DIsasteR Management
reconstruction
Disaster Risk Reduction Techniques for
Effective Poverty Eradication
L Mohamed Mansoor
ntil recently,
poverty reduction
initiatives and
disaster risk
reduction initiatives
were undertaken independently
and mutually exclusive of each
other. However, due to growing
realization of the observed linkages
between poverty eradication and
disaster risk reduction there is
a growing need to study the
effects of disaster risk reduction
techniques and strategies on poverty
alleviation. The World Bank in
its report on “Managing Disaster
Risk in Emerging Economies”
stated that the major development
imperative was to reduce disasters
in order to reduce poverty. It
reaffirmed in categorical terms that
“Development and vulnerability
to disasters are closely linked”
(Edited by Arnold M and Kriemer
A: 2000). Further, in the year 2004,
United Kingdom’s Department
U
The World Bank
in its report on
“Managing Disaster
Risk in Emerging
Economies” stated
that the major
development
imperative was to
reduce disasters
in order to reduce
poverty
for International Development
(DFID) made explicit links
between disasters, development
and poverty. It concluded that
“sustainable poverty reduction
is proving to be an elusive goal
and this is particularly because
disasters are not being properly
factored into development, DFID
2004-06).
Initially reducing poverty was
seen more as supplementing growth
with social spending and was
based on monetary measures alone.
Whereas, disasters were treated
as one-off events responded by
Government and Relief Agencies.
However, now poverty is measured
in terms of human poverty indicators
such as lack of access to resources
necessary to sustain the basic
human capabilities and disaster
management is now expressed
in terms of hazard assessment,
vulnerability analysis and disaster
risk reduction.
The author is Joint Secretary, Higher Education, Govt. of Puducherry.
46
YOJANA March 2012