4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction

4−2−6 Earthquake Disaster Management Seminar in Mongolia
1)

Seminar Title“Vulnerability and Risk Assessment of the Possible Earthquake and Measures to Prevent
Earthquake Disaster in Urban City"

2)

Organizers (Co-organizers)
ADRC,
International Cooperation Department, Strategic Planning and Management Department,
Ministry of Nature and Environment of Mongolia, andNational Agency for Disaster Management of Mongolia

3)

PeriodMarch 20th to 23rd, 20044)

Location
Conference Hall, Continental Hotel (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)

5)Main Objective
Located at the center of the Eurasian Continent, Mongolia experienced four magnitude
8-class inland earthquakes during the 20th century alone. The country has suffered nocatastrophic damages so far, thanks to its sparse population density and the traditional
nomad-style housing structures (tent-like mobile housing called “ger”). Therefore, the country
has low awareness of earthquake risk. With the transition from nomadic to settled lifestyle,and the rapid population growth, urbanization and industrialization, however, Mongolia
should promote urban earthquake disaster preparedness immediately. Under thesecircumstances, an urban disaster management seminar was held that was intended mainly fordisaster management personnels of the country’s central and local governments to get a clear
image of urban disaster preparedness.

6)

Details(1) Course Schedule
A two-day course was repeated for March 20th - 21st, and for March 22nd - 23rd (samecontents for both occasions).
(2) Participants
The seminar participants consisted of disaster management personnel of the central
government ministries and agencies of Mongolia (Depts. of International Cooperation andStrategic Planning, the Ministry of Nature and Environment, the National Agency of Disaster
Management, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Health, etc.) and theircounterparts in local governments (prefectural governors, Ulaanbaatar Urban Planning Bureau,etc.). The first two day course participants were mainly decision- makerlevel officials such as
department directors of the central government ministries and agencies and prefecturalgovernors, while the second course participants consisted of working-level officials.
Each course had an attendance of approximately 30 persons. The total number of seminar
participants for four days reached approximately 60 persons.
(3) Instructors
Mongolian instructors (nine persons)Two from Research Center for Astronomy and Geophysics (RCAG), four from the National
Agency for Disaster Management of Mongolia, one each from the Mongolian Society of Civil

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4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction

Engineers, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Mongolia, and Mongolian Institute of Technology
Japanese instructors (three persons)Tomohiko Hatori (Senior Researcher, ADRC), Satoru Ohya (World Seismic Safety
Initiative (WSSI), Advisor to OYO Corporation)、Yasuhiro Hayashi (Associate Prof., Disaster
Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University (DPRI-KU))(4) Duration of One ClassJapanese instructors taught 60 minute classes, each followed by a 10 minutequestion-answer session. Mongolian taught 30 -45 minute classes, each followed by a 10minutes question-answer session.
(5) Languages
Japanese instructors used English for PowerPoint presentations. Explanations andinterlocutions during lectures were consecutively interpreted from Japanese into Mongolian.
Mongolian versions of English abstracts prepared beforehand were supplied to theparticipants.
Mongolian instructors used Mongolian for both lectures and materials.
(6) Lecture Themes① “Present State of Research Work and Environment on Mongolian Earthquake and FutureDevelopments”, Dr. Demberel (Research Center for Astronomy and Geophysics (RCAG))② “Seismic Micro Zonation Map of Ulaanbaatar City”, Mrs. Ankhtsetseg (RCAG)③ “Lessons from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Disaster,” Dr. Tomohiko Hatori(ADRC)④ “Earthquake Disaster Risk Management – Impact of Seismic Tremors on the GroundGeology,” Mr. Satoru Ohya (World Seismic Safety Initiative (WSSI), OYO Corporation)⑤ “For the Improvement of Seismic-resistance Performances of Urban ArchitecturalStructures,” Mr. Yasuhiro Hayashi (DPRI-KU)⑥ “Proposals for Earthquake Disaster Management in Mongolia – Lessons from WSSIActivities,” Mr. Satoru Ohya (WSSI, OYO Corporation)⑦ “Risk and Vulnerability Assessment of Urban Area”, Dr. Ganzorig (President, CivilEngineering Association of Mongolia)⑧ “Measures to Prevent Earthquake Disaster in Urban Development”, G. Tulga, Director(Seismic Engineering Investigation Bureau, Department of Construction, UrbanDevelopment and Public Utilities, Ministry of Infrastructure)⑨ “To improve earthquake warning and search and rescue work”, Colonel Ch. Batchuluun(Chief, Operative Management and Coordination Division, NADM)⑩ “Medical Supply in case of Earthquake Disaster”, Lieutenant Colonel A. Enkhbat (Officer,Operative Management and Coordination Division, NADM)⑪ “Collaboration and Cooperation of State Services for Disaster Protection in Earthquake
Disaster Reduction”, Dr. Mayor General, O. Urjin (Deputy Chairman, NADM)/Colonel
Ch. Batchuluun (Chief, Operative Management and Coordination Division, NADM)⑫ “Active faults of Central Asia”, A. Bayasgalan (Director, School of Geology, Mongolian
University of Science and Technology)

7)

Evaluations by Seminar Participants
All the participants were asked to fill in the evaluation sheets for the seminar. The results
are as follows:(1) 90% of the participants had not previously attended urban earthquake disaster prevention
seminars of this kind.
(2) Lecture contents found to be particularly helpful and informative include:• All lectures• Explanations on building seismic-resistance enhancement methods

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4. Promoting Cooperation in Disaster Reduction• Explanations on the backgrounds to the establishment of the Earthquake-resistant
Building Standards Law, and the mechanism for its enforcement• Explanations on the strengthening of disaster management researches and activities• Explanations on earthquake disaster prevention and mitigation awareness raising
activities targeting citizenry• Presentations on examples of past earthquake disasters and lessons learnt from them
• Lectures delivered by Japanese instructors(3) Topics to be elaborated include:• Disaster preparedness awareness campaigns targeting local populations• Lessons from past earthquake experiences(4) Most of the participants responded that all the lecture were well-organized and easy tofollow. Meanwhile, some said that it was difficult to absorb diverse information at a time.
(5) Contents to be included into future seminars include:• Countermeasures for natural disasters other than earthquakes• Experiences and knowledge obtained from earthquakes in the rest of the world• More specialist training(6) To the question on what information they would like to share with their work colleagues,
all the participants unanimously said the entire contents of the seminar.
(7) All the participants answered that seminars of this kind would be helpful and informative
for the rest of disaster management personnel in Mongolia. Moreover, some answeredthat it is important to create and distribute disaster preparedness awareness campaign
materials, such as leaflets, targeting citizenry, and to provide disaster management
education to a wider spectrum of people, including teaching staffs and students ofuniversities and colleges.
(8) Other responses are as follows:• A mechanism for registration and control of building and construction sites is necessary.
• A Building Standards Act should be established.
• Construction companies should have their employees trained for earthquake resistantconstruction methods.

8)

Follow-up Activities(1) CD-Rs containing presentation materials used in the seminar to be delivered to relatedparties.
(2) Suggestions and proposals presented by seminar participants for government disaster
reduction policy were summarized and compiled into a report.
(3) In cooperation with related UN organizations, WSSI, JICA, and other relatedorganizations, ADRC will continue its support to the Mongolian government’scommitment to disaster reduction.

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