Disaster Risk Reduction Including Climate Change Adaptation Over South Asia: Challenges and Ways Forward

Abstract

South Asia is vulnerable to a variety of hydrometeorological hazards, which are often crossboundary in nature. Climate change is expected to influence many of these hazards. Thus, climate-related risks over South Asia make disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) key policy goals. Recently there is an increasing consensus that DRR including CCA should be embedded in development planning. Disaster risk reduction including CCA has progressively gained importance in global governance. Across South Asia, however, such integration is only in a preliminary stage. This review was to assess the existing status and scope of DRR including CCA in development projects across South Asia, so that an effective and achievable deliberation may be made to regional policymakers. A total of 371 projects relevant to CCA and DRR were reviewed. The project inventory was diverse in nature with respect to location, scale, sectoral focus, and strategic importance. Bangladesh, India, and Bhutan were observed to be proactive in implementing DRR-and CCA-related projects. Meta-analysis of the project inventory suggests an urgent need for an individual and collaborative convergence of processes for DRR and CCA through policies, plans, strategies, and programs.

Breaking Through Barriers and Building Disaster Mental Resilience: A Case Study in the Aftermath of the 2015 Nepal Earthquakes

“…In 2018 the number of deaths (11,804) caused by disasters globally fell versus the 2008–2017 yearly average of 67,572 deaths [1]. This drop in deaths reflects widespread improvement in disaster response capacities [21], yet the affected population is still increasing [22]. Disasters are more frequent than ever before and larger numbers of people are impacted, due to low resilience and high vulnerabilities [22].…”

“…This drop in deaths reflects widespread improvement in disaster response capacities [21], yet the affected population is still increasing [22]. Disasters are more frequent than ever before and larger numbers of people are impacted, due to low resilience and high vulnerabilities [22]. Although a disaster has a pervasive and penetrating shock on the affected population [23], the impact on mental health is greater and lasts longer within a resource-constrained setting [24,25], as survivors undergo a delayed recovery process [26].…”

Changing spatio‐temporal trends of heat wave and severe heat wave events over India: An emerging health hazard

“…India, the second‐most populous and seventh‐largest country of the world is also the sixth most vulnerable country to the extreme events (Eckstein et al ., 2017; Mall et al ., 2019). The dynamics of climate‐dependent mechanisms are changing at a great pace due to the rise in global mercury.…”

Perceived Adverse Effects of Separating Government Institutions for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Within the Southern African Development Community Member States

“…Nalau et al (2015) argued that the integration of DRR and CCA can result in practical benefits such as the rational use of resources, increased access to a broader range of expertise, sharing the growing international funding for adaptation, and embedding a forward thinking approach in DRR by considering longer time frames. To integrate DRR and CCA, priority must be given to establishing institutional linkages, particularly at the national level, by removing structural barriers, thus providing a mechanism for convergence of policies, planning, and programs (Mall et al 2019).…”