A critical analysis of the competency of UNIFIL militaries in disaster response

Malla Shrijan Bahadur, Dahal Ranjan Kumar and Hasegawa Shuichi

Page No. 1-9

From the humanitarian prospective, the multinational military peacekeepers deployed in UNIFIL are also the tool for disaster response. But they lack preparedness. It is because legally they are only liable to provide a secure and stable environment within which humanitarian actors may carry out response activities. In that sense their disaster response competency is questionable. Three aspects of their disaster response competency - disaster management knowledge, disaster response engagement’s perception and involvement in preparedness activities (training and exercise) - have been studied.

The result showed that one-third of the UNIFIL militaries are not aware of fundamental issues of disaster management. Most of them are confused on disaster response operational issues. Even they do not agree that the militaries should be engaged in disaster response operations. They have neither participated in any kind of disaster-related training nor in any disaster related exercise. A clear gap is evident in their disaster response competency that needs proper address.

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Scenario-based Tsunami inundation model in Cilacap City, South Part of Central Java, Indonesia

Aditya Saputra, Kuswaji Dwi Priyono and Mukhlis Akbar

Page No. 10-22

Situated 250 km from the active Sunda Megathrust, Cilacap City is one of the tsunami-prone areas in the south part of Central Java. Furthermore, South Java coastlines are frequently hit by the tsunami. Both probabilistic and deterministic model of the tsunami have been well developed in Indonesia. However, because of the lack of bathymetry data and high-resolution digital elevation model, the scenario-based tsunami inundation model is important.

The objective of the research is to generate the numerical tsunami inundation model under several scenarios. The tsunami model was generated by applying the tsunami wave reduction per meter of inundation distance. This formula mainly depends on the initial tsunami high in the coastline, elevation and surficial roughness. The results show a significant change both the coverage of tsunami run-up and tsunami inundation. The 5 m scenario gave minimum impact with the run-up approximately 500 m from the coastline. The 10 m and 15 m scenario caused the tsunami run-up increase until 1 and 2 km respectively from the coastline. Most of the settlement, paddy field, buildings and some important infrastructure were inundated more than 2 m tsunami depth within these distances.

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Community-Based Disaster Management: Assessing Local Preparedness Groups (LPGs) to build a Resilient Community in Semarang City, Indonesia

Handayani Wiwandari, Surya Putri Intan Hapsari, Anggraeni Mega and Setyono Jawoto Sih

Page No. 23-36

Semarang is prone to flooding due to tidal flood from the sea and flash flood from the upper inland area. Several studies have noted that a community is an important element in the reduction of disaster (flood) risk. The purpose of this study is to examine the capacity of community formed as Local Preparedness Groups (LPGs) in Semarang.

The analysis was designed by comparing perceptual- and evidence-based questions to assess the capacity of the LPGs to contribute to better comprehension of the strengths and emerging challenges in engaging the community/local people in Disaster Management (DM). The questions were derived from six main variables including knowledge, skill/capability, communication and collaboration, financial resources, leadership and organizational system. A mini FGD was conducted in each LPG and the participants were asked to form a consensus to answer the questions. The scoring system was applied to calculate the capacity value ranging from 0 to 1. We found an average capacity value of 0.64.

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Spatial optimization of safe shelters for urban evacuation planning caused by earthquake based on PROMETHEE, GAIA and DEA method in GIS environment (Case Study: Municipal District 12 of Tehran)

Morteza Asadi and Jalal Karami

Page No. 37-45

Planning before the occurrence of earthquake can greatly contribute to providing pertinent relief. Spatial optimization is one of the most widely used domains in Geographic Information System (GIS). In this study, 12 site-selection, with 9 criteria were selected through PROMETHEE method in order to determine the optimal location of shelters and allocate them to population groups. The 9 criteria are as follows: distance from street network, distance from danger sites, population density, texture city, distance from hospital, distance from support centers, capacity of shelter, scattering and allocation. The weight of each of the criteria has been determined by means of AHP method. These criteria and their specified locations were analyzed via graphical GAIA figures.

The results were indicative of the accuracy of the selected criteria and locations and also the confirmation of the effect of criteria on each other. To assess the ranking, data envelopment analysis (DEA) method was used whose results confirm the validity of the ranking. Using MATLAB and Arc GIS software, the analysis was done and was graphically shown.

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A Time Series Analysis of Temperature and Rainfall Patterns of Rajasthan

Mishra Ashutosh

Page No. 46-58

Present study examines the temperature and rainfall profile of Rajasthan. This largest Indian state is known for extreme temperatures, water scarcity, scanty rains and frequent droughts. It is feared that any significant change in temperature and rainfall properties of the state can aggravate its climatic harshness and thus, can adversely impact the physical, as well as economic landscapes.

The analysis reveals that most of the districts in the State have witnessed a significant warming during last century. The districts of Sikar and Dausa, on the other hand, have recorded a cooling trend. Interestingly, the warming is more prominent in the western part of the state as compared to its eastern part. As for as rainfall is concerned, it has recorded an increase for most of districts, however, the districts lying near Tropic of Cancer have become drier.

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Disaster, Development and Livelihood with Special Reference to Floods in India

Keyoor, Raja Meenakshi J. and Chittaranjan Subudhi

Page No. 59-64

The demographic map of India has been rewritten due to intense urbanization, technological development, motorization as the globalization has set platform for enormous unpredictable changes. Modernity has come all over the world under the guise of development. Flood, a consequence of environmental degradation has a direct impact on the development and livelihood. Flood could be either natural or manmade disaster that can be defined as an overflow of large quantities of water into a normally dry land. It could happen due to overflow of streams, rivers, lakes or oceans, melting of glaciers and mountain tops or as a result of excessive rain. India is highly prone to floods as National Disaster Management Authority states that out of the total geographical area of 329 million hectares (mha), more than 40mha is flood prone. The flood disaster creates damage to the social, political and economic development of the nation.

The basic purpose of development is to enhance the quality of life in long term where it is being affected all of a sudden by flood. Flood directly restricts the income generating factors of people. Notable movements in India always struggled for their livelihood which had been affected by various reasons and flood disaster is a major among it. This review attempts to study the link among the disaster, development and livelihood with specific reference to flood in India and it would bring out the existence scenario relating to flood and its impact on the livelihood of people of different sectors.

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