The International Forum on Telling Live Lessons from Disasters

FORUM 2010

Symposium “Thinking about the Live
Lesson Telling of Disasters”
Kobe, 20-22 March 2010

Telling Live Lessons of Disasters: Nepal’sExperience
Amod Dixit, NSET
NepalHomePreviousNextIntroduction - Nepal• Exposure to Multiple Hazards (Natural DisasterHotspots: A Global Risk Analysis of World Bank)– Exposed to 3 of 5 considered hazards by– Ranks 9th in terms of territory (60.5%) andpopulation (51.6%) exposed– Ranks 2nd in terms of Total area at risk (80.2%), andpopulation at risk (88.6)• Relative vulnerability (UNDP)– 11th in terms of earthquakes– 31 in terms of floods– Kathmandu Valley – the most at-risk city to deaths
due to earthquake
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Disaster Events during 1971-2007
in Nepal (source: DesInventar, NSET)
Event(Source: DesInventar Database, NSET)
Data-cards Population Population
No. of Buildings(Events)
DeathsAffected
Damaged / Destroyed

Flood

2,720

2,936

3,367,974

154,104

Landslide

2,184

3,987

479,972

25,451

Earthquake

94

873

4,539

89,020Fire, Forest Fire

3,978

1,125

228,456

66,395Epidemics

3,129

15,741

461,952-

Drought152-

1,512-

Cold Wave

1922981,453-Heat Wave

3125261-

Famine20283,902-

Avalanche

90

217

1,012

28

2,123

1,166

281,661

9,144

675

886

13,868

1,781

15,38827,256

4,926,562

Other Hydro-meteorological
OthersTotalHome

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345,923NextDevelopment Indicators - Nepal
POPULATION STATISTICS
Population, total (millions), 2005

27.1

Projected Population, total (millions), 2015

32.8

Population, annual growth rate (%), 1975-2005

2.3

SOCIAL STASTICS
Life expectancy at birth, annual estimates (years), 2005

62.6

Adult literacy rate (% aged 15 and older), 1995-2005

48.6

POVERTY & INEQUALITY
Human Development Index (trends), 2005

0.534

HDI Rank

142

Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) rank

84

Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) value (%)

38.1

Population living below the national poverty line (%), 1990-2004

30.9

SCHOOL EDUCATION
Number of schools

26,277

Population of school going children

6,018,806

NATIONAL ACCOUNTS
GDP per capita (US$), 2005

272

GDP per capita, annual growth rate (%), 1990-2005

2HomePreviousNextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD –Stone Scriptures• Monument to 1934 M8.3 Richter EQ• Erected five years after completion ofReconstruction in 1939
• Lessons scriptedon 6 marble plates
around the column• Starting point of National
Annual Earthquake Safety
Day programs, 15/01
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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD –Archives

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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD Monuments (2)• Monument to 1934 M8.3 Richter EQ in Durbar Square
Lalitpur• Erected seven years after completion ofReconstruction in 1940/41• Lessons scripted onthe column• Start of AnnualEarthquake Safety Day
in Lalitpur
Municipality, 15/01
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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD –Museums• A Cloak at 2:15 pm and wrenched steel H-beamwitnesses and reminds the devastating effect of the1934 M8.3 Earthquake• Constructed 7 years
after the event in1941• Exhibit is a part of theNational Museum ofNepal

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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD - Books

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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD – Other
Publications

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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD – OtherMeans• Sawai – A traditional solo song on surrounding reality
description• Other Forms of folklore:

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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD –Photographs• Monument• Lessons scriptedHomePrevious

NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD –History Books

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NextNepal’s Tradition of TLLFD – Workshop
Sessions

Panel Discussion Historicalearthquakes and their impacts
in buildings and social lives ofpeople of Nepal
Symposium on Experiences ofEarthquake risk management
Earthquake Safety Day 2009

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NextChallenges• Socio-cultural aspects of Disasters yet not understood– Paradigm shift from Humanitarian action to effective
preparedness and mitigation or Disaster Reduction is still slow
– Major focus still on hazards assessment – understanding ofrisk is largely poor, and focused on casualty and physicallosses. Social and Cultural risks of disasters and also sociocultural methods of disaster risk reduction is still in infantile
stage• Conventional concepts on education, research, andmeans such as museums, monuments– Disaster museums or monuments are still new concepts inpolicy/decision-making circle
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Challenges• Too many disasters (floods, landslides etc)– No felt necessity to transfer live lessons in everyday life

• Too few disasters such as Earthquake : social memory
gets faint quickly• Conflicting priorities – so many lessons to be learned andtransferred – learning lessons and transferring get lowpriority– Priority sectors are Health, agriculture, job creation, etc;
disasters come later• IMPORTANCE OF TRANSFERRING LIVE LESSONS LEARNED• Its economic and socio-cultural value and benefits difficult to convince.

– TLLL is the least priority area even within Disaster RiskManagement,• High priority areas yet largely under-funded !!
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NextChallenges• TLLL – most means are expensive & demand large
investments• Museums and exhibitions demand technologies– Technology for a vibrating platform is not easily accessible indeveloping countries• Many installed systems are not working• Other challenges for DRR also pertinent for TLLL• BUT TLLL IS A MUST
– Especially for low periodicity high impact hazards such asEarthquake
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