ADRC Highlights
Asian Disaster Reduction Center Monthly News
● Promoting Cooperation with Member Countries
Vol. 373
April2024
TOPICS
Promoting Cooperation
with Member Countries

Survey Visit to Affected
Areas of the Noto
Peninsula Earthquake
ADRC Visiting
Researcher Report¶ Mr Chander Kant (India)¶ Ms Vu Thuy Duong (VietNam)
Promoting Cooperation
with AffiliatedInstitutions
JICA Knowledge CoCreation Program:
Malaysia “LEP 2.0
Enhancement of theDisaster Risk
Management Capacity ofthe National Disaster
Management Agency(NADMA)”Countermeasures against
Flood Control

Survey Visit to Affected Areas of the Noto Peninsula EarthquakeFollowing the Noto Peninsula earthquake on 1 January 2024, Asian DisasterReduction Center (ADRC) had been reporting in English on the overview of theearthquake and summarizing the official information released by the national andlocal governments on the damages and responses(https://www.adrc.asia/publications/disaster_report/index.php). The report waskept updated until the end of February.
On 14-15 March 2024, two and a half months after the earthquake, ADRC
researchers and visiting researchers from some of our Member countries visited theNoto Peninsula to inspect the damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami, andreviewed the ongoing reconstruction activities while pointing out the challenges.
Road restoration work, which is key to facilitate evacuation, rescue, relief efforts,
and restoration assistance, was underway, primarily on the “Noto-satoyama Kaido”
that serves as arterial road. There were many areas where the road was damaged bylandslides, mainly in mountainous areas, and only one lane was being temporarily
restored to allow traffic. Road surfaces were damaged in many places and hillsides
and mountainsides were only temporarily restored by piling up sandbags. Thismeans that full restoration is still expected to take a considerable amount of time.
We could also observe that police forces from prefectures of other regions such as
Kansai, Kanto, Tohoku, and Hokkaido were providing traffic control and othersupport activities.
Many traditional wooden houses collapsed in the affected central area, including
Wajima and Suzu cities. Although the visiting researchers are not familiar with theJapanese architectural style of wooden houses with tiled roofs, they could tell thatthe heavy tiled roofs caused much of the damage. They discussed their opinions forpromoting measures to strengthen the earthquake resistance of such traditionalhouses.
In Wajima City, the participants observed the Asaichi Street, where a fire spread
and a seven-story building collapsed nearby. We are confronting many issues, suchas disaster reduction measures in areas where wooden houses are densely built andfirefighting measures in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. In view of this,foreign visiting researchers compared the buildings and urban development in othercountries, such as comparing the 2001 Gujarat earthquake in India and the 2024
Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan.

Asian DisasterReduction Center
Higashikan 5F, 1-5-2
Wakinohamakaigan-dori,Chuo-ku, Kobe651-0073 Japan
Tel: 078-262-5540
Fax: 078-262-5546
editor@adrc.asia
https://www.adrc.asia© ADRC 2024
Collapse of a 7-story reinforced concrete building (Wajima City)

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In many areas where liquefaction had occurred, manholes were raised and utility poles were tilted. Evenin Uchinada Town, which is located more than 100 km away from the epicentre, many houses were found tobe tilted.
The participants also observed the fishing port in Wajima City, which was rendered unusable due toground upheaval, and the tsunami damage in Suzu City. Furthermore, they observed the recovery support
activities, such as the use of “Emergency Safety Evaluation” sheet (green, yellow, and red) to assess theemergency danger level of houses, water supply trucks, kitchen cars, emergency medical cars, andtemporary housing construction, to gain knowledge on future DRR measures in different countries.
● ADRC Visiting Researcher Report
Mr Chander Kant (India)
My name is Chander Kant, and I am a Project Expert - Flood Control at theState Disaster Management Authority of Uttar Pradesh, India. I am
honoured to be participating in the Visiting Researcher Program at ADRC
Japan. I possess a Master’s degree in Disaster Management and aBachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and I have extensive
experience working in the field of disaster management. Throughout mycareer, I have played a key role in various impactful projects, including:- Operationalization of CAP SACHET integrated alert portal at the statelevel.
- Leading state-level flood reporting and preparedness activities- Contributing to the establishment of the Integrated State Emergency
Operation Center- Actively participating in the development of the “RAHAT App” forpublic incident reporting- COVID-19 response coordination- And coordinate Rescue and Relief operations as State representative
during the Uttarakhand Glacier Lake Outburst in 2021
I have been actively involved in the development of the “RAHAT App” for public incident reporting. I
also served as a member of the Government of India’s IMCT team, conducting inspections in flood-affecteddistricts.
India, with its distinct geo-climatic and socio-economic conditions, is susceptible to a variety of naturaland human-induced disasters, including floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, avalanches, andforest fires. The increasing frequency and intensity of hydro-meteorological disasters, along with a rise in
human-induced disasters like accidents, have brought disaster risk reduction and management into sharp
focus in the country.
On the other hand, Japan frequently experiences natural disasters such as typhoons, torrential rains,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis due to its geographical, topographical, and meteorologicalconditions. The country has made substantial advancements in disaster management systems, national landconservation, weather forecasting technologies, and disaster information communication systems. The
reduction in disaster damage in Japan is a testament to its society’s effective response and vulnerability
mitigation capabilities.
During my stay in Japan, I am eager to learn about the Japanese disaster management system, particularly
the Integration of DRR into Urban Planning and Infrastructure Development. I am confident that theknowledge and skills I acquire through this program will be applicable in relevant fields of practice in India.
I am deeply grateful to ADRC and the Government of India for the opportunity to participate in the Visiting
Researcher Program.
Ms Vu Thuy Duong (Viet Nam)
My name is (Ms) Vu Thuy Duong. I am an official from Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management
Authority (VDDMA), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
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As a member of the Department of Science, Technology, andInternational Cooperation at VDDMA, my responsibilities include
disseminating information about risk and disaster events in Viet Nam andglobally. Through VDDMA’s websites and social media channels, wecommunicate timely updates, including situation reports and damage
infographics. Notably, during the historic natural disaster in Vietnam’sCentral region in 2020, VDDMA successfully mobilized support frominternational organisations, resulting in an impressive total of USD 25
million. We expressed our appreciation by widely acknowledging theassistance provided by our international partners in our communication
platforms.
Participating in the ADRC Visiting Researcher Program has provided
me with valuable insights into the disaster management system and theunwavering commitment of Japanese citizens in combating natural
disasters. What truly stands out is the engagement of the community indisaster risk reduction, particularly through capacity-building initiatives
and awareness-raising events that I actively participated in during myvisit. These experiences have enriched my knowledge, and I aspire to
apply the lessons and initiatives learnt here to enhance my work in Viet Nam.
Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to ADRC and VDDMA for providing me with thisinvaluable learning opportunity. I would also like to extend my thanks to ADRC colleagues and my fellow
2023 visiting researchers who have been supporting me and making my time in Japan truly memorable.

● Promoting Cooperation with Affiliated Institutions
JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program: Malaysia “LEP 2.0 Enhancement of the DisasterRisk Management Capacity of the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA)”Countermeasures against Flood Control
From 26 February to 8 March 2024, ADRC
conducted the JICA Knowledge Co-Creation
Program: Malaysia “LEP 2.0 Enhancement of theDisaster Risk Management Capacity of the NationalDisaster Management Agency (NADMA)”Countermeasures against Flood Control. The course,targeting flood countermeasures, aimed to deepen
understanding of river planning, and relevant policies
and practices. Participants also worked on
developing action plans for improving flood control
projects and for accelerating disaster investment in
Malaysia. A total of 15 participants from theNational Disaster Management Agency and otherrelevant organisations attended lectures and visited
sites related to urban flooding countermeasures inJapan and learnt its background and policies.
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to
all the organisations for their cooperation in
conducting the training.

Site visit on Nippa Suehiro Trunk Line (Yokohama City)

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