ADRC Highlights
Asian Disaster Reduction Center Monthly News
● Promoting Cooperation with Affiliated Institutions
Vol. 371
February
2024
TOPICS
Promoting Cooperation
with AffiliatedInstitutions¶ Webinar on Climate
Change Projection withNepal¶ JICA Knowledge CoCreation Program:Comprehensive Disaster
Risk Reduction for theAfrican Region JFY2023
ADRC Visiting
Researcher Report¶ Ms Aishath Ifa Mohamed(Maldives)¶ Mr Habil Huseynov(Azerbaijan)
Participation inInternational
Conferences
Participation in the 22ndSteering Committee
Meeting of Sentinel Asia

Webinar on Climate Change Projection with Nepal

The second webinar series on climate change projection for disaster risk reductionin Asia-Pacific region was held on 10 January 2024. This webinar highlighted theresults of projection study held in Nepal and the utilization of climate changerelated data. The Advanced Study of Climate Change Projection (SENTAN)
Project invited two experts from Nepal to the webinar to share their informationand experiences.
Prof. Binaya Kumar Mishra, School of Engineering at Pokhara University,presented the projected changes in flood frequency at Bagmati River in Nepal. TheBagmati river basin, located at the upstream of Khokana, covers the Kathmandu
valley which in recent years has been experiencing devasting flood events. In viewof this, Pokhara University set up the Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic
Modeling System (HEC-HMS) to assess the change in flood discharge underclimate change scenarios. Very high-resolution of Non-Hydrostatic Regional
Climate Model (NHRCM) precipitation outputs was used to assess the future flood
risks in the Kathmandu valley. The major results found in this study were: 1)
greater precipitation extremes were found for the Regional Climate Model (RCM)
precipitation output; and 2) the increase in precipitation extremes for future climate
condition indicates greater flood risks in Kathmandu valley.
Ms Bibhuti Pokharel, Chief of Climate Section, Department of Hydrology andMeteorology (DHM) of the Government of Nepal, presented the Climate Service
Information that DHM provides. She mentioned that DHM monitors theprecipitation and temperature in Nepal to inform imminent droughts, heat waves,and extreme events. The climate data, produced by DHM, is utilized for climate
projections as well as to inform the national master plan and policy on climatechange. Moreover, the climate service information is provided to the following
sectors: aviation, agriculture, water, energy, health, and disaster risk reduction(DRR). However, there are limitations and gaps in the climate information service.
Ms Pokharel said that the quality of climate information was not high due to some
limitations in research capacity and infrastructure. For instance, while DHM
currently utilizes statistical downscaling, it has no capacity to utilize dynamical
downscaling. Therefore, the assistance of partners such as SENTAN will be highlyappreciated.

Asian DisasterReduction Center
Higashikan 5F, 1-5-2
Wakinohamakaigan-dori,Chuo-ku, Kobe
651-0073 Japan
Tel: 078-262-5540
Fax: 078-262-5546
editor@adrc.asia
https://www.adrc.asia© ADRC 2024

Speakers of the Webinar

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Other speakers at the webinar were: (1) Prof. MORI Nobuhito, Research Division of Atmospheric andHydrospheric Disasters, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, who introduced Japan's
National Climate Program or SENTAN; (2) Dr NAKAEGAWA Toshiyuki, Head of Second Laboratory,
Department of Applied Meteorology Research, Meteorological Research Institute of Japan MeteorologicalAgency, who showed how future climates are projected in a computer; (3) Dr MURATA Akihiko, HeadFirst Laboratory, Department of Applied Meteorology Research, Meteorological Research Institute of JapanMeteorological Agency, who presented the dynamical downscaling of climate projection data; (4) Mr MORI
Noriyuki, Deputy Director, International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management, who presented onthe Platforms on Water Resilience and Disasters for Social Sustainability; and (5) Prof. TACHIKAWA
Yasuto, Hydrology and Water Resources Research Laboratory, Kyoto University, who explained about thekey points raised at the webinar and encouraged further collaboration between SENTAN Project and DHM
Nepal.
This webinar was co-facilitated by Prof. KOBAYASHI Kenichiro, Associate Professor at the Risk
Communication Research Department, Security Research Communication Group, Research Center for
Urban Safety and Security in Kobe University and Mr Gerry Potutan, Senior Researcher at Asian DisasterReduction Center (ADRC). The video recording and materials can be accessed on the website:
http://www.climate.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/sentan4/webinar/webinar02.html
JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program: Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction for the African
Region JFY2023

The JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program “Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction for the African
Region 2023” was conducted from 5 December 2023 to 29 January 2024, with the cooperation of JICA
Kansai. It was conducted in a hybrid format, with both online and in-person programs in Japan, withattendance from 13 government officials from 12 countries: Algeria, Cote d' Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, Liberia,Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Cape Verde.
The course aims to assist participants to formulate and implement local DRR plans to promote disaster
reduction measures in their country. The participants attended lectures, joined site visits and Town Watchingactivity. They also participated in exercises to formulate a draft local DRR plan. ADRC would like toexpress its sincerest gratitude to all the supporting organizations and universities for their cooperation in
conducting the course.

Town Watching by Dr Ogawa, Executive Secretary of ADRC

● ADRC Visiting Researcher Report
Ms Aishath Ifa Mohamed (Maldives)

As-salaamu ‘alaykum (Peace be upon you).
I am Ifa, holding the post of senior officer for resource management at the National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) of the Maldives, directly handling emergency operations and resources. On2ADRC Highlights

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24 January 2021, I began my career in disaster management. Before myappointment as a senior officer in resource management, I held the post ofemergency response officer at NDMA.
NDMA’s purpose is working towards a resilient Maldives that is readyand prepared for emergencies and disasters. NDMA is carrying out a more
holistic model, in the processes of hazard identification and mitigation,community preparedness, integrated response efforts, and recovery.
The Maldives is a nation of numerous small islands situated at lowelevations, making the entire country susceptible to physical vulnerability
due to its flat topography. The Maldives frequently encounters disasters
characterized by low intensity but high frequency, including storm surges,
flooding from rainwater, and urban fires. Therefore, one of the mostimportant objectives of NDMA is to mainstream disaster risk reduction at thenational level. This includes planning processes, establishing agreed
standards, and developing procedures and policies.
As a senior officer working in the emergency management department, I
have been a crucial player in emergency situations at the Emergency Operation Center. I am responsible forcoordinating relief and humanitarian aid during emergencies and conducting assessments after disasters. I
am also tasked with strengthening emergency operations to ensure an effective and coordinated response
and strengthening local governments for emergency response.
In addition, I have facilitated trainings on disaster risk management for different stakeholders. I carry out
the Island Disaster Management Plan (IDMP) in the communities and awareness sessions for vulnerable
populations to achieve the NDMA’s vision for a resilient Maldives. Moreover, I organized theestablishment of Community Disaster Response Teams (CERT) and also provided them with special
training regarding response.
I want to express my appreciation for the continuous dedication of ADRC in facilitating knowledge cocreation initiatives, fostering research, and advancing DRR in member countries across Asia. I am truly
thankful for the chance to participate in the 2023 Visiting Researcher program, representing the Maldives,and expanding my understanding of DRR.
Mr Habil Huseynov (Azerbaijan)

I am Habil Huseynov from Azerbaijan. I am a Visiting Researcher at theAsian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC VR FY2023).
I graduated from the Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations ofthe Republic of Azerbaijan with a bachelor’s degree with an Honors
Diploma in 2019 in the profession of “Emergency Situations and Life SafetyEngineering.” Then, I graduated from the same Academy with a master’s
degree with an Honors Diploma in 2021 in the specialization of “Emergency
Management” in the "Emergency Situations and Life Safety Engineering”
profession. In addition, I am a doctoral student at Azerbaijan State Oil andIndustry University in the profession “Emergency Safety (by area).” I am
working on my dissertation work called “Evaluation (assessment) of Possible
Flood Disasters and Appropriate Measures at Yevlakh-Neftchala Zones ofKura River Basin.”
Since 2021, I have been working as a teacher at the Academy of theMinistry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Azerbaijan. I teachcadets (students) “Civil Defense” and “Defense Against Weapons of MassDestruction” subjects at the Academy. I already have six scientific articles
that have been published in different scientific journals. I have been actively joining Internationalconferences, seminars, and other events related to scientific research. Furthermore, during my stay in Japan I
had a great chance to attend International Recovery Forum 2024.
I’m really interested in participating in the ADRC Visiting Researcher Program to learn advanced
techniques for disaster risk management in Japan. Azerbaijan has faced numerous natural disasters
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throughout its history, causing significant damage to infrastructure and impacting the population. So, after
this program, I will be able to assist my department in teaching cadets on new approaches to disastermanagement systems. Moreover, this program will help me to develop myself in this field, especiallydisaster prevention. And then, as a field officer, I will be able to work more confidently in disastermanagement.
Finally, I would like to thank the Government of Japan and ADRC for providing us with such a great
opportunity. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to all the staff of ADRC for their enthusiastic
support during my stay in Japan.

● Participation in International Conferences
Participation in the 22nd Steering Committee Meeting of Sentinel Asia
ADRC attended the meeting of the 22nd Sentinel Asia Steering Committee held at TASA (Taiwan SpaceAgency) in Taiwan, on 30-31 January 2024.
The meeting was attended by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which serves as thesecretariat of the Sentinel Asia Joint Project Team, other space agencies in Asia, and image analysisorganizations. ADRC participated to facilitate between these organizations.
At the meeting, JAXA started out by explaining the purpose of the meeting and the current status ofSentinel Asia operations and issues. In addition, the space agencies reported on their current status ofoperations. The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Yamaguchi University had a presentation on thetopics related to image analysis. ADRC reported on the status of cooperation with the United Nations Officefor Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and other organizations, as well as on the activities of the Sentinel
Asia workshops held in Turkey and Nepal in 2023. Finally, a discussion was held on the revision of theSentinel Asia Strategic Plan based on the presentations by each organization.

Meeting Participants4