1

Asian Disaster Reduction Center Visiting Researcher
Program FY 2022

Study on Community Based Disaster Preparedness andPrevention Activities in Japan

Summited by;
Ms. Mi Mi Tun
Deputy Director
Department of Disaster Management
Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Myanmar
ADRC Visiting Researcher

Kobe, JAPAN28 March 2022

2

Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC member countries. The
views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADRC. The boundaries andnames shown and the designations used on the maps in the report also do not imply official
endorsement or acceptance by the ADRC.

3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFirst of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the governments of Japan and
Myanmar. I am sincerely grateful to the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC), Ministry of Social
Welfare, Relief and Resettlement and Department Disaster Management of Myanmar for their great
support and guidance to participating this program as a visiting researcher, FY 2022. I would like toexpress my deepest gratitude to Mr. SASAHARA Akio (Executive Director), Ms. Miki Kodama, Mr.
Makoto Ikeda who gave me the valuable lectures, kindness and guidance. I would like to express all
Senior Researchers, Researchers and all admin staffs for valuable advice, guidance, and support in
the accomplishment of this task. I am also to thank Ms. Fujimoto who gave me kindness and support.
I am also deeply grateful the advice and suggestions provided by My mentor Ms. Chihori Tatebe,research department, Asian Disaster Reduction Centre. My special thanks go to all the lecturers who
delivered a lecture to straightening my knowledge during this program. I possessed the sweet
memories. Finally, I am fully thankful to my husband and family for helping and support me tocomplete this research study and the ones from my department who are being shared myresponsibilities and duties.

4

Contents
Disclaimer
Acknowledgment
Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Chapter (1)Chapter (2)Chapter (3)Introduction
1.1

Background and Significance of the study

1.2

Objectives of the study

1.3

Method of the study

1.4

Organization of the study

Hazard Profile of Myanmar
2.1

Location

2.2

Climate

2.3

Brief Hazard Profile of Myanmar
2.3.1

Cyclone

2.3.2

Dry Zone / Drought

2.3.3

Earthquakes

2.3.4

Fire/ forest Fire

2.3.5

Floods2.3.6

Landslide

2.3.7

Strom Surge

2.3.8

Tsunami2.4

Climate Change and Variability

2.5

Vulnerability, exposure and trends

2.6

The Disasters that Struck Myanmar

Disaster Management System in Myanmar
3.1

Legislative and Institutional Arrangements for Disaster Risk Management
3.1.1

Standing Order

3.2

Disaster Risk Reduction Networks of Myanmar

3.3

Responsibility of Department of Disaster Management on DRR

5

3.3.1

Emergency Operation Center

3.3.2

Disaster Management Training Center

3.4

Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction (2017)

3.5

Community-Based Disaster Risk Management in Myanmar
3.5.1

Community-Based Early Warning System in Myanmar

3.5.2

Build on Public Awareness Program to Strengthen Networks andCapacity for DRM

Chapter (4)Hazard Profile and Disaster Management System of Japan
4.1

Location

4.2

Climate

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.2.1

Winter (December- January- February)

4.2.2

Spring (March- April-May)

4.2.3

Summer (June- July-August)

4.2.4

Autumn (September- October-November)

Recent Major Disaster in Japan
4.3.1

Great Hanshin-Swaji Earthquake 1995

4.3.2

Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake 2004

4.3.3

Great East Japan Earthquake

4.3.4

Typhoon 21 (October 2012)

4.3.5

West Japan Torrential rain (July 2018)

4.3.6

Typhoon Hagibis 2019

Disaster Management System in Japan
4.4.1

Central Disaster Management Council

4.4.2

Disaster Management planning System

4.4.3

Community-Based Disaster Risk Management System in Japan

Study on Community-Based Disaster Preparedness and Prevention activities inJapan

Chapter (5)Reference

Conclusion

6

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No.

CaptionFigure 1.1

Impact of Disaster on Key Development Sectors in Myanmar

Figure 2.1

Map of Myanmar

Figure 2.2

Cyclone prone Area in Myanmar

Figure 2.3

Drought Prone Area in Myanmar

Figure 2.4

Tectonic Map of Myanmar and surrounding Regions

Figure 2.5

Seismic Zone Map of Myanmar

Figure 2.6

Fire Prone area in Myanmar

Figure 2.7

Forest Fire Prone area in Myanmar

Figure 2.8

Flood Prone area in Myanmar

Figure 2.9

Landslide Prone area in Myanmar

Figure 2.10

Strom Surge Prone area in Ayeyarwady Delta

Figure 2.11

Tsunami Damage and losses in Ayeyarwady Delta 2004

Figure 3.1

Organogram of Disaster Management Bodies in Myanmar

Figure 3.2

Sample of Disaster Management Bodies in Village Tract Level

Figure 3.3

Four Phases of Emergency Management

Figure 3.4

Information Transmission Route

Figure 3.5

Cyclone Shelter in Myanmar

Figure 4.1

Map of Japan

Figure 4.2

Damage Caused by Typhoon Hagibis 2019

Figure 4.3

Disaster Management System of Japan

Figure 4.4

Organization of Central Disaster Management Council of Japan

Figure 4.5

Structure of Basic Disaster Management Plan

Figure 4.6

Outline of Japan’s Disaster Management System

Figure 4.7

Types of Rescuers and number of People Resuced at the time of the Great
Hanshin- Awaji Earthquake

Figure 4.8

Study tour to Tamba city

Figure 4.9

Implementation of Disaster Emergency Response

Figure 4.10

Formulation of Reconstruction Plan

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LIST OF Tables
Table No.

CaptionTable 2.1

Disaster in Regions and States from Fiscal Year 2010-2011 to 2021-2022

Table 3.1

Organization to be Received or Disseminated/ Informed the Early Warning
Information by DMH

Table 3.2

Organization to be Received or Disseminated/ Informed the Early Warning
Information by DDM

Table 3.3

Organization to be Received or Disseminated/ Informed the Early Warning
Information by GAD

8List of Abbreviations
CBDRM

Community-Based Disaster Risk Management

CDMP

Community Disaster Management Plan

CSOs

Civil Society Organizations

DMH

Department of Meteorology and Hydrology

GAD

General Administration Department

DDM

Department of Disaster Management

DM

Disaster Management

DMTC

Disaster Management Training Center

DRR

Disaster Risk Reduction

EOC

Emergency Operation Center

FY

Fiscal YearGEJE

The Great East Japanese Earthquake

HQ

Head Quarter

IDDR

International Day for Disaster Reduction

LDMO

Local Disaster Management Organizations

MAPDRR

Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction

M&E

Monitoring and Evaluation

MSWRR

Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement

NDMC

National Disaster Management Committee

NDMO

National Disaster Management Organization

NGOs

None-Government Organizations

PDNA

Post Disaster Nargis Assessment

QGIS

Geographic Information System

TOT

Training of Trainers

UNDP

United Nations Development Program

UNOCHA

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

SDC

Swiss Development Cooperation

UNDP

United Nations Development Program

IOM

International Organization for Migration

HCT

Humanitarian Country Team

CBO

Community-Based Organization

9

Chapter ( 1 )Introduction
There have been climate changes and natural disasters on the earth since the existence of theuniverse. However, both the living and non-living organisms have survived adaption to these changes
and catastrophes. Due to changes in weather conditions, deteriorations of natural environment, global
warming, developments in technology etc, disasters in various forms break out more today than in
the past. Consequently, people have to find ways and means of adaptation to them or applying
systematic, strategic management to lessen the damaging adverse effects.
1.1

Background and Significance of the study
Myanmar is prone to almost all types of hazards such as earthquake , tsunami , flood ,landslide, cyclone, strong wind, lighting, soil erosion, fire, forest fire, drought, industrial andtechnological hazards. Myanmar faced many disasters in the recent past. The skewed development
and climate change will further aggravate the existing disaster risk in Myanmar. In recent years,
monsoon season is getting shorter to shorter and causing flooding and landslide in countrywide
annually. 120000 people were displaced and 16 people were dead in 2018. On August 2019, Myanmar
faced floods in several parts of the country due to the heavy rains. Mon State was the most seriously
affected by this flood. As a consequence of heavy rain, landslide was claimed the 70 death in Paung
Township (Mon State).
Myanmar regularly suffers significant loss of life, livelihoods, and property from large andsmall disaster events. Examples include major events such as Cyclone Nargis in 2008 or thewidespread flooding in 2015, as well as more localized hazards like landslides and forest fires. These
events are estimated to cost Myanmar up to 3% of GDP annually, killing thousands of people anddisplacing millions more. The death toll from Cyclone Nargis alone was estimated to be around
140,000 people and over 1.5 million people were displaced in the 2015 floods.
The ambitious development trajectory of Myanmar can be severely derailed in hours or days
by a disaster, as the country is prone to hydrological, meteorological, geological, industrial andtechnological hazards. Key development sectors were severely affected by disasters and Figure 1.1
captures the impact (damage and losses) of two major disasters on key development sectors and theGDP of Myanmar.

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Figure 1.1: Impact of Disaster on Key Development Sectors in Myanmar

Source; from MAPDRR 2017

Disasters not only cause immediate damage, but they also have far-reaching implications,particularly on poor rural households, small businesses, farmers and marginalized groups and cancontinue for several years afterwards. A study, five years after Cyclone Nargis to analyze its social
impact, found that the disaster had a profound impact on the social and economic fabric of its affected
communities. These effects evolved over time, based on the strength of the community to cope, theeffectiveness of aid efforts, subsequent external events, and changes in the wider social and economic
environment.
Despite institutional efforts, disaster risks remain high. Communities people are more
vulnerable in Myanmar because of the lack of awareness in disaster and need for disaster preparedness
and prevention. Community based disaster preparedness and prevention are important in reducing therisk of natural disaster. So, we need to improve the capacity of communities concerning with disaster.
Communities are essential in all the stages of Disaster Risk Management activities because local
communities are key responders to any disaster. Especially, Communities' participation andempowerment are central to good preparedness and prevention activities. we need to enhance andconduct capacity development and public awareness programs for disaster risk management
especially related with four pillars of Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction (MAPDRR2017). These pillars are in line with four priority actions of the Sendai Framework for disaster risk
reduction. By doing so, they will know the importance of prevention and preparedness measures for
future DRR and will encourage them to participate in it. The more the communities participate in
DRR, the less loss of lives and properties. They experience.
Our Economic Policy envision people-centers, inclusive and continuous growth; hence it isimportant to imbibe ‘resilience’ into our development interventions in letter and spirit. It is equallyimportant to prepare for disaster response, rehabilitation and reconstruction. If we strengthen capacity

11

of communities for disaster preparedness and prevention activities, they can tackle the disaster risk.
They will be able to consider all aspects of disaster prevention measures in local development
interventions. In addition, they will be able to build a resilient community for the future disaster.
1.2

Objective of the Study
The objective of this study are;(a)

To explore the disaster events of Myanmar and their impact of affected
areas

(b)

To study the preparatory and preventive measures for Disaster Risk Reductionin Japan(c)

1.3

To enhance the capacity of community for DRM in Myanmar.

Method of the study
Secondary data are used in this paper and data sources are documents collected from

Department of Disaster Management, Myanmar and through lectures by professionals on DRR andfield visits in Japan. This paper focuses on descriptive method. Some data are gathered from internet
websites.

1.4

Organization of the Study
This paper is composed of five chapters. Chapter (1) is the Introduction. Chapter(2) includes

Hazard Profile of Myanmar. Chapter(3) mentions Disaster Management in Myanmar. Chapter(4)presents Hazard Profile and Disaster Management System of Japan. Chapter(5) includes Conclusion.

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Chapter(2)Hazard Profile of Myanmar
2.1

Location

Figure: 2.1 Map of Myanmar

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar isgeographically situated in southeast Asia between
latitudes 90° 32' N & 28° 31' N and longitudes 92° and
10' E& 101° 11'E. It is surrounded by China in north andnorth east, Loa PDR and Thailand in east and south east,
India and Bangladesh in the west while the Bay of
Bengal and the Andaman Sea are in the west and thesouth.
Myanmar is one of the largest countries in South
East Asia covering 261,228 square miles. It stretches for
582 miles from east to west and 1,275 miles from northto south. The population of Myanmar (2019 estimate) is
54.05 million. Myanmar is ethnically diverse with more
Source; from Alam.com

than 135 ethnic groups represented within the total

population. The largest city in Myanmar is Yangon and the capital of Myanmar is Naypyitaw. The
predominately spoken language in Myanmar is Burmese and 89 percent of the population is Buddhist.
Myanmar is regarded as an agriculture-based country as it accounts for 40.2 percent of the GDP.
In terms of administration, Myanmar is divided into twenty-one sub-divisions, seven states(largely based on ethnicities), seven regions, one union territory, five self-administered zones and one
self-administered division as per the constitution adopted in 2008. At the second level, district
governments operate over the third, fourth and fifth levels, comprising townships, wards and villages,
respectively. At the second level, there were 67 districts, further subdivided to 325 townships as of2013 (The Asia Foundation, 2013). Legislative authority resides in a bicameral Assembly of theUnion, represented by a 224-seat House of Nationalities and a 440-seat House of Representatives,
three-fourths of which are directly elected to serve five-year terms (Aung-Thwin, et al., 2019).
2.2

ClimateMyanmar has a tropical with three seasons, namely the rainy season, winter and summer. The

rainy season comes with the southwest monsoon, lasting from mid-May to mid-October, followed to13

mid-May. The average annual rainfall in the coastal regions of Rakhine and Tanintharyi ranges from
4,000 to 5,600 mm, while in the Ayeyarwady Delta it is approximately 3,300 mm. The extreme northreceives between 1800 mm and 2400 mm of rain while the hills of the east receive between 1200 mm
and 1400 mm . The central dry zone has between 600 and 1400 mm of rain. The average temperaturein the delta ranges from 22 C to 32 C, while in the central region it is between 20 C and 34 C . The
temperature in the hilly regions is between 16 C and 29 C. Physical Features Myanmar can be divided
into five major physiographic units namely:
The Indo-Myanmar Ranges
The Rakhine Coastal Lowlands
The Sino-Myanmar Basin
The Inner Burman (Myanmar ) Basin
The Eastern Himalayas
The first four units run more or less north to south while the fifth unit i.e., the Eastern
Himalayas, runs west to east in the northern most part of the country. The Indo-Myanmar Ranges
decreases in altitude and spreads out towards the south and extends up to the Andaman Sea. The
narrow Rakhine Coastal Lowlands on the Bay of Bengal are geographically part of the Indo-Myanmar
Ranges. The Sino-Myanmar Ranges are in the eastern part of Myanmar. The Inner Myanmar Basinlies between the Indo-Myanmar Ranges and Sino-Myanmar Ranges and it widens towards the south.
2.3

Hazard Profile of Myanmar
Myanmar is prone to almost all types of hazards, which include fire, forest fire, earthquake,strong wind/ cyclone, storm surge, tsunami, landslide, floods, drought and industrial/technologicalhazards. In recent years, the country is also witnessing a spate of localized disasters such as lightningand riverbank erosion. In 2014- 2017, lightning led to the loss of 175 lives. During the same period,
Myanmar also experienced loss of 261 and 782 lives due to riverbank erosion and strong windrespectively. The 2015 floods caused damages and losses amounting to USD1.5 billion, while the2008 Cyclone Nargis led to USD4.1 billion. Since comprehensive multi-hazard risk assessment of
Myanmar needs to be done at the national level. Basic information pertaining to major hazards in
Myanmar is as following.

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2.3.1 Cyclone
Figure 2.2

Cyclone Prone Areas in Myanmar

Myanmar is prone tocyclones having a long coastline
along the Bay of Bengal, whichis considered to be highly
vulnerable to cyclones. April,
May and October are considered
to be cyclone months as per thelast 100-year record. In the last
four

decades,

five

major

cyclones hit Myanmar: in 1968
(Sittwe cyclone), 1975 (Pathein
cyclone), 1982 (Gwa cyclone),
Source; from Hazard profile of Myanmar

1994 (Maundaw cyclone), 2006
(cyclone

Mala)

and

2008

(cyclone Nargis). The Sittwe cyclone led to the loss of 1037 lives, Pathein cylone claimed 304 lives
and Nargis, the most devastating in the living memory of Myanmar, led to the loss of 138,373 lives,
while affected 2.4 million population while the damage and destruction to properties to the tune of
USD 4.1 billion7 were sustained.
2.3.2 Dry Zone/Drought
The Dry Zone of Myanmar is located in the central part of the country in Magway, Mandalay
and Sagging (Lower) Divisions and covers approximately 10 percent of the total area of the country.
It falls under arid to semi-arid zone as per different zonation and criteria. While it is located in rain
fed area, the average annual precipitation is below 1000mm. Approximately 51 townships spread
across 13 Districts in 3 Divisions fall under the Dry Zone as per the Dry Zone Greening Department.
Some other reports identify 60 townships under the Dry Zone. The deterioration of natural resources
such as soil erosion and deforestation has made the agricultural production base unstable. The main
reasons include increased human as well as cattle population, demand of fuel wood for domestic aswell as industrial use, etc.

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Figure 2.3

Drought Prone Area in Myanmar

Source; from MIMU
2.3.3 Earthquake
Earthquakes in Myanmar usually have two main causes:•

Result of collision between the northward moving Indian Plate underneath the
Burma Plate•

The northward movement of the Burma Plate from a spreading center in the
Andaman Sea.

Myanmar can be divided into three seismically active regions namely: the Northwestern Region, theCentral Lowland, and the Shan PlateauYunnan Region. The subduction and collision caused many
shallow and intermediate earthquakes with considerable magnitude. During the 20th Century, at least
18 large earthquakes happened in the Central Lowlands where the well-known Sagaing Fault passes
through. Another large seismogenic fault called Kyaukkyan Fault is about 500 km long in the westernpart of the Shan Plateau. The largest recorded earthquake so far has the magnitude 8.0 in the Richter16

Scale and occurred on the northern segment of this fault on 23 May 1912. Shan Plateau-Yunan is also
seismically active region.
Figure 2.4

Tectonic Map of Myanmar and Surrounding Regions

Source; from researchgate.net

17

Figure 2.5

Seismic Zone Map of Myanmar

Source; from researchgate.net

18

2.3.4 Fire/ Forest Fire
Figure 2.6

fire prone area in Myanmar
The Fire hazard is the most frequent in terms of frequency,
which accounts for approximately 70 percent of thedisasters. The number of fire cases is decreasing while thelosses due to fire have an increasing trend. The highincidences of fire cases are concentrated mainly in Yangon,
Mandalay, Ayeyarwady, Sagaing and Bago. These
Divisions account for 63 percent of the total fire cases of
the country, while the financial loss is approximately 38
percent. The main causes of fire are kitchen related fires andnegligence which together account for 83 percent of thecases. The period from January to May is the high season
for fires. The average annual fire cases run to 900, and theloss of properties is to the tune of 1 billion kyats or 0.91

Source; from MIMU

Figure 2.7

million USD9.

Forest Fire Prone areas in Myanmar

The forest fires in Myanmar are normally surface
fires, most frequent during the dry season, starting
around December until May. They occur in almost allStates and Divisions sporadically, but are more common
in upland regions, namely, Bago, Chin, Kayah, Kachin,
Mandalay, Rakhine and Shan. They cause haze problems
and have negative impact on the community.

Source; from Hazard Profile of Myanmar

19

2.3.5 Floods
Figure 2.8

Flood Prone Areas in Myanmar
Flooding has always been one of the
major hazards in Myanmar, accounting for
11percent of all disasters, second only to fire.
Between 1910 and 2000, there were 12
major floods. Flooding leads to loss of lives
andproperty,

damagetocriticalinfrastructure, economic loss and healthrelated problems such as outbreak of waterborne diseases when the lakes, ponds andreservoirs

becomecontaminated.

The

country receives practically all its rainfall
between mid-May and October, the rainyseason,duringwhich

flooding

andlandslides are common. In Myanmar, thethreat of flooding usually occurs in threewaves each year: June, August and late
September to October with biggest danger
arriving in August as peak monsoon rains
Source; from Hazard Profile of Myanmar

occur around that time. Throughout therainy season, riverine floods are common in the river deltas while flash floods and landslides frequentin the upper reaches of the river systems, which are normally the mountainous areas, whereas thecoastal areas experience intermittent flooding from cyclones10. Tropical storms from the Bay of
Bengal trigger storm surges and cause floods along the Rakhine coastline in the pre and post monsoon
months. In cities and towns, localized floods occur from time to time due to a combination ofcloudburst, saturated soil, poor infiltration rates and inadequate or poorly built infrastructure (such as
blocked drains). In the rural areas, breakage of water-resistant structures as dams, dykes and levees

20

destroys valuable farmlands. Flash floods are frequent in the large and medium rivers, caused by theheavy rainfall striking at head water regions for a considerable period of 1-3 days. In the central partand the delta region in the south of the country, accidents caused by river bank erosions are frequent
occurrences.
2.3.6 Landslide
Figure 2.9

Landslide Prone Areas in Myanmar

The landslides of various scales occur in mountainous
regions especially in the Western Ranges and some localities in the
Eastern Highland of Myanmar. The Western ranges experience alltypes of landslides and earth movements such as rock falls, rockslides, soil avalanches and mud flows. Due to the sparsity of
population, landslides in this region damage infrastructure rather
than human settlements.

Source; from Hazard Profile of Myanmar
2.3.7 Storm surge
Figure 2.10 Storm Surge Prone Areas in Ayeyarwady Delta
Myanmar has a very longcoastline and the densely settled
low-lying lands are particularly
vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Even diminutive rises in sea levelvertically can lead to enormous
erosion horizontally. As per the
IPCC report, a rise in sea level of
one centimeter can result in beachSource; from Hazard Profile of Myanmar

erosion of one meter horizontally.

The low-lying areas of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Delta, interspersed with many tidal waterways, are21naturally exposed to storms and monsoon winds blowing from the southwest. Rising sea levels,
stronger cyclones and ecosystem degradation mutually reinforce each other, exacerbating the fallout
from seaward disasters. During Cyclone Nargis, according to Alan Sharp of the AustralianGovernment Bureau of Meteorology, 90 percent of deaths were caused as a direct consequence of thestorm surge.
2.3.8 Tsunami
Figure 2.11

Tsunami Damage and Losses in Ayeyarwady Delta (2004)
Myanmar coastline is about 1,900
kilometers long, which can be divided
into three parts, namely the Rakine
coastal

area

in

the

west,

the

Ayeyarwady Delta in the middle, andthe Taninthayi coastal area in the south.
The intensity of the Indian Ocean
Tsunami (2004) in terms of round-up
and the extent of the inundation wascomparatively lower than those inSource; from Hazard Profile of Myanmar

other countries around the Indian

Ocean and the casualty and damage was also lesser. This is because the tsunami amplitudes are
relatively smaller along the Myanmar coast. The amplitudes are slightly large off the Ayeyarwady
delta, because the shallow delta extends offshore to cause concentration of tsunami energy. Anotherreason for the smaller tsunami is due to the fact that the coast of Taninthayi Division is protected by
the offshore islands of the Myeik Archipelago trending in the north-south direction.
2.4 Climate Change and Variability
Studies at the global level have found that climate change is reconfiguring hazards andincreasing the risks of disasters. The rise in sea levels, changes in the intensity of the strongest storms
and the frequency with which they occur. This in turn increases extreme temperatures, and alters
precipitation patterns. Although, it is difficult to link an individual extreme event to climate change,
Myanmar has witnessed some extreme events in recent years. For example, in the Chin State, during
the last seven days of July 2015, the recorded rainfall was 30 percent higher than in any other monthover the past 25 years. The monthly rainfall of July measured at the weather station in Hakha wasequal to a 1-in-1000-year rainfall.16 In July 2009, 434 mm of rainfall fell in a single day in Launglon,

22

which was the highest rainfall recorded in the country during a 24 hours period. In August 2009, theBago Region experienced its highest 24 hours rainfall in 45 years. On 21 st July 2011, 739 mm ofrainfall within a 24 hours period in Taungoke, Rakhine, was recorded as the highest rainfall in the
country. On 14th May 2010, the highest temperature, reaching 47.2°C, was recorded in Myanmar.
Climate change projections: A recent study17 on climate risk in Myanmar, found that the climate is
projected to shift dramatically in the coming decades. The study highlighted the following:•

In every region in Myanmar, temperatures are expected to soar by the middle of the 21st
century by 1.3°C–2.7°C.

•

The eastern and northern hilly regions are projected to see the most dramatic warming,with temperatures rising as much as 3°C during the hot season.

•

In the future, the country can experience anywhere between four to 17 days of extreme
heat every month, in contrast to one day a month during the period between 1981–2010.
Changes in rainfall patterns are projected to vary by region and season. While increases
are projected during the monsoon season, both a rise and fall in the temperature is likely
during the rest of the year.

•

Projections on rising sea levels for the coastline, range from 20 cm to 41 cm by midcentury.

The implication of climate change on six development sectors: agriculture, fisheries andlivestock; environment and natural resources; energy, transport and industry; cities, towns and humansettlements; climate hazards and health; and education, science and technology has been analyzed in
the Myanmar Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan.

2.5 Vulnerability, Exposure and Trends
There has been a rise in disaster losses over the past decades primarily due to increased
exposure of the population and assets in hazardous zones. It is important to profile current
vulnerability, exposure and future trends for better understanding of these underlying factors i.e.
drivers of disaster risk. At the global level, the United Nations has identified key drivers of disasterrisk;-

poverty and inequality-

climate change and variability-

unplanned and rapid urbanization and the lack of disaster risk considerations in land
management

23-

environmental and natural resource management-

demographic change-

non-disaster risk-informed policies-

lack of regulations and incentives for private disaster risk reduction investment-complex supply chains-

limited availability of technology-

unsustainable uses of natural resources-

declining ecosystems - pandemics and epidemics

There is a need to develop a comprehensive profile of vulnerability and exposure of Myanmar.
However, the following trends have been identified:•

Poverty and inequality: An estimated percent of Myanmar’s population lives in poverty.
In certain pockets of the country, the prevalence is higher than in others. For example, in
the Chin State 73 percent of its population lives in poverty. Chin is also highly prone tofloods and landslides.

•

Rapid urbanization and migration: The rate of urbanization in Myanmar has increased
over the past decades from 24.8 percent of the total population classified as urban in 1983
to 29.6 percent in 2014. Some of these urban centers are exposed to multiple hazard.
Yangon, with an urban population of 5.2 million, is the most urbanized region andaccounts for about 35 percent of the total urban population. It is projected that by 2040,
Yangon will become a megacity with a population of 10 million. Approximately four
percent of the population, or 2.02 million persons were reported to be living abroad, of
which 1.7 million (83 percent) are between the ages of 15 and 39 years. Migration benefits
migrants and host communities. There are however, problems associated with migration,such as social conflict, environmental degradation and difficulties associated with theseparation of migrants from their family and community members.

•

Vulnerable population: The overall number of women is 26,661,667 and it accounts for
51.8% of the total population. The number of children below the age of 15 and the elderly
above the age of 65 years are 14,399,569 and 28,97,563 respectively. Together, both thesedemographics constitute 33.6 percent of the population. The percentage of people withdisabilities stands at 4.6 percent and its prevalence starts to increase at the age of 40, witha sharp rise after the age of 65.

24•

Deforestation: Myanmar lost over three percent of its forest ecosystem over the past two
decades. It has been estimated that 83 percent of mangroves in the Ayeyarwady Delta havebeen destroyed between 1924 and 1999. Decreased productivity and limited vegetation
cover has destabilized soils and caused erosion. The compound effects of landdegradation, overutilization and unfavorable agricultural practices are diminishing watersupplies for domestic, agricultural and industrial use.

•

Housing condition: Apartments and single storey buildings account for 12% of the
housing in the country.24 A large proportion of houses are constructed with materials thatare, highly vulnerable to cyclones and strong winds.

•

Limited access to communication: Almost half of the population or 49.5 percent ofhouseholds have access to television, 35.5 percent have access to a radio, 32.9 percent use
a mobile phone, while landline and internet access at home accounts for less than 10
percent.

2.6

The Disasters that Struck Myanmar
Myanmar faced many disasters in the recent past. The skewed development and climatechange will further aggravate the existing disaster risk in Myanmar. In recent years, monsoon season
is getting shorter to shorter and causing flooding and landslide in countrywide annually. According
to annual record from DDM FY 2010-2011 to 2021-2022 Oct- March, Myanmar experienced many
natural Disasters and Man-made disasters.
The table below presents the record of storms and cyclones during fiscal year from 2010-2011
to 2021-2022 Oct- March. It shows that Storms and Cyclones was the most frequent disaster in
Myanmar. There are strong winds in middle and northern regions of Myanmar between March andJune annually. The cyclones usually break out in the coastal regions (Ayawaddy, Rakhine andTanintharyi ) during the pre-monsoon period and post monsoon periods. Areas in Chin State, Sagaing,
Bago and Magway region are also likely to experience some impacts from the high winds of thesestorms as they move further inland before losing power, with the risk decreasing the farther one isfrom the coast.
According to records, between from FY 2010-2011 to 2021-2022 Oct- March, though lessfrequent than storm and cyclones, fire in Myanmar tend to be significantly more dangerous asindividual events. The number fire cases as table below. The high incidences of fire cases areconcentrated mainly in Yangon, Mandalay, Ayeyarwady, Sagging and Bago. The reason of the25number of fire cases being the greatest in 2018-2019and 2019-2020 is that weather condition was
extremely hot favoring the fire to break out easily.
In the past two decades, the duration of Monsoon was found to be getting shorter but rainfall
become much more intense and heavier. The annual rainfall surpassed normal amount significantly
in Kachin, upper Sagging, Mon, Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Kayah, Kayin, Tanintharyi, Bago andRakhine. Floods occurred along all major rivers during peak monsoon year by year. The number offlooding between FY 2010-2011 to 2021-2022 Oct- March is shown in Table (2.1).
According to the records of DDM, there were three severe earthquakes hit Myanmar during
least decade and total losses by the earthquakes are Taung Dwin Gyi (Richter Scale 6.8, No. of death7, No. of affected building (108 pagodas, 153 houses, 9 schools, 3 bridges),Tarlay (Richter Scale
7.0, No. of death 75, No. of affected building 305 houses, Hospital 1, Religious sector 15, governmentbuilding 19. Estimated loses (kyats, million) 3031.30), and Tha Beik Kyin (Richter scale 6.8, No. of
death 18, No. of affected building (2478 houses, 396 pagodas and religious building 1273). The
earthquake cannot be predicted beforehand that people should know the do's and don't about
earthquake disaster. They should have the knowledge about their habitat whether or not being inseismic zones, and the previous earthquake that hit their regions. It is also necessary that the
infrastructure including the buildings, roads, and bridge be built after consulting with experts, to getproper construction ideas and technologies.
Other disasters refer to drought, landslide, pest attack, thunder storms, lighting, wrecks ofwater-craft such as ships and boats due to bad weather, and social conflicts and riots, etc. These Tables
convey the record of other disasters occurred during Fiscal year 2010-2011 and 2021-2022.

26

Table (2.1)

Disaster in Regions and states from fiscal year 2010-2011 to 2021-2022
No. of total cases

No.

Fiscal
Year

Fire

Floo
d

No. ofStromandOtherstotal

affectedhousesCyclones

No. ofNo. ofNo. ofhousehold

VictimdeathsProvided byGovernment
Kyats (Million)

1

2010-2011

135

24

34

22

215

6956

14513

52004

-

133.882

2011-2012

181

79

35

107

402

26915

46457

219854-312.21

3

2012-2013

157

45

97

89

388

29733

38853

237190106

1594.57

4

2013-2014

146

45

48

69

308

9996

34947

15096868622.325

2014-2015

194

33

95

94

416

9953

19111

74546

279

440.1

6

2015-2016

220

126

208

154

708

71636

78231

494402346

1433.35

7

2016-2017

8

240
223

496
752

447
988

1638
2511

158696114971273298119352905002515153518
554

3351.075585.82

206

267

1310

720

2503

60997

110993579679347

4452.7910

2017-20182018-2019
April-sep
2018-2019

455
548

747

254

1676

1479

4156

95018

147604633715555

7002.8111

2019-2020

837

331

1187

1302

3657

59176

3153531352137657

11722.11

12

2020-2021
2021-2022
Oct-March
Total

495

152

898

804

2349

19560

264791

1096660310

9563.28

304

13

131

333

781

3740

127192546921300

5091.26

4625

1832

6967

6608

20032

667347

1590695

68582314040

51305.57

9

13

Source: Annual Record from Department Of Disaster Management

27

Chapter(3)Disaster Management System in Myanmar
Natural disasters have immediate impacts including loss of life or injuries, and loss of property,
crops, means of livelihood, or animals such as cattle, in addition to longer term impacts including
disruption or damage to livelihood infrastructure, services such as health and education, roads, bridges
and communication infrastructure, damage to the soil and sources of drinking water and the spreadof infectious diseases. An analysis of the impact of disasters reveals that the extent of damage andlosses mainly depends on the following three factors;( a ) Vulnerability of the disaster-affected area and population density.
Exposed geographical location and environment (e.g. location of villages on the banksof rivers and streams and in lower ground, in open fields without wind breakers, inearthquake zones with building construction that fails to take the risks of earthquakes
into consideration, etc.); population density.
( b ) Preparedness. Management processes for protection against natural disasters andpeople’s awareness of their role; their level of alertness regarding protection against
natural disasters; the level of preparedness or drills for anticipated natural disasters.
( c ) Type of natural disasters and their severity. The extent of loss and damage also
depends on the type of natural disasters and their severity. Of the above-mentioned 3
factors, the third is beyond our control. Consideration will mainly be given to the firstand second factors as appropriate measures can be taken in those areas. In carrying out
those preparedness activities, best practices during natural disasters in our country andin the world as well as natural disaster management in various countries should bestudied and the experience and lessons that are appropriate to our country and to our
local contexts should be incorporated systematically.
Disaster management in Myanmar is based on the following principle aims( a ) To prevent or mitigate losses in human life( b ) To prevent or mitigate losses in settlement and properties of the people( c ) To prevent or mitigate losses in state properties.

28

3.1

Legislative and Institutional Arrangements for Disaster Risk Management
Legislative and institutional arrangements for Disaster Risk Management is evolving in

Myanmar. The country enacted the Disaster Management Law in 2013 and the Disaster Management
Rules was prescribed in 2015. The Law was developed to be in line with Hyogo Framework for
Action (2005-2015) and to comply with the AADMER. The Law does not include the concept ofclimate change adaption (CCA), and focuses on risk information, preparedness, awareness and early
warning, and data management for early warning systems, together with the following objectives:•to implement natural disaster management programmes systematically and
expeditiously in order to reduce disaster risks;•

to form the National Committee and Local Bodies in order to implement natural
disaster management programmes systematically and expeditiously;•

to coordinate with national and international government departments andorganizations, social organizations, other non-government organizations orinternational organizations and regional organizations in carrying out natural disastermanagement activities;•

to conserve and restore the environment affected by natural disasters;•

to provide health, education, social and livelihood programmes in order to bringabout better living conditions for victims.

The Law enables the formation of the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) with its
duties and powers.
The Disaster Management Law (2013) provides for the establishment of the National Disaster
Management Committee (NDMC). National Disaster Management Committee is the supreme agency
on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) (policy level, decision making, formulating strategies, andoverall supervision). The duties and functions of NDMC are as following:(a) to set up required organizations to implement the activities of the committee; to provide
policies according to the priority of step-by-step activities; to review the progress of thework of the committee and give instructions as necessary.
(b) To provide guidance to use domestic resources as necessary in the face of natural disasters.
(c) To adopt basic principles on coordination for activities which are necessary to receive
assistance external sources.

29(d) To manage national finance and resources, and then to distribute them to required places.
(e) If necessary, to issue orders and instructions to carry out natural disaster management
functions without hindrances, avoiding the misuse of rescue materials and prevail law andorder in the community during and after the natural disasters;
The National Disaster Management Work Committee (NDMWC) chaired by the Union
Minister for Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement was formed to supervise theimplementation of the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) activities. Department of Disaster
Management under Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is the National Disaster
Management Office for DRR and Line Ministries with related mandates on DRR.
Figure 3.1

Organogram of Disaster Management Bodies in Myanmar

The twelve work committees related to the specific areas of disaster risk management and anadvisory committee have been set-up under NDMC. State/Region-, District-, Township- and Village
Tract-level Disaster Management Bodies had also been formed respectively. The organogram isreflected in the following figure:

30

Figure 3.2 Sample of Disaster Management Bodies in Village Tract level

Source;from DDM Power Point

3.1.1 Standing Order
The standing order 2009 was issued for natural disaster management based on experiences in
the 2008 Nargis cyclonic storm. The "Standing Order for Natural Disaster Management in Myanmar"is issued with the aim of ensuring that once disaster strikes, emergency relief and rehabilitation workis carried out according to the prepared plan and that the people are mobilized at the national levelfor participation in such efforts.
Now, the order was revised in line with the management system and technologicaldevelopment. The standing order on natural disaster management for 2022 was drafted with remarks
from relevant committees and the ministry. Work committees and management committees are to
scrutinize natural disaster prevention plans in line with the 2022 standing order.
3.2

Disaster Risk Reduction Networks of Myanmar
Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group (DRR Working Group) was established in 2008 to

support recovery and reconstruction efforts of Cyclone Nargis. It serves as a platform for information
sharing and strengthened coordination among development partners working on disaster risk

31

reduction issues. Working groups have been also set-up at the sub-national level in selected regions
and states, including in Mon State, Kayin State and Rakhine State. The groups also coordinate subnational risk reduction activities. UNDP is the chair of the DRR Working Group at the national level,
while the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), the Community Development Association and theInternational Organization for Migration (IOM) head the DRR Working Groups of Chin State, Kayin
State and Rakhine State respectively. Myanmar Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is a strategic
humanitarian coordination and decision-making body that seeks to optimize the collective efforts of
the UN, other international and national organizations, non-governmental organizations and the Red
Cross Movement. It is convened under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC). The
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) serves as its Secretariat. It oversees
the development of sector/cluster response plans and provides oversight and advice to thecluster/sector leads and humanitarian-focused geographic and subsidiary groups. It also leads decision
making on inter-agency coordination in regards to assessments, joint monitoring and evaluation
missions. Several international and local non-government organizations, community basedorganizations, professional societies such as Myanmar Engineering Society, Myanmar Geosciences
Society and Red Cross system are working on disaster risk management, including community leveldisaster preparedness.
3.3

Responsibility of Department of Disaster Management on Disaster Risk Reduction
In Myanmar, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is the focal Ministry fordisaster management. It also serves as the secretariat of NDMC. Under the Ministry, there arethree Departments: Department of Social welfare, Department of Disaster Management andRehabilitation Department. Each department has specific disaster related duties. The Department ofDisaster Management (DDM) was established with the objectives to provide emergency assistancefor the victims of natural disasters for ensuring immediate relief and to conduct preventive measures
to reduce the loss of lives and properties due to disasters. DDM is responsible for conducting
disaster management activities in accordance with the international norms and standards. Under
the Department, there are Emergency Operation Center, Disaster Management Training Center(DMTC), Region/ State offices, District offices and Township offices. DDM is a focal point of
the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM).
DDM’s functions in four DM circle are as following;•

Preparedness

32– Stock piling relief materials– Developing Disaster Preparedness Plans– Awareness raising– Capacity developing– Drills and Exercise– Disaster Monitoring (EOC)•

Response– Early warning dissemination (DMH)– Provision of relief aids (GAD)– Coordination with UN Country Team (UNOCHA)– Reporting to NNDMC and AHA Centre•

Recovery– Serve as secretariat of NNDMC (via Ministry)– Coordination with line ministries, State/Region Government, Subcommittees under NNDMWC (via Ministry)•

Mitigation & Prevention– Drafting necessary laws and regulation– Policy advocating– Risk Assessment (in collaboration with UN Agencies that signed MOU)

Figure 3.3

four phases of emergency management

Source; from DDM Power Point33

3.3.1 Emergency Operation Center (EOC)
Myanmar is vulnerable to natural disasters which have potential to impact large numberof people and developmental gain in the country. Therefore, the government of Myanmar hasprioritized preparedness and mitigation plans. In 2012, the country finalized the Myanmar Action
Plan On Disaster Risk Reduction (MAPDRR) which identified the 65 priority projects.
Emergency Operation Center (EOC) is one of the Prioritized projects in MAPDRR to manage
emergency operations within the geological boundaries.
With the aim to provide the supports for emergency management, response and logistic
through information sharing on network and quick decision making, the Ministry of Social Welfare,
Relief and Resettlement plans to set up Emergency Operation Centre (EOC). The functions of EOC
will include;-

Monitoring/ Watching weather related information and early warnings were received-

Developing research on disasters occurred in Myanmar-

Developing the response plans for each type of disaster-Exchanging weather information with local/ international organizations-

Documentation of disaster information, Distribution and Coordination-

Reporting the news acquired from affected area to the higher levels in emergency situation
continuously and timely

3.3.2 Disaster Management Training Center (DMTC)
The government approved establishment of the Disaster Management Training Centre(DMTC) in order to build up the capacity of people implementing disaster management activities.
The DMTC will build upon the existing pool of experts within the Relief and Resettlement
Department and the existing Disaster Management Course, which has supported capacity
development of officials from Government Departments and Social Organizations, since 1977.
DMTC will be located in Hinthada Township in Ayeyarwaddy Region. The Ministry of Social
Welfare, Relief and Resettlement is now undertaking the three-year plan (2013-2015) for
establishment of DMTC. Under Phase 1 (2013-2014), construction of the three main buildings is now
underway. The Ministry is collaborating with international and local partners to mobilize the technicaland financial resources for:- Human resource and institutional capacity development

34- Infrastructure development- Development of Curriculum and procurement of Teaching Aids
- Networking and partnership with International and Regional Training Institutes and Centers
3.4

Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction (MAPDRR 2017)
The Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction (MAPDRR), 2017 is a comprehensive

and unified action plan for disaster risk reduction with prioritized interventions across Myanmar till2020. The vision of MAPDRR is to protect lives, economy, heritage and environment through an
inclusive approach towards sustainable development in Myanmar. With a long term vision andconsidering deep-rooted underlying drivers of disaster risk, it has set an overall target for 2030. It
aims to provide a base for mobilizing and leveraging, primarily, national and external resources andwill provide a basis for result printed outcomes. The MAPDRR 2017 covers not only natural
hazards but also man-made accidents focusing on managing risks rather than managing disaster.
The action plan identifies 32 priority actions under four pillars: risk information andawareness; risk governance; risk mitigation; and preparedness and response, rehabilitation andreconstruction. For each priority action, objectives, activities, outputs, duration, lead agencies, andsupporting partners have been identified. The priority actions aim to strengthen the policy frameworks
and systems for long-term risk reduction. Robust implementation, funding as well as monitoring andevaluation mechanisms have been identified for the MAPDRR 2017.
3.5

Community Based Disaster Risk Management in Myanmar
The Natural Disaster Management Law, 2013 (Law No. 21/2013) recognizes disaster risk

reduction as an underlying requirement for achieving sustainable development; calls for integrating
disaster risk considerations in development processes; establishes the government-led institutional
setup at all levels of administration; and requires close coordination between government, civilsociety groups, other non-government organizations (NGOs), and international and regionalorganizations in carrying out DRM activities. Specifically, with respect to community-level actions
to reduce disaster risk, the Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction, a road map for the
implementation of disaster risk reduction priorities, has attached high priority to community-based
disaster preparedness and risk reduction. Among others, the action plan identifies the need forstrengthening the policy environment, scaling up implementation through local development,
promoting volunteerism, and establishing financing mechanisms for community-level disaster risk
reduction measures.

35

The Myanmar National Framework for Community Disaster Resilience has been developed
to guide stakeholders in building resilience of Myanmar communities. The framework has beendeveloped under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement that is thesecretariat of the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC), and through extensive
consultation with different ministries, development partners, and civil society organizations. The
framework identifies actions to strengthen resilience so that communities are better prepared, canwithstand the impacts of disasters, and are able to recover quickly. These actions are communitybased and span across key sectors such as rural and urban development, agriculture, environmental
conservation and forestry, financial inclusion, social protection, and disaster preparedness. The
implementation requires an inclusive approach, and leveraging partnerships and resource
mobilization through the cooperation of government organizations, civil society organizations, theprivate sector, and development partners. Implementation of this framework is critical for building aresilient society, and for realizing our regional and global commitments and priorities related to the2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).
Community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) interventions in Myanmar are
typically implemented as “stand-alone” activities, lack in scale, and fail to tackle the underlying
causes of disaster risk. These project-based interventions target the most vulnerable and are designed
in close consultation with community representatives, village tract, and township authorities. In mostcases, they are implemented as stand-alone activities disjointed from regular development processes
at the village level.
The DRM policy landscape in Myanmar provides the building blocks for strengthening
community disaster resilience. DRM in Myanmar has evolved over the last few years supported bylegislation, implementing rules, action planning, funding mechanisms, institutional setup, capacity
building, and volunteer networks.
Actions for government at the township, state or region, and union level are as follows:-

Strengthen linkages between development planning and budgeting and DRM planning at
the township, state or region, and union level (e.g., development of guidelines and capacity
for integrating disaster risk considerations in the village development planning process).

-

Support technical agencies in generating and disseminating disaster risk information.

-

Strengthen the capacity of the members of various township authorities and union line
ministries present at the township to undertake risk-informed decision making.

36-

Ensure sector investments targeted at the community level factor disaster risk
considerations (e.g., community forestry, social protection programs, etc.).
Actions for village tract or ward administration are as follows:-

Ensure the village DRM planning process (as required by the Natural Disaster
Management Law, 2013) adopts participatory techniques to identify the disaster riskrelated needs of various interest groups (e.g., poorer households, vulnerable population,
marginalized groups, local private sector).

-

Strengthen the linkages between village development planning and village DRM planning
processes.

-

Ensure that the disaster resilience needs are captured in the village development plan andfunded through local development funds, sector programs, or projects of civil society
organizations and address the underlying risk factors.

-

Advocate for village resilience-building measures at the township level.

Actions for civil society organizations are as follows:-

Support communities through participatory processes in identifying disaster risk.

-

Ensure disaster risk information is factored in the design and implementation of projects.

-

Provide capacity building for communities in implementing resilient building measures(e.g., safer housing, resilient livelihoods, ecosystem management, disaster preparedness).

-

Encourage communities to identify, prioritize, and invest in resilient building measures at
the household and community level through the village development planning process,government programs in different sectors, local development funds, microfinance, etc.

-

Ensure the needs of the poorer households, most vulnerable, and marginalized population
are captured in resilience-building measures supported by the government anddevelopment partners.

-

Document the outcomes of community-led initiatives and share them with all
stakeholders in order to develop stronger evidence on the benefits derived by investing incommunity disaster resilience.

Actions for communities are as follows:-

Identify the natural hazards prevalent in the area; the households, assets, and livelihoods
that are exposed to the hazards, and the physical and socioeconomic vulnerability in thesociety.

37-

Factor hazard and forecast information in decision-making processes to ensure personaland community assets and livelihoods are designed to higher standards of resilience.

-

Identify household- and community-level investments to reduce disaster risk.

-

Strengthen disaster preparedness measures at the household and village level.

-

Strengthen disaster youth volunteer capacity on DRM, including dissemination of early
warning, search, and rescue.

-

Engage with village tract or ward administration, local civil society organization, andmicrofinance organizations to access resources (financial and human) for investing inresilience.

Actions for development partners are as follows:-

Support the development of disaster risk information.

-

Support long-term capacity building and peer-to-peer learning among communities, local
authorities, and community-based organizations.

-

Provide technical assistance in identifying legal and regulatory gaps preventing the uptakeof disaster-resilient measures (such as regulatory gaps in microfinance).

-

Ensure projects (e.g., loans, grants, technical assistance) targeted at the community levelfactor in disaster risk considerations.

-Support piloting of innovative products and approaches for strengthening disaster
resilience at the community level.

3.5.1 Community Based Early Warning system
Department of Meteorology and Hydrology DMH is the noble agency responsible to issue
timely warning to public on Cyclone, Flood, Tsunami. Department of Disaster Management,
Department of Meteorology and Hydrology and General Administration Department are mainorganizations in charge of Early Warning on DRM in Myanmar. The organizations in each level(State/Region, District, and Township) to be received/disseminated the Early Warning information
by DMH are shown as follows;-

DMH State/Region receives the Early Warning information from DMH National.

-

DMH State/Region disseminates/informs the Early Warning information to Chief
Minister Regional Government, Army Commander, South West Army Command H/Q,
Air force Commander Air Force Command, Navy Commander Navy Command,
DMH District, DDM State/Region, DDM District, GAD District, GAD Township,

38

DMH National, Regional Fire Station, and Department of Information &Communication.
-

DMH District receives the Early Warning information from DMH National and DMH
State/Region. DMH District disseminates/informs the Early Warning information to
DDM District, GAD District, and GAD Township.

Table 3.1

Organizations to be received or disseminated/informed the EW information by DMH[DMH]
DMH Region

Received• DMH National

DMH District••

DMH National
DMH Region

Disseminated/ Informed• Chief Minister Regional
Government• Army Commander, SouthWest Army Command H/Q• Air force Commander Air
Force Command• Navy Commander Navy
Command• DMH District• DDM Region, District,• GAD District, Township• DMH National,• DMH District• DMH District• DMH NMHs
• DMH NMHs
• Head Officer (Fire Station
Region)• Public Information and
Related(Region)• DDM District• GAD District, TownshipThe organizations in each level (Region, District, and Township) to be received/disseminated the
Early Warning information by DDM are shown as follows;-

DDM Region receives the Early Warning information from DDM National andDMH Region.

-

DDM Region disseminates/informs the Early Warning information to Chief Ministerof State/ Region and DDM District.

-

DDM District receives the Early Warning information from DDM Region.

39-

DDM District disseminates/informs the Early Warning information to GAD District,
GAD Township, Chairman of disaster management committee, and Department ofInformation & Communication.

Table 3.2

Organizations to be received or disseminated/informed the EW information by DDM[DDM]
DDM Region

Received• DDM National• DMH Region

DDM District•

DDM township

Disseminated/ Informed• Chief Minister ofState/Region• DDM District••••

GAD District
GAD Townshipchairman of disastermanagement committee
Information &Communication

The organizations in each level (Region, District, and Township) to be received/disseminated the
Early Warning information by GAD are shown as follows;-

GAD Region receives the Early Warning information from DMH National, Ministryof Home Affairs, and GAD National.

-

GAD Region disseminates/informs the Early Warning information to GAD District
and GAD Township.

-

GAD District receives the Early Warning information from GAD Region, DMH
National and GAD National.

-

GAD District disseminates/informs the Early Warning information to GAD
Township, Sub-township, Villages tracts and Wards.

-

GAD Township receives the Early Warning information from DMH National, GAD
Region, and GAD District.

-

GAD Township disseminates/informs the Early Warning information to Subtownships, Village tracts, Wards, NGOs & Social organizations, and Township
Departments.

40

Table 3.3

Organizations to be received or disseminated/informed the EW information by GAD[GAD]GAD Region

Received• Head Quarter of DMH• Ministry of Home
Affairs• Head Office of GAD

GAD District

•
•
•
•
•

GAD Township•

Disseminated/ Informed• District GAD/District
Administrator• Township GAD / Township
Administrator

GAD Region/Region
Administrator
DMH HQ
Head office of GAD
DMH HQ
District GAD/District
Administrator
Region GAD/Region
Administrator

•
•
•
•
•

Township GAD / Township
Administrator
Sub-township and Villages
tractsSub-townships & Village
tracts and Wards
NGOs & socialorganizations
Township Department

The basic transmission route for Early Warning information among the above three organizations isshown in the following figure.
Figure 3.4

Information transmission route
Tel/Fax/Mobile

President OfficeLine Ministries / Departments

National

DDM
RRD

GAD

Tel/Fax/Mobile

DMH
Ministry of
Defense
Tel/Fax/Mobile

Chief Minister
OfficeRegional

Tel/Fax/Mobile/
Messenger

Tel/Fax/Mobile

District

Tel/Fax/Mobile
/SSB

Media

Tel/Fax/Mobile/SSB

Tel/Fax/Mobile

Township

TV/Radio

Tel/Mobile/Messenger

Village
Tract

Mobile/Messenger

VillageMobile/Messenger/Speaker

Residents

Source; from Early warning Manual41

3.5.2 Build on Public Awareness programs to strengthen networks and capacity for DRM
In order to integrate community based public awareness programs and also to become acommunity resistance to Disaster, Department of Disaster Management have been implementing
Disaster Risk Reduction Programs including Public Awareness in collaboration with other related
Ministries, UN, NGO and INGOs:
 Training of Trainers on Disaster Management Course-TOT
 Disaster Management Course – DMC (State and Regional level) Distribution of posters and pamphlets
 Educative Talks on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Workshops and seminars ( Both local and abroad) CBDRR and CBDRM trainings
 Disaster Reduction Youth Volunteers TOT Trainings
 Awareness Trainings on Disaster Risk Reduction
 Replicating Courses
 Workshops
 EOC(Emergency Operation Centre) Pamphlets and Posters of disasters
 Disaster Management and Disaster Reduction Guidelines
The Myanmar Action Plan on Disaster Risk Reduction promotes the involvement of youth
volunteers in DRM. In 2014, the Department of Disaster Management launched the Disaster Risk
Youth Volunteer Programme. Volunteers are expected to raise disaster awareness at the community
level, improve community knowledge and the early warning system, act as first responders as well as
act as the operational arm of township disaster management committees to connect the community
with external agencies and partners, and contribute to response and recovery activities. To date, theDepartment of Disaster Management has trained a network of approximately 10,000 youth volunteers
from over 800 villages in disaster preparedness and response (out of an estimated need of up to
230,000 volunteers for all village tracts and wards). Through training-of-trainers courses, the intent
is to provide multiplier courses in the state or region with assistance from respective department
officials. By integrating youth volunteers in village tract or ward (and, where possible, township)disaster management committees, the Department of Disaster Management seeks to strengthen the
uptake of local disaster management plans at higher levels of government administration. This42

requires undertaking training for youth volunteers on how they can support existing community
structures for preparedness and response, and to ensure that community-level preparedness andresponse are inclusive and address the needs of the most vulnerable (including women, children,
people with disabilities, the elderly, and others) and utilize their capacities.
3.5.3 Cyclone shelter in Myanmar
Most Myanmar people have accumulated knowledge about cyclonic storm Nargis, which
severely hit Yangon and Ayeyarwady regions and parts of Mon State in 2008. It gave physical andmental suffering to millions of people, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead and injured.
Hence, the word of Nargis always shakes the heart of the people in taking preventive measures against
natural disasters. But such an unforgettable record left invaluable lessons to the people.
The dreadful Nargis stipulated the people to observe the weather forecasts whenever any kindsof disasters are slated to fall in parts of the nation. Most of the people in both Yangon and Ayeyarwady
regions participate in the rehearsal to take preventive measures against natural disasters even in thecondition of fine weather. It is because no one people wish to give casualties anymore in the disasters.
Primarily, depressions and storms may fall one after another in the country in the rainy season. Hence,
eleven regions and states have built cyclone shelters in order to give shelter to the people when any
disasters fall. The national natural disaster management fund has been spent on the construction of
243 cyclone shelters to give shelters to local people in 11 regions and states after cyclonic storm
Nargis had hit. In so doing, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement took
responsibility for the construction of cyclone shelters.
These cyclone shelters are scattered in disaster-prone areas such as Ayeyarwady, Yangon,
Bago, Magway, Tanintharyi and Sagging regions and Rakhine, Kayin, Chin, Mon and Shan states.
The shelters can be used as accommodation for victims whenever they face natural disasters such as
flooding, storms and others. During the normal time, the shelters can be used for community welfare
tasks.

43

Figure 3.5 Cyclone Shelter in Myanmar

Source ;from DDM(EOC)44

Chapter (4)Hazard Profile and Disaster Management System of Japan
4.1

Location
Japan is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is bordered on the west by

the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China
Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Total land area is about 378,000 square kilometers.
More than 70 percent of land surface is mountainous. As it is situated along the circum-Pacificvolcanic belt, Japan has several volcanic regions and frequently affected by earthquakes and Tsunami.
A major feature of Japan’s climate is the clear-cut temperature changes between the four seasons. In
spite of its rather small area, the climate differs in regions from a subarctic climate to a subtropicalclimate. The side of the country which faces the Sea of Japan has a climate with much snow in winterby seasonal winds from the Siberia. Most of the areas have damp rainy season from May to July by
the seasonal winds from the Pacific Ocean. From July to September, Japan frequently suffers from
Typhoon. The capital is Tokyo. Total population is about 127.77 million. Japan is divided into 47
administrative prefectures and eight traditional regions.
4.2

ClimateFigure 4.1

Map of Japan
Japan has four distinct seasons with a climate
ranging from subarctic in the north to subtropical in
the south. Conditions are different between the
Pacific side and the Sea of Japan side. Northern Japanhas warm summers and very cold winters with heavy
snow on the Sea of Japan side and in mountainous
areas.Eastern Japan has hot and humid summers andcold winters with very heavy snow on the Sea ofJapan side and in mountainous areas. Western Japan
has very hot and humid summers (with temperatures

Source ;from JMA

sometimes reaching 35 oC or above) and moderate

cold winters. Okinawa and Amami have asubtropical oceanic climate. These areas have hot andhumid summers (with temperatures rarely reaching 35 oC or above) and mild winters.

45

4.2.1 Winter (December- January- February)
In winter (December-January-February), the Siberian High develops over the EurasianContinent and the Aleutian Low develops over the northern North Pacific. Prevailing northwesterly
winds cause the advection of cold air from Siberia to Japan and bring heavy snowfall to Japan's Sea
of Japan side (upstream of mountainous land) and sunny weather to its Pacific side (downstream ofmountainous land). Temperatures as low as -20°C are frequently observed in inland areas of
Hokkaido, while Okinawa and Amami have mild winters due to their subtropical location.
4.2.2 Spring (March-April-May)
In spring (March-April-May), migratory cyclones and anticyclones that alternately move
eastward prevail across Japan. Temperature increases (decreases) in front (back) of cyclonic systems
due to warm southerly (cold northerly) flow. Temperature rises gradually with large short-term
variations. Sunshine duration is long in the second half of spring due to the predominance ofanticyclonic systems. The rainy season (known as the Baiu) begins in early May in Okinawa and in
mid-May in Amami.
4.2.3 Summer (June-July-August)
Early summer is the rainy season, known as the Baiu, in Japan. Its precipitation is caused bya stationary front, called the Baiu front, which forms where a warm maritime tropical air mass meetsa cool polar maritime air mass. In the second half of summer, the North Pacific High extends
northwestward around Japan, bringing hot and sunny conditions to the country. Western Japansometimes experiences temperatures of 35°C or above. On the other hand, the Okhotsk Highsometimes appears over the Sea of Okhotsk and causes cool and moist easterly winds (known as
Yamase), which bring cloudy and rainy conditions to the Pacific side of northern and eastern Japan.
The number of tropical cyclones approaching Okinawa/Amami peaks in August.
4.2.4 Autumn (September-October-November)
In autumn (September-October-November), temperatures fall gradually. Monthly precipitation
amounts are large in September due to the active autumnal rain front and tropical cyclones. In October,the frequent passage of anticyclonic systems brings sunny conditions and refreshing air to Japan. The
frequency of cold northwesterly flows across Japan and precipitation (rainfall or snowfall) on the Sea
of Japan side of the country show an increasing tendency in November.
4.3

Recent Major Disasters in Japan
Japan is located in the Circum-Pacific Volcanic Belt or “Ring of Fire” where seismic and46

volcanic activities occur constantly. Japan and its surrounding areas experience roughly a tenth of allearthquakes that occur in the world. Of the world’s active volcanoes, 7% exist in Japan. In addition,
because of geographical, topographical and meteorological conditions, the country is subject tofrequent natural disasters such as typhoons, torrential rains and heavy snowfalls, as well as
earthquakes and tsunami. In addition, as society and industry become more sophisticated, complex
and diversified, there is a need to further improve and strengthen disaster prevention measures fordamage caused by large-scale accidents (accident disasters), such as maritime disasters, air disasters,
railway disasters, road disasters, nuclear disasters, hazardous material disasters, large-scale firedisasters and forest fires.
Every year there is a great loss of people's lives and properties in Japan due to natural disasters.
Until the 1960s, largescale typhoons with earthquakes caused extensive damage and thousands ofcasualties. Thereafter, with the progress of society's capabilities to respond to disasters and mitigate
vulnerabilities to disasters by developing disaster management systems, promoting national landconservation, improving weather forecasting technologies, and upgrading disaster information
communications systems, disaster damage has shown a declining tendency. In spite of such efforts,
in 1995, more than 6,400 people died of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Also, in 2011, morethan 22,000 people died or went missing due to the Great East Japan Earthquake. There is also a highprobability of the occurrence of large-scale earthquakes in the near future including impending
possibilities of Nankai Trough Earthquake and Tokyo Inland Earthquake. As such, natural disasters
remain a menacing threat to the safety and security of the country. Major disasters occurred in Japan
as following.
4.3.1 Great Hanshin –Swaji Earthquake1995
On 17 January 1995, an earthquake with a 7.3 on the Richter scale occurred at Awaji islandof Hyogo Prefecture in Western Japan. It killed 6,434 people, injured 43,792 people, destroyed
104,906 houses, half destroyed 144,274 houses, and partially destroyed 390,506 houses. By the fires
broke out along with the earthquake, the area of 835,858 square meters was burnt down.
4.3.2 Mid Niigata prefecture Earthquake 2004
On 23 October 2004, the Mid Niigata Prefecture was affected by an earthquake with a 6.8 on
the Richter scale. Landslides and destruction of buildings and houses caused 68 dead, and 4,805
injured. 3,175 houses were totally destroyed, 13,810 houses were half destroyed, and 105,573 houses
were partially destroyed.

47

4.3.3 The Great East Japan Earthquake
A magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit the northeastern Japan on 11 March 2011, recording thelargest earthquake hit in Japan. Its epicenter was located in the coast of Sanriku and its epicentral area
stretched from the coasts of Iwate Prefecture to Ibaraki Prefecture. Massive shakes were observed
particularly in eastern Japan including Japanese intensity scale of 7 registered in the north of Miyagi
Prefecture. Furthermore, this earthquake, a trench-type earthquake occurred near the boundary of the
Pacific Plate and the plate beneath Tohoku area, triggered seafloor movements and generated massive
tsunami. According to the National Police Agency, this earthquake and tsunami have left
unprecedented human suffering: 15,870 people death, 2,814 people missing, and 6,114 people injured,as well as property damage: 129,472 totally collapsed buildings, 255,977 half collapsed buildings and702,928 partially collapsed buildings. Furthermore, the value of the destruction of the social
infrastructure, housing, and corporate facilities was estimated at 16.9 trillion yen and it had a great
impact on Japanese economy.
4.3.4 Northern Kyushu Torrential Rain (July 2017)
During July 5-6, 2017, a linear precipitation system was formed and stayed due to the effectof warm and very humid winds flowing into a stationary seasonal rain front in the vicinity of the
Tsushima Straits. This brought continued torrential rain to the same areas, resulting in record heavy
rain in northern Kyushu. Due to the torrential rain, water supplies and electricity, as well as roads,
railways, agriculture and forestry; all of which are key industries in this region were seriously
damaged. More than 2000 people were forced to live in evacuation centers after the disaster. There
were 44 people fatalities/ missing and 34 people were injured and 326 houses were completely
destroyed, 1110 houses were half-destroyed and the number of houses which were above floor
flooding were 222.
4.3.5 Typhoon 21 (October 2017)
Typhoon 21 moved northward from the southern part of Japan during 21-22 October and madelandfall near Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture while retaining its supersized and powerful
momentum. This brought heavy rain over much of western and Eastern Japan and Tohoku Region;
due to well-developed rain clouds surrounding the typhoon and the rain front near Honshu. In thisevent, there were 8 people died/missing, 244 were injured, the number of completely destroyed houses
are 7, half – destroyed houses were 434 and 2776 houses were above floor flooding.

48

4.3.6 West Japan Torrential Rain (July 2018)
In July 2018, catastrophic floods occurred in western Japan. These catastrophic floods caused
great economic losses and casualties, resulting in 212 deaths. damage to more than 2000 houses and
619 geological disasters in 31 prefectures. The flood resulted in the most significant impacts onwestern Japan since 1982; furthermore, the number of rainfall observation stations receiving thehighest amount of rainfall within 48 h compared to historical recordings was the highest since 1982.
4.3.7

Typhoon Hagibis 2019
Between October 6 until 13, 2019, an extremely strong and large tropical cyclone, Typhoon

Hagibis, caused widespread destruction across its path. It was the strongest typhoon to strike mainland
Japan in decades, and one of the largest typhoons ever recorded in terms of its diameter. It was also
the costliest Pacific typhoon recorded in history, causing a total of 15 billion US dollars in financial
damage.
4.4

Disaster Management System in Japan
Japan has 3 layers of government which are National government, Prefectures government,

and Municipalities government (National government, 47 prefecture government, 2350 cities, towns,
villages Municipal).To protect national land as well as citizens’ lives, livelihoods, and property fromnatural disasters is a national priority. The fundamental framework of the current disastermanagement system has been created after large-scale disasters .The turning point for strengthening
the disaster management system came after the immense damage caused by the Ise-wan Typhoon in
1959, and led to the enactment of the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act in 1961, which formulates
a comprehensive and strategic disaster management system. The disaster management system has
been further strengthened following the lessons learned from large-scale disasters such as the Great
Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Japan’s disaster management system addresses all of the disaster phasesof prevention, mitigation and preparedness, emergency response as well as recovery and rehabilitation.
With clear roles and responsibilities of the national and local governments, the relevant stakeholdersof the public and private sectors cooperate in implementing various disaster countermeasures.
Response oriented approach was changed to a preventive approach, and the individual approach waschanged into a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach in the disaster management system. Also, thegovernment has been trying to invest for disaster reduction in order to seek sustainable development.

49

Figure 4.2 Outline Disaster Management System of Japan

Source ;from Disaster Management System in Japan

4.4.1 Central Disaster Management Council
Basic Act on Disaster Countermeasures provides for the establishment of the Central Disaster
Management Council (CDMC). The Central Disaster Management Council is one of the councils thatdeal with crucial policies of the Cabinet, and is established in the Cabinet Office based on the Disaster
Countermeasures Basic Act. The council consists of the Prime Minister, who is the chairperson,
Minister of State for Disaster Management, all ministers, heads of major public institutions andexperts. The council promotes comprehensive disaster countermeasures including deliberating
important issues on disaster reduction according to requests from the Prime Minister or Minister ofState for Disaster Management.The duties and functions of CDMC are as follows:-

Formulate and promote implementation of the Basic Disaster Management Plan andEarthquake Countermeasures Plans.
Formulate and promote implementation of the urgent measures plan for majordisasters.
Deliberate important issues on disaster reduction according to requests from the Prime
Minister or Minister of State for Disaster Management (basic disaster management
policies, overall coordination of disaster countermeasures and declaration of state ofdisaster emergency)-

Offer opinions regarding important issues on disaster reduction to the Prime Minister
and Minister of State for Disaster Management.

50

Figure 4.3

organizarion of Central Disaster Management Council of Japan

Source ; from Disaster Management System in Japan

4.4.2 Disaster Management Planning System
The Basic Disaster Management Plan states comprehensive and long-term disaster reduction
issues such as disaster management related systems, disaster reduction projects, early and appropriate
disaster recovery and rehabilitation, as well as scientific and technical research. The plan was revised
entirely in 1995 based on the experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. It now consists ofvarious plans for each type of disaster, where tangible countermeasures to be taken by eachstakeholder such as the national and local governments, public corporations and other entities aredescribed for easy reference according to the disaster phases of prevention and preparedness,
emergency response, as well as recovery and rehabilitation.
The Basic Disaster Management Plan is a basic plan for disaster reduction in Japan preparedby the National Disaster Management Council in accordance with Article 34, Paragraph 1 of the Basic
Act on Disaster Management, and is subject to consideration "every year the results of scientificresearch on disasters and disaster prevention, the situation of disasters that have occurred, and theeffects of emergency disaster response measures taken in response to such disasters, and it is revised
if necessary." Based on the Basic Disaster Management Plan, local governments must prepare local
disaster management plans, and designated administrative organizations and designated public
corporations need to prepare and revise disaster reduction operation plans. Regarding FY 2020, theBasic Disaster Management Plan was revised in May 2020. Main revisions to the plan include the51addition of descriptions of responses to issues that became apparent after the disasters that occurredin FY 2019.
Figure 4.4

Structure of Basic Disaster Management plan

Source; from Disaster Management System in Japan
4.4.3 Community Based Disaster Risk Management in JapanThe municipal government plays a fundamental role in disaster management: according to theDisaster Countermeasure Basic Act, it is responsible for establishing a local disaster management
plan, emergency operations such as warning systems, issuing evacuation recommendations and orders,and flood fighting and relief activities. In cases where a municipality is so widely and heavily
devastated that it cannot carry out many of its primary roles, the prefectural government shall issue
evacuation recommendations and orders instead of the municipality. A local disaster management
plan shall provide for the following:-Specification of the roles of government organizations, designated public corporations(such as public utilities and the Red Cross), and other relevant public organizations.

-Plans by category of activity, including: development or improvement of DRM facilities,
investigation and research, education, drills and other preventive measures, collection anddissemination of information, issuing and disseminating of forecasts and warnings,
evacuation, fire fighting, flood fighting, rescue, hygiene, and other emergency measuresand rehabilitation efforts.

-

Plans for coordination, stockpiling of food and supplies, procurement, distribution,
shipping, communication, facilities, equipment, materials, funding, and so on.

52

When a prefectural disaster management council wishes to formulate or revise a local disastermanagement plan for the prefecture, the council is required to consult the prime minister in advance,
who in turn shall consult the Central Disaster Management Council. When the prefectural disastermanagement council has formulated or revised its local prefectural disaster management plan, thecouncil is required to release and disseminate a summary of the plan or revision.
Figure 4.5 Outline of Japan’s Disaster Management System

Source ;from Disaster Management System in Japan

In the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the limitations of the government’s
activities, and the importance of “mutual-help” in collaboration with local municipalities became
apparent. Consequently, the Cabinet Office amended the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Law inJune 2013, and created the “Community Disaster Management Plan” (CDMP), a plan for disastermanagement activities by businesses and residents of local communities. From the perspective ofsocial capital, disaster management activities based on the CDMP will lead to local community
participation in town planning, even during the preliminary reconstruction phase. In order toencourage and promote proactive disaster management activities among residents (including bothindividual and corporate residents) in a given area based on the spirit of self-help and mutual help,
and to enhance the disaster management capabilities of the area in a bottoms-up manner, it isstipulated that a community disaster management plan, featuring the community level disastermanagement activities, may be prescribed in the municipal disaster management plan. In developing
a community disaster management plan, more active and proactive participation of the area residents
is necessary at an early stage of such development. As such, it is stipulated that the area residents may

53

jointly make a proposal (proposed plan) to the municipal disaster management council that acommunity disaster management plan be stipulated in the municipal disaster management plan. Thusfar, the plans reflected in the community disaster management plans are that of 30 prefectures, 73
municipalities and 901 communities.
4.5

Study on community-based disaster preparedness and prevention activities in Japan
ADRC VRS visited to study about Torrential Rain Disaster in Tamba City on 3 March,2023.

We met Mr. Yohei SHIBAHARA ,Life Safety Section, Living Environment Division, Tamba Cityand discussed about geography and disaster profile of Tamba city and how to response to and recovery
efforts from 2014 Torrential Rain Disaster in Tamba City by local government and community.
The city is located at the eastern end of the Chugoku Mountain, the Geographically belongs
to the hilly and mountainous area formed by mountains with steep slopes. The city has the lowest
central watershed in Japan, located at 95m above sea level. Therefore, when torrential rain occurredin this area, which caused of landslide and flood. In Tamba City, Typhoon No. 23 in October 2004
caused large-scale flood damage that killed three people. However, in August 2014, the Tamba City
heavy rain disaster centered on large-scale landslides caused by the heavy rain front occurred.
Furthermore, when the West Japan torrential rain disaster occurred in July 2018, the first “heavy rain
emergency warning” was announced, and flood damage occurred throughout the city area.
We also went the site visits to the Sakiyama area which was occurred by the flood andlandslide disaster, and met with Ms. Akemi Yoden who was involved in the creation of the village
development plan and made effort to face the mountains. She talked about how to do Community
Development and Recovery/DRR Efforts by Local People after 2014 Tamba Torrential Rain. We
observed how to recovery along mountain area and build Sabo dam by local people.
Figure 4.7 Study tour to Tamba city

54

Flood and landslide disasters caused by torrential rains in Tamba city. Damage and loss data are as
follows table.
Table 4.1 Damage and loss data of disaster-Stricken in Tamba city
Items

Tamba city

Date of Disaster occurrence

August 16 to 17,2014

Human suffering (death toll)

1

Damage of residential houses

18 totally destroyed,51 half destroyed, 954 partiallydamaged (including inundation below floor level)
Total 1023 houses

Amount of drained soil

Approx. 500 thousand m3

Precipitation

Approx. 100 mm per hour
Approx. 300 mm per hours

Forest land collapse

256 sites

Number if volunteer

Approx. 18000 persons

Donation

Approx. 0.22 billion yen

Source: Lecture by Mr. Yohei SHIBAHARA, Life Safety Section, Living Environment Division,
Tamba City
Regional concentrated torrential rain occurred in a short time. So, Sediment disaster broughtby Torrential rains they had never experienced before. A large amount of sediment and driftwoodflowed out because of more than 250 forest land collapse sites. Houses at the foot of a mountain wereheavily damaged. Overflowed water mixed with sediment, and inundated the community andfarmland.
In during disaster, implementation of disaster emergency response are:-Public facilities of the city , regional hub facilities, and other (11 places)(Setting up consultation service, distribution of lime and antiseptic solution, offeringbathing facilities, and others)-

Securing of emergency transportation roads, community roads, and river courses, removalof sediment around houses, secondary disaster risk reduction, and others-

Water supply to areas affected by a water cut-off (water-supply truck, water-supply bag,support from municipalities in Hyogo)

55-

Setting up a temporary storage site and implementation of special collection (support frommunicipalities in Hyogo)-

Acceptance and distribution of relief supplies (Accepting relief supplies such as
housewares from all over the country)-

Setting up the volunteer centre, and others(Approximately, over 18 thousand volunteers
were involved)

The local Government and community are lessons learnt from the past disaster and then preparedness
for future disasters is as follow;
1. The local government has provided the Radio to each household (about 25 thousandhousehold) free of charge for issuance of information on evacuation and evacuation actions.
Local government issue evacuation advisory through disaster management radio system.
Points of evacuation actions are evacuation actions at night, flooded roads ,risk of flood
damage and sediment disaster and risk of secondary disaster due to evacuation actions bymoving out.
2. Each local residents’ association prepared self-made hazard map.
-

Areas where flooding is prone to occur, the sites where landslides are prone tooccur.

-

Hazardous areas during evacuation, those who need helping hand(individual
evacuation support).

-

Route to primary evacuation center, which is supposed to be safe-

Direction of water flowing in , past examples of flood damage that occurredpreviously in the region.

-

What we want to tell local people to hand it over.

3. Frequently mixing well with the neighbors (mutual-help System)-

Building a good relationship with your neighbors where you can always tellthem

Situation three years after disaster, about 98% of restoration and reconstruction works wascompleted. Restoration and reconstruction works are such as forest conservation, erosion control,
revitalization of hometown, promotion of house building, utilization of vacant house, setting up bufferzones and prevention of disasters, agricultural promotion.

56

Figure 4.8 Formulation of reconstruction plan

Source; from Lecture by Mr. Yohei SHIBAHARA ,Life Safety Section, Living Environment Division,
Tamba City
Five years after the heavy rain disaster in Tamba City in 2014, citizens, private organizations,the city, etc. have worked together to create a creative reconstruction with the slogan of "connecting
hearts" as a slogan for reconstruction, while receiving support from various fields. In the event of adisaster, the mutual help of local residents, known as "mutual aid," is essential. The city is also
promoting the establishment of a "voluntary disaster prevention organization" as an arbitrary groupthat local residents can voluntarily cooperate with and carry out disaster prevention activities, withthe residents' association as the parent body. A voluntary disaster prevention organization is avoluntary disaster prevention organization by local residents (with residents' associations as the parentbody) as stipulated in the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Law. Based on the provisions of Article
42 of the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Law, they have established a regional disaster prevention
plan. The Tamba City Regional Disaster Prevention Plan consists of "general rules", "disasterprevention plan", "disaster emergency measures, restoration/reconstruction plan", "nuclear disastercountermeasures plan", and "materials".

57

In order to ensure that the experience and lessons learned from the Tamba City heavy raindisaster do not fade away and are passed on to future generations, August 16 was designated as Tamba
City's Heart-to-heart Disaster Prevention Day, and various initiatives are being promoted. The Tamba
City Disaster Prevention Association was awarded the Hyogo Prefecture Kusunoki Award for its
outstanding achievements in the realization of a beautiful and heart-rich Hyogo area throughcommunity development activities through participation and collaboration in the Tamba area. All
members have qualifications such as disaster prevention specialists, and with their specialized
knowledge, they have been receiving requests from elementary and junior high schools, welfare
facilities, residents' associations, etc. In Tamba City for many years to conduct disaster prevention
training workshops, and contributed to the creation of a strong local community.

In line with these

efforts by the national government and Hyogo Prefecture, they will comprehensively andsystematically promote measures related to national resilience, and promote the development ofstrong, safe, and secure communities together with citizens, the national government, prefectures,
businesses, and others. In order to move forward, they have formulated the “Tamba City Regional
Plan for National Resilience”.

58

Chapter (5)Conclusion
This paper presents community-based Disaster Risk Management in Myanmar and Japan.
Especially , this paper focuses on community based Disaster preparedness and prevention .Nowadays,
every country including Myanmar in the world is facing the effects of climate change and also thegap of unequal development. As a result, most of countries have been experiencing the attack of
unexpected natural disasters. A disaster can put development gains at risk because it is directly linked
with the development. Therefore, all countries in the world need to consider having the best plan on
DRR and DRM. Myanmar has Disaster Management Plans at all levels which need to update/ develop
the old ones according to the time and circumstances of the country's situations. To be the effective
and efficient plan, we have to use a people-centered and inclusive approach since the backbone of thecountry is our citizens who are the key responders to any disasters. Moreover, DRR is Everyone's
business. Especially, communities' participation and empowerment are central to good preparedness
and prevention activities. If we strengthen the capacity of communities for disaster preparedness andprevention activities, they can tackle the disaster risk. They will be able to consider all aspects ofdisaster prevention measures in local development interventions. In addition, they will be able to builda resilient community for the future disaster. Myanmar as a Developing country needs to empower
community members, raise awareness of community-based disaster risk management (DRM), andsupport community organizations through formal recognition and support of local and national
authorities. Therefore, CBDRM needs to be implemented across the country. Myanmar National
Farmwork for Community Disaster Resilience aimed at “Promoting People-centered, Inclusive, andSustainable Development”. Strengthening community disaster resilience also requires a coherent
approach that includes Community Engagement Disaster Risk Information, Disaster Risk
Governance.
Japan, one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, has developed a sophisticatedand comprehensive disaster management system. Based on the three-layered national system ofgovernment and the country's administrative boundaries, the formation and evolution of the disastermanagement system in Japan has been strongly influenced by unfavorable geographical location, as
well as by climate and topographic disasters and various Large-scale disasters have been the driving
force for more change and improvement. Local communities play a key role in preparing fordisastrous events, such as the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), as the first responders to take59

action. On March 11, 2011, the disaster response of community-based organizations saved countlesshuman lives. Recognizing the role of communities and providing them with central and local
government support remains critical to maintaining and strengthening important community-based
functions. The GEJE experience yielded several important lessons about the need to empower
communities to understand and reduce the risks they face, prepare for natural disasters, and act asfirst responders to hazard events. It also pointed to important ways to strengthen their roles.The
community leaders knew well to prepare community-based disaster management plan by themselves
and municipal government supported the leaders to make that plan. After preparing the plan, themembers of CBOs distributed them all houses in those respective areas. The local government andcommunity are understood to promote self-help initiatives to protect one's own life, mutual assistanceinitiatives to help and support each other in the community, and efforts to build a safe and securesociety. They recognized that efforts for public assistance, and efforts that coordinated these self-help,
mutual assistance, and public assistance are important.
Japan has the Museums in which the person who are interested on DRR can touch the imageof past disasters and can suffer the messages they want to hand over to their generations. The
maintenance of the records (photos, documentation, and some samples of broken physical features)
about the past disasters is very systematic. In the earthquake museums, Commentaries clearly
describe and inform visitors about the fault set out to preserve the memory of the earthquake but also
to make us think of large earthquakes that might occur in future. We could study that valuable lessons
and information need to be communicated to all people, young and old. We observed and got theexperience the tremors of an earthquake with the seismic motion simulator and MX4D, what theearthquake disaster was like and the history of how the region’s recovery. In the Great East Japan
Memorial Sendai Arahama elementary school and residential foundation museum displays photos
and videos that were showing the real threat of a Tsunami. These museums remind all visitors of theimportance of disasters preparedness and prevention.

60

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Hazard Profile of Myanmar 2009-

Myanmar Community Resilience Framework-

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March 2006 Early Warning Sub-Committee of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on
International-

White paper of Japan 2022-

Cooperation for Disaster Reduction Government of Japan-

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December 2020 Ministry of the Environment, Japan-

Basic Disaster Management Plan of Japan-

Climate, Environmental Degradation and Disaster Risk in Myanmar, a MIMU Analytical
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https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/01/1055681

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