazards and its health links

services and network of groups, HGGs have women.

created a common health fund for the commu- The initiative has been scaled up to the
nity with contribution from by every member status of an institution. In March 2008, the
on a monthly basis. This fund is used for var- Women’s Federation for Disaster Management
ious purposes such as supporting the health and Community Development (WFDMCD)
needs of the most vulnerable in the commu- was constituted with representation from
nity. AASHA groups. It is mandated to coordinate,
strengthen and standardize the HGG activities
To sustain the
 Linkage to Private Service Providers: across each district and to sustain and support health services
Beyond the well established relationship be- these groups. Further, to lessen their reliance and network of
tween HGG and PHCs, the federation of HGGs on SSP and outside funding, the Federation groups, HGGs
have created a partnership with a nearby pri- charges Rs. 10 to each member to meet admin- have created a
vate hospital for discounted medication and istrative cost and also to support various ini-
common health
minor surgeries. The federation also main- tiatives of HGG. After successful
fund for the
tains a health database of all doctors, hospi- implementation and overwhelming response,
tals, pharmacies and medical laboratories for this initiative has been extended to 11 more community with
use in organizing camps, health talks as well villages in Cuddalore and 20 villages in Naga- contribution from
as to refer and accompany patients to their pattinam district. By promoting community every member on
medical appointments. access to government-run healthcare facilities a monthly basis
and simultaneously collaborating with pri-
 Increased Awareness on Health and San- mary health centers to effectively deliver serv-
itation: HGG has brought a higher degree of ices to tsunami-hit communities, HGGs are on
awareness on health, seasonal illness, sanita- the one hand consumers of basic services and
tion and environmental health amongst at the same time, they are positioning them-

HEALING TOUCH 105

04
selves as collaborators, working with govern-  Community Trainers: SSP has facilitated
ment to improve its ability to reach the poor- women groups to address community health
est of the poor. The impacts of this initiative in their village after tsunami. SSP trained
are many. A few of them are listed below: community trainers who could become re-
source persons to provide training to other
 Stronger linkage with PHCs and increased communities on community health, water and
accountability to communities: HGGs have sanitation, government linkage and alternate
enabled PHC staff to reach their target popula- livelihoods. There are nearly 160 women
tion. HGGs have also made the PHCs more ac- trainers functioning in 41 villages of Cud-
countable. For example, household visits of dalore and Nagapattinam districts.
the village nurse have gone up ensuring Post-disaster, health of surviving commu-
timely treatment. Prior to the tsunami, com- nities often suffers and sanitation standards
munity level health camps were organised oc- fall, especially when residing in temporary
casionally. But now they are being done shelters. In case of a future disaster, women
regularly and also at the demand of the com- are more equipped to make collective de-
munity. mands to relief organizations, government
agencies and service providers to provide a
 Increased use of PHCs and decreased re- coordinated response to their communities
liance on private services: Prior to the forma- such that resources and aid are used most ef-
tion of HGGs, public health facilities were ficiently and effectively. Increased awareness
hardly utilized because of poor perception on the promotion of health, disease preven-
about the services. Private facilities were pre- tion and sanitation will undoubtedly help to
ferred leading to high health expenditures. reduce the risk posed by disasters to the
However, HGGs have made service delivery health of affected communities. Additionally,
reliable and accountable. This has resulted in when women actively facilitate health serv-
increased use of government facilities. HGG ices, such as health camps and distribute PHC
members claim that health expenditures have and herbal medicines, communities willingly
decreased by approximately 72 percent since come forward to access health care and treat-
their intervention. This drop in health expen- ment. Furthermore, stronger community links
ditures can be attributed to the improved ac- are critical for mobilization of people pre- and
cessibility to government health services. post- disaster. ■

106 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

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EARTHQUAKE
CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
In Gujarat government agencies and non-governmental
Organisations set up Technology Park to disseminate
information on the hazards of earthquake and cyclone and
ways to secure lives from them

PRACTICE: Public resource centre

disseminating hazard safe
construction features
Ahmedabad

IMPACT: Awareness about

Jamnagar earthquake safe construction has
increased

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

any earthquake and cyclone prone
areas

CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE 107

04

P
eople of Gujarat can never forget the people to access information on various types
devastating earthquake that hit the of disasters and information on seismic and
state in 2001, killing over 20,000 peo- cyclone safe construction. It is a place where
ple and injuring 1.7 lakh. One lesson from this various safe construction techniques and suit-
earthquake is that earthquake per se does not able building construction materials like
kill but the collapsing buildings do. This les- stone, concrete, blocks, bricks, cement stabi-
son needs to be instilled in the general psyche lized compressed soil blocks and rammed
of people. During the recovery process in earth can be seen. The Park has demonstration
Kutch, the worst affected by the earthquake of model on retrofication of existing houses to
2001, it became very clear that disaster mitiga- make them quake safe. The Park demonstrates
tion and preparedness should be an important the GSDMA guidelines for safe construction.
component of overall development process. The Technology Parks not only provide
The concept of Technology Park was intro- knowledge on safe construction but have gone
duced to make this possible. beyond that. They implement a proactive out-
The government’s owner-driven recon- reach programme to strengthen community
struction program has been largely successful. learning on disaster preparedness. These re-
There has been a great deal of learning about source centers distribute educational material
earthquake safe construction due to awareness such as booklets on various aspects of disaster
campaign taken up by the government and mitigation and preparedness, particularly on
various NGOs. However, community educa- construction technology. The Technology Park
tion is a slow process particularly in terms of have been developed as a local level resource
behavioral changes vis-à-vis construction of centre on disaster preparedness and support
earthquake safe houses. Setting up Technol- contingency planning and extend technical
ogy Park is an educational intervention. It is guidance to communities in drawing up disas-
designed in such a way that people can easily ter preparedness plans. They take up training
access knowledge and develop understanding of village volunteers and masons in earth-
Usually on earthquake safe construction without any quake resistant construction technology. The
trained masons dependence on an instructor. basic idea of doing this is to popularize this
encourage local The first technology park was set up in safety measures through them in villages and
people to either Bhachau by UNNATI Organisation for Devel- urban areas. Usually trained masons encour-
opment Education - a NGO, based in Gujarat age local people to either retrofit old houses
retrofit old
in collaboration with the Gujarat State Disas- with safety features or build in those features
houses with
ter Management Authority (GSDMA), in new houses. The two Technology Parks
safety features or Bhachau Area Development Authority and have been able to educate many people re-
build in those Bhachau Nagarpalika (local urban government garding disasters, remedial measures and safe
features in new body). Two technology parks were con- construction. Being open learning centres,
houses structed in Bhachau, one in rural area and the common people visit them at any time and
other in urban area. The first technology park learn through observation. On the other hand
was completed for urban areas in 2004. Based exposure visits for students, women groups,
on the learning of this one, the second was school teachers, youth groups, Panchayat rep-
modified and built in 2006. Local governing resentatives and building artisans are organ-
institutions own and manage these two parks. ized to disseminate knowledge on earthquake
Technology Park is a resource centre for the and cyclone safety measures. ■

108 TURNING THE TIDE: EARTHQUAKE

In India, till late nineties, disaster management
was confined to the traditional perception of
‘calamity relief’. In the last one decade, there
has been a paradigm shift in the approach to
disaster management covering all aspects of re-
lief, recovery, rehabilitation, preparedness, mit-
igation and integrating all actions with disaster
risk reduction and development. The present
emphasis is on proactive planning for multi haz-
ard mitigation and reducing risks to build on
community capacities and thus build disaster re-
05
silient communities. The legislations and policy

INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

development, institutional arrangements,
techno–legal frameworks, funding mechanism
and specific schemes addressing and main-
streaming disaster risk reduction into develop-
ment processes are some of the initiatives in this
direction. There is also a growing realization of
community focused and community owned
processes and integrating with the efforts of all
stakeholders at all levels.

 2009: National Policy on Disaster

Management
 2005: National Disaster Management
Act
 National Disaster Framework. The
areas for implementation and agen-
cies to be involved at National, State
and District level are identified and
listed in the framework/roadmap.
 Government of India decided to
channel 10 % of all development
spending into risk reduction meas-
ures.
 Setting up of Disaster Management
Authorities at National, State and
District levels under the National Dis-
aster Management Act .
 Restructuring of Relief and Rehabili-
tation Departments to Department
of Disaster Management.
 The relief codes are being revised
and upgraded to Disaster Manage-
ment Codes.
 Review of the building bye-laws and
codes.
 Incorporation of disaster manage-
ment as a chapter in school and col-
lege curriculum.
 Government in association with
UNDP, initiated a community based
disaster risk reduction programme in
17 multi-hazard prone states of India
05
The integrated hazard management section focuses on
some of the strategic and programmatic interventions of
the local community based organisations that cover multi
hazard risks and have been integrated with other develop-
mental initiatives.
‘A forest reborn’ tells the story of small marginal farmers
and landless people of Khoshkadampur Birbhum district of
West Bengal who came together to create a ‘food forest’.
The food forest not only ensured food security throughout
the year but also recreated a forest on the government land
and thus stabilised the natural eco system.The technical
guidance for developing the food forest and the liasioning
work with different stakeholders was provided by a local
NGO – Development Research Communication and Services
Centre (DRCSC). This intervention of DRCSC enabled the
poor landless people to come together and collectively ne-
gotiate with the different government and non govern-
ment stakeholders, generated awareness among the
villagers on conservation of different extinct and near ex-
tinct species of flora and fauna, stabilising the natural
ecosystem, social and ecological utilities of trees available
in local areas and the products developed from them
The case study titled ‘Insure and Assure’ is another in-
spiring story about the integrated hazard management ini-
tiative for meeting the long term financial needs of the
fishing communities in Vishakapatnam district of Andhra
Pradesh. DFYWA (District Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Asso-
ciation) promoted micro insurance and integrated the micro
– insurance schemes with other development efforts of gov-
ernment and non government stakeholders in the region.
This helped in augmenting the losses of fishermen commu-
nities due to repeated disasters like cyclonic storm, sea
surge, etc.
‘Farm on hazards’ is a model of integrated farming sys-
tem promoted by DRCSC. It involves agriculture, animal hus-
bandry, fisheries, etc among farming and fishermen
communities in West Bengal. It builds on the resilience with
in the communities by ensuring alternative livelihoods and
hence food security at the times of floods, cyclones, sea ag-
gression and other hazards.
The case study – ‘Fair Weather’ narrates the initiative of
Sajjata Sangh (a network of NGOs) to popularise the con-

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

cept of insurance cover against weather uncertainties.
Sajjata Sangh played a key role in coordinating with the in-
surance companies and in development of products and
services to meet the specific requirements of the vulnerable
groups. They also extended their support in enhancing the
capacities of the farmers through awareness generation,
provided timely and essential information on different
products and addressed the queries of the farmers.
In West Bengal, a massive community based plantation
drive has been initiated to address the fodder and fuel need
in Kashiara village of Birbhum district. Tree planting has
been promoted in a participatory approach by the local
NGO – DRCSC and was named ‘common property resource’.
The case study ‘For a greater common good’ narrates the
successful experiences of Kashiara village, where marginal
and landless families took up the plantation on a four kilo-
meter stretch. The success of Kashiara village has encour-
aged several other villages in the district to initiate the
plantation work on the unused fallow land of government.
This common property resource has led to plantation on 65
kms of land. ■

INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT 111

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A FOREST REBORN
Small and marginal farmers and landless peo-
ple come together to recreate a forest that en-
sures food security during and post-disaster in
West Bengal’s Birbhum district

PRACTICE: Forest creation to

augment local food security

IMPACT: Food security has increased

Birbhum and vulnerability to hazard has
reduced
Kolkata
REPLICATION: Can be replicated
anywhere

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

F
orest is the most dependable common tance.
pool resource for India’s poor and land- Meanwhile, DRCSC shared the concept of
less people. Forest is critically linked food forest with the Panchayat and convinced
to local food security as well. In hazard prone them to let the farmers’ group to cultivate a
areas, poor and landless people often rely patch of fallow land bordering the water body.
upon forests during disaster for survival. It is DRCSC facilitated all the formalities for re-
in this context that Development Research lease of government land on lease. Panchayat
Communication and Services Centre and the farmers group agreed that the produce
(DRCSC), a non-governmental development would be shared in 25:75 ratios between both
organization working on local food and liveli- of them. In a way, this agreement was a step
hood security, found the clue to reduce or forward to assert the rights of landless people
even eliminate food insecurity. It emulated over the land.
the natural forest eco-system in drought prone
areas by creating a model food forest. PEOPLE’S BUDGET
The concept of food forest was first intro- Once this arrangement was reached, the group
duced in Khoskadampur village of West Ben- embarked on an extensive data collection
gal’s Birbhum district in 2004. The food forest from the village. Using PRA tools, data was
has been evolved for the most vulnerable peo- collected on crop pattern, food and fruit trees
ple in the village such as landless laborers, existing in each household, different multi-
share croppers, marginal farmers and artisans. purpose tree suitable for local climate, collec-
They own and maintain the food forest. tive food available, economic status of farmers
To begin with, landless and unemployed and their capital base. Based on the available
villagers collectively negotiate with the local information, the village’s base, resource, so-
administration (Panchayat) or the government cial and food security maps were developed.
departments concerned to take common prop- The farmer group also prepared a chart of
erties like vested lands, fallow lands and de- available spare time with women residents so
graded grass lands on short term lease. In this that some income generation activities could
land they plant different types of drought-tol- be designed for them to enhance their income.
erant and local eco-system specific plants. In order to make the food forest truly so-
Mostly they are encouraged to plant a judi- cial, DRCSC explained to the villagers on the
cious combination of various multi-purpose social and ecological utilities of trees available
trees, shrubs, creepers/climbers and grass that in local areas and that would be planted in the
provide food, fuel and fodder. It is like recre- food forest. Then they were motivated to se-
ating a local forest. lect and plant the extinct or near-extinct
To mobilise the village for this task, species of trees and strategic crops on the land
DRCSC held series of discussions with vil- leased from the Panchayat. Trees were se-
lagers. In every hamlet DRCSC held at least lected for plantation by the group in accor-
four meetings to convince all the 500 house- dance with their needs. The group selected 43
holds of Khoshkadampur about the benefits of species of trees for plantation in the food for-
a food forest. Later, using the participatory est.
rural appraisal (PRA) techniques, villagers The members of the farmer group con-
identified the poorest families and nominated tributed labour for plantation, watering and
them as beneficiaries. At the end 40 families, protecting the forest. Here was the challenge:
the village’s most vulnerable formed the how to retain the interest of members as the
Khoskadampur Sarbamangal Chashi Dal. To food forest would take time to yield returns?
ensure transparency in the whole process of Within a few months, the number of members
beneficiary selection, presence of local au- came down from 40 to 30. After a few months
thority and other villagers was given impor- there were further drop-outs and the number

A FOREST REBORN 113

05

Fruits of labour, local economy has got a burst

settled at 19. In order to tide over the crisis, harvest of duck egg is sold in market. Part of
they appealed to the Panchayat for handing the fish catch is distributed among the mem-
over the water body to them on lease. The bers and the villagers beyond the group; and
Panchayat agreed. DRCSC sanctioned a small part of it is sold in the market. Part of the pe-
Part of the loan for re-excavation of the shallow water riodical harvest is used for helping people
periodical body and for taking up fisheries. Initially the during difficult situations like a marriage in
members contributed bamboo poles and hay the family. From the profit, the farmers group
harvest is used
for the construction of a temporary shelter. has purchased few fixed assets like pump,
for helping
This was used by the members who guarded fishing nets and utensils.
people during the food forest. Of late villagers using govern-
situations like a ment schemes have started duck rearing near DIVIDENDS
marriage in the the renovated pond. A part of the shelter The economic impact of the food forest can be
family house is being used to house the ducks. All viewed from three aspects. First, the earning
the interventions were not introduced simul- from selling the surplus produces from the
taneously. Rather they have been strategically food forest has raised the overall income of
introduced one after the other. the poor households. They are no more de-
Benefits have started trickling in from the pendent on the moneylender for small loans
food forest. Trees have just started bearing and can meet their daily needs with their own
fruits. Harvests comprise of vegetables, fruits, resources. The second economic impact is
pulses, oilseeds and fish from the pond. These that the food forest is a dependable group
are shared equally among the members. This asset that can be used by all, to tide over post-
serves as a great support for the members es- hazard food insecurity. The third aspect is the
pecially during and after natural calamities saving on expenses for buying fire wood. Agri-
when no other food is available. The entire cultural wastes are used as fuel and fodder

114 TURNING THE TIDE: INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

thus saving the money used for purchase of nial varieties emulated the possibility of a nat-
fire wood. The environmental impact of the ural forest model. On the other hand the so-
intervention is the reduction of excessive cial impact is the community based collective
pressure on forest land and forest produces. action to reduce risks of disaster. The farmers
This has helped in conservation of the local group is in a position to help other poor fam-
bio-diversity. Recreating a forest was practi- ilies of the village. It has also succeeded in
cally impossible; but mixed planting of peren- stopping distress migration. ■

A FOREST REBORN 115

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FOR A GREATER COMMON GOOD

A local non governmental organisation mobilises landless communi-
ties to create common fuel and fodder resource pool on fallow and
degraded lands

PRACTICE: Afforestation on fallow

and degraded land addresses food
and fuel needs; restricts soil erosion

Birbhum IMPACT: Asset created for the land-

less communities; 50 farmers groups
have taken up plantation in 65 kms
Kolkata of land in Birbhum and Nadia district

REPLICATION: High potential for

replication at any place

116 TURNING THE TIDE: INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

I
n times of natural calamities like drought planted along with the seedlings of big trees,
and flood, shortage of fodder and fuel so that it yields some food crop as well as fuel.
wood becomes acute. The Development In the initial years, each family got around 20-
Research Communication and Services Cen- 30 kilograms of pulses. Enforcing a social bar-
tre (DRCSC) initiated a massive community- rier on open grazing resulted in sufficient
based plantation drive in 1998 to fix the amount of grass. Fodder grasses were har-
problem of fodder and fuel in drought prone vested paying Rs. 500 kg/family/year initially
Kashiara village in Birbhum district. Its efforts and about 600 kg/family/year from third year
focused on basic energy need through generat- onwards. It saved them from selling their cat-
ing a mixed forest of perennial varieties. Most tle during these times. Firewood yield is also
of the families depended on the forest for increasing every year now. As a result of this
meeting their fuel need. But with the shrink- women and children spend less time search-
ing of forest cover, they faced an acute fuel cri- ing for fodder and fire wood.
sis. The group and the Panchayat entered into
A comprehensive plan was evolved to a long-term agreement on the use of the ma-
make tree planting socially motivating and tured trees. When the trees reach harvest
truly participatory. Discussions were held level, the group and the village council share
with all the household members of the village the timber revenue in 75:25 ratio. The group’s
to assess their needs of firewood, fodder and share would be equally shared among the
construction material in a meeting. The vil- members. However, there would be compen-
lagers liked the concept of common property satory afforestation in place of the trees felled.
resource. Following the village meeting, a This common property resource model
group called Darbesh was formed with repre- has contributed positively in different areas
sentation from 15 landless and marginalized like addressing food and fuel need, generating
families of the village. Members took up plan- forests and restricting soil erosion to a large
tation on a four kilometers stretch on both extent. This has become so popular that simi-
sides of the nearby Mayurakshi irrigation lar models can be seen at a number of places
canal and also took up plantation of multi- in Birbhum and Nadia districts. Seeing the
purpose trees for supply of fruit, fodder and success of Kashiara village, villagers are ap-
fire wood on fallow lands. proaching DRCSC for taking up similar plan-
DRCSC assisted the groups to draw up a tation in their villages. Even the local
20-year lease agreement with the local Pan- Panchayats have taken up similar activities in
chayat. To retain the interest of the landless many villages on their own. More than 50
people, quick return strategies were designed such groups with about 1100 members have
in the early period. For example, some interim taken up plantation in around 65 kms stretch
crops like Arhar (pigeon pea) were also of land in Birbhum district. ■

FOR A GREATER COMMON GOOD 117

05

INSURE AND ASSURE

Micro-insurance creates the right condition for fishing
community of coastal area to cope with hazards
effectively

PRACTICE: Convergence of micro-

Vishakhapatnam
insurance and development
programmes
Hyderabad
IMPACT: Vulnerability to hazard has
reduced

REPLICATION: Can be replicated in

any hazard prone areas

118 TURNING THE TIDE: INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

F
or fishing communities across the In- DFYWA thought were suitable in addressing
dian coast, hazard is an unavoidable the vulnerabilities of the fishing community.
companion. These communities need a Another advantage was that government had
proactive hazard management regime that pre- subsidised the premiums for some of these
pare and insure them from hazard impacts. A schemes.
grassroots organisation comprising mostly of DFYWA began by promoting a community
members from the fishing community in based organisation (CBO) called the Tradi-
Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, tional Fishworkers’ Welfare Society in 2007.
the District Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Asso- Following this, they began an awareness cam-
ciation (DFYWA) has initiated such a regime paign among the community members to ex-
change in local hazard mitigation. The plain the concept of insurance and the
DFYWA has been working with the fishing benefits that it offered. Representatives of the
community in Visakhapatnam district for sev- insurance companies made presentations to
eral years in livelihood related areas. the community members and fielded their
The fishing community has been facing queries in interactive sessions held as part of
multiple and increasing incidence of hazards the campaign. The DFYWA members also
in recent years. Falling fish catch, the threat convinced the district collector of the signifi-
of rising sea due to global warming, the in- cance of micro- insurance schemes in vulner-
creasing severity of cyclone and also the ability reduction for the fishing community.
change in local market situation are the most As a result of this he issued a circular direct-
challenging hazards the community faces. As ing all block level officers to promote micro-
their homes are located very close to the sea, insurance schemes along with other
flooding during high tide, strong winds and development initiatives. The fact that a num-
cyclones pose constant threat to their lives ber of staff members of DFYWA were from the
and assets. The chronic cash crunch has fishing community itself helped enormously
driven the fisher folks to a debt trap with the in mobilising community members and in
The fact that a
local money lenders exploiting them with convincing them of the genuineness of the in-
number of staff
atrociously high interest rate on loans. Their surance schemes. Four insurance schemes
vulnerability and problems are further com- were offered to the community to chose from. members of
pounded by high levels of alcoholism among The payment for the first premium was made DFYWA were
community members. by Oxfam – America on behalf of the commu- from the fishing
In the course of its work, DFYWA recog- nity members as a loan repayable to the CBO. community itself
nised that a long-term financial solution that From its experiences in the operation of helped
helps the community not only to cope with the insurance scheme, DFYWA has identified
enormously in
post disaster losses but also help them aug- a need for a comprehensive insurance scheme
ment their coping capacity was the most effec- - that covers all the members of a family and
mobilising
tive tool to fight the impact of hazards. So they that combines the benefits of the insurance community
decided to integrate the micro-insurance schemes already available along with an op- members
schemes with their ongoing development ef- tion for the provision of a pension. This need
forts for the fishing community. DFYWA they feel is particularly acute in the fishing
chose to work with the public sector insur- profession, given the tough conditions of
ance companies like the United India Insur- work, which results in fishermen leaving their
ance Company Limited and Oriental India occupation by the time they attain the age of
Insurance Company Limited. These compa- forty five. ■
nies already offered a range of schemes that

INSURE AND ASSURE 119

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FARM ON HAZARDS
Integrated farming reduces small farmers’
vulnerability to hazards and also makes farming
a profitable occupation

PRACTICE: Integrated farming that im-

proves upon traditional mixed crop
farming

IMPACT: Food security has increased

and vulnerability to hazard has
reduced
Kolkata
REPLICATION: Can be replicated every-
where
South 24 Parganas

120 TURNING THE TIDE: INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

S
ukhumal Mandal is no more worried neem, subabul and bamboo. Some perennial
about crop failure. A small farmer of trees surrounding his homestead garden were
Biswanathpur village in South 24 Par- also planted. He cultivates different vegeta-
ganas district of West Bengal proudly calls bles throughout the year using mixed crop-
himself a successful integrated farmer. He ping of various combinations and never runs
owes his success to DRCSC that introduced short of food. He is able to feed his family
him to integrated farming to reduce hazard with a balanced diet and is able to consume
vulnerability. His village is situated in the fresh vegetables plucked from his garden. The
Sunderbans Delta and the soil is saline. Dur- practice of integrated farming has given his
ing one of the training camps held in the vil- family food and economic security. He is not
lage school in 2005 by DRCSC, he learnt about dependent on external inputs or market any-
the new concept of integrated farming system. more. Further, he makes profits now. Cur-
Later he underwent training on the different rently he propagates integrated farming in
components of integrated farming. Initially other villages. Seeing his success, many of the
there was reluctance to do land shaping as he farmers have shifted to integrated farming. In
had apprehensions about the well being of his Pathar Pratima, there are 31 integrated farm-
small land. Finally in 2007, he started the ers and a total of 200 under DRCSC imple-
land shaping activities. mentation area.
A small pond was dug at one corner of his The farming communities of Pathar Pra-
land and the soil obtained was utilized to tima and Diamond Harbour of 24 Parganas (S)
raise the level of his trial plot. A trench was district and of Kanthi of Purba Medinipur dis-
also made along the inner boundary of his plot trict of West Bengal have adopted integrated
to ensure year round irrigation. The outer bor- farming system as a risk reduction measure in
der of the farm was used to plant trees like face of floods and sea ingression. This system

A wall of protection, farming is reassuring now

FARM ON HAZARDS 121

05

Local ecology is back to

life, so is happiness

of farming promotes an all-round develop-

ment of agriculture, animal husbandry, fish-
eries and other local occupation and reduces
hazard risks substantially.

CONTEMPORARY REMAKE
Mixed cropping has been a traditional prac-
tice of our country; countryside people pur-
sued it to reduce farming risks and to achieve
Integrated food and livelihood security. Integrated farm- of a system. A stable system has:
farming is based ing is an improved version of this mixed crop- i. Maximum resilience capacity
ping where not only crops but varied types of ii. Optimum productivity with maximum
on the concept of
plants, animal, fish and other aquatic flora input use efficiency
forest
and fauna including insects, mollusks and iii. Higher sustainability
ecosystem. It worms are grown and utilized for production.
promotes an all These are combined in such a way and pro- The problem in Sunderbans delta, to which
round portion that each element helps the other and the districts belong, is that the low lying lands
development of the waste of one is recycled as resource for the remain water logged for at least six-seven
agriculture, other. This increases the overall production months in a year. In the absence of any escape
both in terms of quantity and quality. As inte- route for the accumulated rain water, farmers
animal
grated farming is based on the concept of for- try to cultivate these low lands just before the
husbandry, est ecosystem, where all species of plants onset of rains. Usually crops fail due to water
fisheries and grow together, the farm design and crop selec- logging. In order to address this problem, the
other local tion is done judiciously. The models devel- farmers are motivated to change the shape of
occupation and oped are based on the first principle of the land so that a pond is excavated within
reduces hazard ecology that all the components of nature, bi- the farm. The excavated soil is used to widen
otic and abiotic are interrelated. It is an estab- the bunds and raise a part of the farm to make
risk substantially
lished principle in ecology, that stability of a it suitable for growing vegetables throughout
system is enhanced by establishing connec- the year and rest of the field is left intact to
tions among different components and biotics grow rice. Moreover, farmers are strongly ori-

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

ented on economic, social and nutritional ent for growth of the plant. In fact, this is the
benefits of integrated farming. They are ex- basis of integration of agricultural or horticul-
tended technical support in taking necessary tural crop on the pond dyke. Further, vegeta-
measures for soil conservation, rain water har- bles are also grown on the dykes and adjacent
vesting and also in preventing water runoff agricultural land as they feed on to the aquatic
and soil erosion. The farmer is advised to plants. Nitrogen fixing trees are planted for
grow native varieties of rice with 2 saplings enriching the soil and also for supplying food,
planted at an interval of 9” instead of the pres- fodder and fuel. Mulching is mostly followed
ent practice of planting 5 saplings at an inter- in the integrated farming system as it stops
val of 6”. This results in considerable soil erosion, stops weeds growth and works as
reduction in requirement of seed & inorganic an organic matter and protects the micro-or-
fertilizer, less pest infestation, almost same or ganisms from direct exposure to sunlight.
increased yield and qualitative amelioration.
The most interesting aspect of this practice  Integration on the water: Under this sys-
is that every portion of the land is used for tem of integration, livestock rearing takes
cultivation. For example, in one farm, about place on top of the pond or at the edges where
50 percent of the land is devoted for agricul- the wastes can flow directly into the pond.
ture, 20 percent to fish culture, 15 percent to Poultry is raised on the side of the pond, as
rearing of cattle and poultry and rest 15 per- their wastes work as organic manure for the
cent to cultivation of fodder. General farming field. The organic wastes generated from the
practices and fish cultivation being amenable farms, cowshed, household and other sub-sys-
for integration, the low land is used for grow- tems within the farm are reused and recycled.
ing short-term paddy. In the rest of the land, Ducks paddle through the entire area that aer-
vegetables are grown that give them good in- ates the rice field, thereby controlling the
come throughout the year. Below are few ex- growth of weeds. Azolla (a free floating ac-
amples of integrated farming: quatic fern) is also grown, as it is a very good
bio – fertilizer, green manure and an excellent
 Paddy-cum-carp culture: In order to facil- feed for duck and fish. It also supplements ni-
itate fish culture in paddy fields, farmers trogen to rice crop by fixing atmospheric ni-
make water conservation structures that also trogen in the soil for crop growth, crop
help paddy growth. These structures are basi- production and to maintain soil fertility. The
cally trench, pond or ditch type depending on purpose of this model is to increase diversity
the topography of the land. Traditional fish through a farming system that integrates at
varieties are reared in these structures. Gener- least five-six types of crops, 10-12 types of
ally fish culture in paddy fields is undertaken vegetables, trees yielding food, fuel and fod-
as second crop after the single annual crop of der, medicinal plants, two-three types of ani-
paddy or as an intermediate crop between the mal-bird-insect-fish with the help of an
paddy harvest and the next transplantation or innovative land shaping. Mostly suited to
as concurrent crop with paddy. small farmers in islands and low lying tropi-
cal regions, it has proved to be more self-re-
 Trenches also act as irrigation channels to liant and prosperous in the production of
the paddy field: Fencing along the trench and food. The model demonstrates how farm oper-
water bodies is used for planting vegetable ations can provide multiple benefits to stake-
creepers. Irrigating terrestrial crop with pond holders and the system developed can
water is better than any running water since withstand all disasters. ■
impound water is more fertile and add nutri-

FARM ON HAZARDS 123

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FAIR WEATHER
Weather insurance can play an impor-
tant role in hazard reduction given that
India is primarily a rainfed agrarian
economy

PRACTICE: Rainfall insurance scheme

for farmers
Ahmedabad
IMPACT: Has reduced vulnerability to
hazards like drought and fluctuating
Jamnagar
rainfall

REPLICATION: Can be replicated any-

where

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INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

I
n a predominantly rainfed agriculture, partners who carry out the promotional cam-
weather or rainfall insurance can substan- paign for the policy in their operational areas.
tially reduce the risks of farmers from haz- Members of the Sajjata Sangh are responsi-
ards like drought and flood. Sajjata Sangh, a ble for promotional strategy planning, promot-
network of 28 NGOs in Gujarat, introduced ing and popularizing the scheme, undertaking
the rainfall insurance in the state in 2006. Saj- the required paperwork for application and
jata Sangh conducted a study in 2006 on prob- premium collection from the farmers in their
able ways to provide some insurance to operational areas. Also, from time to time they
farmers against crop losses because of weather provide consultation to the farmers regarding
uncertainties. Rainfall insurance emerged as the rainfall insurance policy. Sajjata Sangh’s
the most viable and needed option. The aim role in this programme is to coordinate with
of promoting rainfall insurance was to en- Agriculture Insurance Company (AIC) for
hance the capacity and resilience of the farm- product development, chalk out the promo-
ers, especially of small and marginal farmers, tional measures in consultation with the part-
to cope with the externalities by insuring ner organizations and provide inputs in their
against the deviation in the time and amount implementation and share the experiences in
of rainfall required for a particular crop. workshops with farmers and network part-
ners.
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE: Promotional activities differ from area to
 To make farmers, particularly small and area based on the strategy planned by the net-
marginal farmers aware about the concept and work partner in their respective areas. Meet-
benefits of Rainfall Insurance. ings at the block level and village level are
held to explain the policy to the farmer and
 To raise confidence of farmers on Rainfall clear his/her doubts regarding the same. A
Insurance as an effective cover to help miti- documentary film has been developed by Saj-
gate their perceived risks of crop loss due to jata Sangh addressing the major questions of
rainfall deficiency. the farmers regarding rainfall insurance which
has been very effective. And before June 20
 To dialogue with Government to launch every year the premium collection is done by
extensive promotional campaigns to popular- the network partners. After the crop period
ize the concept and benefit to the farmers. based on the rainfall data collected by agricul- The programme
ture insurance company the payoffs are calcu- has faced major
WEATHER REPORT lated and the checks are distributed to the challenges since
Under the initiative various weather insur- farmers. its inception.
ance product designs for different locations Saurashtra Volunteer Action (SAVA), a
One such chal-
were circulated among the members of the Jamnagar-based organization and a member of
Sajjata Sangh, implemented the rainfall insur-
lenge is delay in
Sajjata Sangh. They in turn discussed the
product designs with farmers in their working ance scheme in its pilot phase in 10 villages of the product
areas. Based on the feedback from the field, Kalyampur and Khambhaliya blocks in 2006 development
Sajjata Sangh along with technical experts and in 24 villages of Kalayanpur, Jamjodhpur
hired by them developed specific products for and Khambhaliya blocks of Jamnagar district
different areas. Then this product design is in 2007. In 2008, the scheme was extended to
forwarded to the agriculture insurance com- Amreli district. Development Support Centre
pany’s office in Delhi. Here the insurance (DSC), another member of the network, pro-
company modifies the same based on their moted the scheme in Amreli district. Other
rainfall database and comes up with the final partner organizations - Siksha ane Samaj
product. The final product is sent to the Saj- Kalyan Kendra (SSK) and Utthan – also initi-
jata Sangh and is circulated to the network ated the scheme in other blocks of the district

FAIR WEATHER 125

05
(See Table for coverage of the insurance this challenge was overcome. The AIC agreed
scheme and Graph for farmers covered along to consider the data of rain gauge stations of
with land covered). other government departments in the area.
Other major issue is of higher premium
ROUGH WEATHER rates of the product. This restricts the small
The programme has faced major challenges and marginal farmers from taking this policy.
since its inception. One such challenge is The premium rates for crop specific and area
delay in the product development. For exam- specific products differ quite a lot. For exam-
ple, the final policy product for groundnut ple in Mangrol block of Junagadh district the
came in the end of April 2008 and for cotton premium rate for groundnut was 7.64 percent
in mid-May. Due to this very less time was while the same in Khambalia block of Jamna-
available for popularizing the insurance gar district was 28.46 percent. It becomes dif-
scheme and this brought down the total num- ficult to promote policy at such high premium
ber of farmers covered by insurance. rates. Farmers ask for subsidy in the premi-
Another challenge is the dependence of ums. Providing subsidy, on the other hand,
the agriculture insurance company on Indian depends on the capacity of the network part-
Meteorological Department (IMD) stations for ner organisation. Many partner organizations
rainfall data. There are 16 IMD stations in Gu- have finally provided subsidies in premiums.
jarat. In many cases the distance of the fields Another challenge is to come up with the
was about 100 Km from the nearest IMD sta- right approach for implementation of this pro-
tion that definitely did not indicate the right gramme. Some people think that this should
rainfall data. The area where IMD station is lo- be taken as a commercial product and mar-
cated might have received good rainfall but keted properly so as to increase the number of
the fields far away might not have. However, policy holders. Some say that consideration
later on with constant discussions with AIC for local capacity to pay premium must take

Coverage of the Rainfall Insurance Scheme (2009)

Taluka (District) Federation/ Facilitating Partner Crops
Producer Company Organisations

Dhari (Amreli) Dhari Krushak Producer Development Support Centre Cotton & Groundnut
Company Private Limited (DSC)

Khamba (Amreli) Avirat Agro Producer Company Siksha ane Samaj Kalyan Cotton & Groundnut
Private Limited Kendra (SSKK)

Rajula (Amreli) Mahila Vikas Sangh UTTHAN Cotton & Groundnut

Sayla & Chotila Panchal Gram Vikas Sangh Aga Khan Rural Support Cotton
(Surendranagar) Programme

Maliya & Mangrol (Junagadh) Panchal Gram Vikas Sangh Aga Khan Rural Support Groundnut
Programme

Kodinar Balram Kishan Juth Ambuja Cement Foundation Groundnut

(ACF)

Jhalod & Fatepura (Dahod) SHG Federations, Watershed Prakriti Foundation Maize
Associations

Talaja & Ghogha (Bhavnagar) SHG Federation UTTHAN Cotton &Groundnut

Dediapada & Sagbara SHGs Aga Khan Rural Support Cotton

(Narmada) Programme

Jamsbusar, Amod & Vagara Farmer federations VIKAS Centre for Development Cotton
(Bharuch)

126 TURNING THE TIDE: INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

 05

INTEGRATED HAZARD MANAGEMENT

Policy Holder Farmers by Organisation (2009) 1747.83

1377

1062.33

741

No. of farmers
257 Total acres of land
208
139 109.5
85 103 62 73 85 85 48 49
9 9
DSC SSKK UTTHAN AKRSP VIKAS ACF Prakriti SAVA TOTAL
Foundation

precedence and subsidy should be given. capable of providing subsidy to the farmers
Despite subsidies, the small and marginal and those who are providing it can not con-
farmers cannot afford to pay the premium. tinue for ever. Hence, Government’s initiative
The reason being that premium is to be paid is needed.
when he has to pay for the inputs for the crop Risks, other than uncertainty in rainfall,
and hence even if it is reduced, for a farmer should also be considered and capacity build-
with 2-3 acres of land it is unaffordable. ing of farmers needs to be done to fight them.
Rainfall insurance scheme will be benefi- The product development is a dynamic
cial for the farmers of Gujarat if this pro- process which has been constantly changing
gramme is up scaled. For this the government based on the previous years experience. And
needs to step in and take some initiative. Also, the total number of policy holder farmers in
in case of high premiums all the NGOs are not 2009 was 1377. ■

FAIR WEATHER 127

 ABBREVIATIONS
AFPRO Action for Food Production MP Member of Parliament

AIC Agriculture Insurance Company MSS Mahan Seva Sansthan

ARTC Area Resource Training Centre MVSDP Model Villages in the Sunderbans Delta
Programme
ASM Arthik Samata Mandal
NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
ASHAA Arogya Sakhis for Health Awareness
Development
and Action
NDMA National Disaster Management Authority
BAY Barmer Aashray Yojana
NEICORD North East India Committee on Relief
CBO Community Based Organisation
and Development
CBSE Central Board of Secondary Education
NGO Non- Governmental Organisation
CHV Community Health Volunteer
NREGA National Rural Employment Guarantee
DFYWA District Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Act
Association
NSS Narayanpur Shishu Samity
DMP Drought Mitigation Programme
PHC Primary Health Centers
DPF Development Professional Forum
PIL Public Interest Litigation
DPP Drought Proofing Programme
PRA Participatory Rural Appraisal
DRCSC Development Research Communication
PSI Peoples Science Institute
and Services Centre
RVC Rural Volunteers Centre
DRDA District Rural Development Agency
SAS Social Analysis System
DSC Development Support Centre
SARDS Social Activities for Rural Development
EFICOR Evangelical Fellowship of India
Society
Commission on Relief
SDPS Sishu Duryug Pratirodh Samiti
GSDMA Gujarat State Disaster Management
Authority SEEDS Sustainable Environment and Ecological
Development Society
GSSS Gramya Swasthya Sewa Samiti
SHG Self Help Group
HDI Human Development Index
SSP Swayam Shikshan Prayog
HG Health Guides
TBS Tarun Bharat Sangh
IMD Indian Meteorological Department
VDC Village Development Committee
KNNA Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan
WFDMCD Women’s Federation for Disaster
LCS Lahadda Chetana Sangha
Management and Community
LIS Lift Irrigation System Development

MLA Members of the Legislative Assembly WFI Wells For India

128 TURNING THE TIDE: ABBREVIATIONS

 INDEX
INDEX
1 STEPS OUT OF DROUGHT
Step Pond is an innovative strategy adopted to mitigate the impacts of drought in drought prone villages
of Purulia district in West Bengal.
Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)
58A, Dharmotola Road, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata - 700042, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91 - 33 - 2442 7311, 2441 1646
Fax: +91-33 - 2442 7563
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Website: www.drcsc.org

2 BANKING FOOD SECURITY

Villages in drought prone areas of West Bengal establish grain banks and ensure food availability during
distress.
Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)
58A, Dharmotola Road, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata - 700042, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91- 33- 2442 7311, 2441 1646
Fax: +91-33 - 2442 7563
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]
Website: www.drcsc.org

3 AN ARID FAIRY TALE

Communities in desert state of Rajasthan follow their local wisdom and traditional water harvesting
technique. Johads construction helped harvest rainwater and mitigate water scarcity.
Tarun Bharat Sangh
Tarun Ashram, Bheekampura- Kishori Thanagazi, Alwar- 22, Rajasthan, India
Tel. : +91 - 1465 -225043
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.tarunbharatsangh.org

4 A MAGICAL TWIST
Drought proofing techniques succeeds in water and soil conservation and, leading to more vegetative
cover. Fodder banks are the means of fodder security in drought affected areas of Kutch district in Gu-
jarat.
Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan (KNNA)
Dr. Rajaram Campus, Nr. St. Xavier's School, Bhuj, Kutch-370001, Gujarat, India
Tele fax : +91 – 2832- 221379/82
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.kutchabhiyan.org

5 THOUGHT FOR FODDER

Revival of common pastureland ensures fodder security in Rajasthan.
Action for Food Production (AFPRO)
25/1A, Institutional Area, Pankha Road, D Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi - 110058, India
Tel : +91- 11 - 2852 5412/5452
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.afpro.org

6 A TURN AROUND
Soil water conservation techniques helps conserve water and recharge ground water. Forest generated
on the barren patches.

INDEX 129
 Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)
58A, Dharmotola Road, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata 700042, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91- 33- 2442 7311, 2441 1646
Fax: +91-33 - 2442 7563
Email: [email protected] , [email protected]
Website : www.drcsc.org

7 A RIGHT TIDE
Salt farm workers realize the essence of collective strength and takes up advocacy with government. Com-
munity advocacy proved as an effective tool to reduce the vulnerabilities of the communities to hazards.
Social Activities for Rural Development Society (SARDS)
Jana Chaitanya Nilayam, Kondepi Road, Tangutur-523274, Prakasam District,
Andhra Pradesh, India
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.sards.org

8 NEW HOUSE ORDER

Cyclone resistant houses built using vernacular architecture and traditional housing materials, withstands
the powerful cyclone Aila and the storm surge. The poorest of the poor communities in Sunderbans Delta
of West Bengal are ensured of a safe shelter.
GOAL India (Field Office)
39, Hindustan Park, Kolkata – 700 029, West Bengal, India
Tel/fax. : +91 - 33 - 2465 5553/ 2
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.goal.ie

9 COURSE CORRECTION
Community institutions takes up advocacy with government for fund allocation and long term mitiga-
tion plans against the changing river course of Ghagra river in Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh.
Panchsheel Development Trust
183 Hanuman Colony, Sufipura, Bahraich – 271801, Uttar Pradesh, India
Tel : +91 – 05252- 235971
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.panchsheel.org

10 A NEW SOCIAL ORDER

Barmer Aashray Yojana provides a safe and multi-hazard resistant dwelling unit, to the marginalized
and socially excluded families, hit by unprecedented floods in the desert state of Rajasthan.
SEEDS India
DMA Cultural Centre, Plot No.15A, 1st Floor, Institutional Area, Sector 4, R.K.Puram,
New Delhi – 110 022, India
Tele Fax: +91 - 11-26174572
Website : www.seedsindia.org

11 CATCH THEM YOUNG

School children in flood prone areas of Dhemaji in Assam district, formed Disaster Risk Reduction Com-
mittee to gain knowledge on flood mitigation and management and learnt ways to cope during emergency
flood situation.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji, Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

130 TURNING THE TIDE: INDEX

 INDEX
12 NEW AGE ENTREPRENEUR
Livelihood programmes in flood prones areas, build the women entrepreneurs. Amar Bazar, enables
women to take charge of their livelihood and brought them back to the social mainstream.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji, Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

13 HEALTHY PRACTICE
Village women take up the new role of Community Health Volunteer (CHV), and enable the community
in the creation of a healthy environment.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji, Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

14 ON A HIGH
Flood prone community adapt the traditional knowledge of the Mishing community and construct
houses on high raised bamboo stilts. This helped in reducing the damage to houses and property, caused
by floods.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji, Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

15 PILLARS OF STRENGTH
Raised community shelters based on the traditional knowledge and design are both flood and earth-
quake resistant. It relieves the community from water deluge during monsoons.
North East India Committee on Relief and Development (NEICORD)
‘Homeleigh’ Laitumkhrah police point, Shillong-793003, Meghalaya – India
Tel : +91-364-2211236
Fax : +91 –364- 2225585
Email : [email protected] / [email protected]
Website : www.neicord.org

16 WATER-WISE
The traditional sand filter system purifies water, frees from pathogen and makes it fit for drinking. Quite
popular in the flood affected communities in the remote villages of Assam’s Dhemaji district.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji , Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

17 A BASKET OF HAPPINESS
The hygiene basket contains all specific emergency needs of children and mother. It has helped checked
the minor health hazards.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji , Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

INDEX 131
 18 HEIGHT OF SAFETY
People evacuate to the raised earthen flood shelter with all their belongings, as the water rises. Strategic
construction Community of Flood Shelter has saved lives and properties.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji , Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

19 A DIFFERENT NATURE CALL

High raised plinth toilets are safe and environment friendly, experiences the flood prone communities of
Assam. It ensures security and privacy too. The design has been adopted from the raised houses concept.
Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC)
Po+Vill- Akajan, Via-Silapathar, District-Dhemaji , Assam- 787059, India.
Tel : +91-3753-246306
Fax : + 91-3753-246353/245758
E mail : [email protected] /[email protected]

20 PROSPERITY PLANT
Kamlilata – a local plant - helps arrest soil erosion and reclaims land. The once lost land is now cultivable.
Jana Unnayan Samiti Tripura (JUST)
Post – Duroy Nagar, Air Port Road, West Tripura – 799009
Email : [email protected]

21 SEEDS OF CHANGE
Seed banks help reduce farmer’s vulnerabilities during emergency arising due to excess or deficit rain-
fall. It promotes lean season crops that strengths food security and creates additional livelihood options.
Traditional cultivation methods promoted and practiced.
Indo Global Social Service Society (IGSSS)
5th Bye Lane, Rajgarh Road, Guwahati-781003, Assam, India
Tel : +91 - 361-2457707 / 2458087
Fax: +91 – 361- 2458087
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.igsss.org

22 A ROOF OF OWN
Shelters with disaster resistant features relieves the villagers of the flood prone areas of Balasore District’s
Basta Block in Orissa.
SEEDS India
DMA Cultural Centre, Plot No.15A, 1st Floor, Institutional Area, Sector 4,
R.K.Puram, New Delhi – 110 022, India
Tele Fax: + 91 - 11-26174572
Website : www.seedsindia.org

23 WEAVES OF CHANGE
An integrated approach adopted to deal with vulnerabilities of the weaver community in Ghantasala
under Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district. All structural and non structural steps taken to improve the
standard of living of the affected community.
Arthik Samata Mandal (ASM)
Atheist Center, Near Benz Circle, Patamata, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India - 520 010, India
Tel: +91-866-2476264
Fax: +91-866-2493830
Email : [email protected]
Website - www.arthiksamata.org

132 TURNING THE TIDE: INDEX

 INDEX
24 RICHES TO RAGS TO RICHES
Char initiative in the alluvial flood plains reclaims lands lost to floods and checks river erosion.
Voluntary Initiative for Community Empowerment (VOICE)
Village – Bhuragaon, Post office – Bhuragaon, Block – Lahorighat,
District – Morigaon, Assam - 782121, India
Tel : 09435662513

25 REBUILDING TRUST
The local organization ensures community participation in strategizing long term plans in the earth-
quake devastated areas of Jammu & Kashmir. Help rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
CEE Himalaya
Kanli Bagh, Baba Rishi Road, Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir- 193101, India
Tel : +91 -1952 – 210440
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.ceehimalaya.org

26 UNSHAKABLE
Traditional earthquake construction principles knowledge and practices institutionalized, through masons
training. Trained masons of Uttaranchal help popularizing the concept and capacitating fellow masons in
other in earthquake affected areas.
People's Science Institute (PSI)
252, Vasant Vihar, Phase-I, Dehra Doon - 248 006, Uttarakhand, India
Tel : + 91 - 0135 - 2773849, 2763649
Fax : +91 - 0135 - 2763186
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.peoplesscienceinstitute.com

27 HEALING TOUCH
Arogya Sakhis has enabled the rural women to take care of their family’s health. They coordinated with the
govt. health dept and makes health services available to the poor and vulnerable. It succeeded in reducing
the health hazards.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP)
101, 1st Floor, Baptista House No. 76 , Gaothan Lane No. 1, S.V. Road, Andheri West,
Mumbai 400 058 , India
Tel: +91-22-26211476 , 22907586
Fax: +91-22-26211476
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.sspindia.org

28 CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
Technology parks are community friendly, helps educate and disseminate information on safe construc-
tion features. Community improves their understanding on disaster resistant features, and enhances
their preparedness to future disasters.
UNNATI Organisation for Development Education
G1/200, Raksha Apartments, Azad Society, B/h. Sahjanand College, Ambawadi,
Ahmedabad-380015, India
Tel: +91-79-26746145, 26733296,
Fax: +91-79-26743752.
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.unnati.org

29 A FOREST REBORN
Food forest is a disaster resilient and climate friendly model that has served nutritious food to the vul-
nerable community during disaster times and has also succeeded in addressing the livelihood insecurity
among the rural poor.

INDEX 133
 Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)
58A, Dharmotola Road, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata 700042, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91 - 33 - 2442 7311, 2441 1646
Fax: +91-33- 2442 7563
Email: [email protected] , [email protected]
Website : www.drcsc.org

30 FOR A GREATER COMMON GOOD

Community woodlots generated through community plantation on the common property resources.
Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)
58A, Dharmotola Road, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata 700042, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91 – 33- 2442 7311, 2441 1646
Fax: +91-33- 2442 7563
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Website : www.drcsc.org

31 INSURE AND ASSURE

Integration of micro insurance with the development project insures the fishing community from haz-
ard impacts. A coping practice adopted by fisher folks in Vishakapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.
District Fishermen’s Youth Welfare Association (DFWYA)
Vivekananda Bhavan, Main Road, Pedagantyada, Visakhapatnam-44, Andhra Pradesh, India
Tel: + 91 -891 -2512758
Email: [email protected]
Website : www.fisherfolkfoundation.org

32 FARM ON HAZARDS
Integrated farming system promotes for an all round development of agriculture, animal husbandry, fish-
eries and other sideline occupations. Incidence of risks to floods and sea ingression is reduced.
Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)
58A, Dharmotola Road, Bosepukur, Kasba, Kolkata 700042, West Bengal, India
Tel: +91- 33- 2442 7311, 2441 1646
Fax: +91-33 - 2442 7563
Email: [email protected] , [email protected]
Website : www.drcsc.org

33 FAIR WEATHER
Rainfall insurance emerges as one of the viable option to enhance the capacity and resilience of the farm-
ers against unexpected hazards. It has helped the small and marginal farmers of Gujarat to ensure their
crops and recover from losses.
Sajjata Sangh
C/O, Development Support Centre, Maruti Nandanvilla, Bopal, Ahmedabad- 380 058, Gujarat , India
Tel: +91 – 2717-231761
Fax: +91 – 2717-235994
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.dscindia.org/sajjatasangh.htm

134 TURNING THE TIDE: INDEX

DROUGHT

4 HERDING AWAY HAZARDS: DROUGHT

 TURNING THE TIDE
"I wish to compliment Sphere India and EFICOR for the painstaking efforts in documenting a few
community-led disaster risk reduction good practice interventions in India. I hope the various stakeholder
groups in disaster risk reduction within the country and abroad will disseminate this publication widely and
explore the potential for replicating the good practices for strengthening community disaster resilience in
disaster-prone areas."
— Prof. N. Vinod Chandra Menon
Member, National Disaster Management Authority, Government of India

“Timely initiative and essential reading...could easily end up setting a trend for documentation of numerous
meaningful and commendable efforts across the country.”
— Anil K Sinha
IAS (rtd), Global Forum for Disaster Reduction

“Turning the tide is an interesting collection of community focused initiatives for disaster risk reduction that
can be replicated elsewhere.”
— Prof. Vinod K. Sharma
Professor, Disaster Management, Indian Institute of Public Administration

“This is an excellent initiative. It is very important to document the work that NGOs do, so that others can
learn from this work and the work can be built upon and taken forward to the next level.”
— Nisha Agrawal
TURNING THE TIDE
CEO, Oxfam India Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Good Practices in Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction

"Small is beautiful" holds true for "Turning the Tide". The humble but innovative initiatives taken by
the community would definitely help igniting the minds of the stakeholders to address disaster risks
holistically.”
— Prof. Santosh Kumar
National Institute of Disaster Management

Sphere India EFICOR

Building No. 3, Flat No. 401/3, HQ: 308, Mahatta Tower, B-Block
Sona Apartments, Kaushilya Park, Community Centre, Janakpuri,
Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016, INDIA New Delhi – 110058 INDIA
www.sphereindia.org.in www.eficor.org