CBM India Trust conducted a one-day orientation seminar on “Village Disaster Management and Safeguarding Strategy Formulation” in New Tehri, Uttarakhand. Tehri is home to around 6.18 Lakh people and 250 people with disabilities, and their families are among the 1500 members of the vulnerable population that make up our target demography.
This pilot project by CBM, Prathiskandhan Samuday or Resilient Community, aligns with the overall objective of strengthening communities’ resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. Through the Community Based Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (CBIDRR) approach, CBM hopes to enhance the strength of communities in Tehri, Uttarakhand, against future calamities.
Uttarakhand is prone to cloud bursts, earthquakes, floods, erosions, and landslides. From 2014-2020, approximately 1000 people lost their lives or were severely injured due to some natural calamity. On the other hand, the Tehri region of Uttarakhand has reported over 495 disasters in only two years.
CBM and Karuna Social Service Society (KSSS) brought together 15 panchayats in Uttarakhand and several administrative offices, including block-level offices, Panchayati Raj institutions, and NRLM offices on the 30th of June 2022, to attend a seminar to learn more about disaster preparedness and response. Village leaders, ASHA workers, ANM nurses, Aganwadi workers, Yuva Mangal Dal, Mahila Mangal Dal, and SHG members were among the attendees.
Mr Brijesh Bhatt, the District Disaster Management Officer, presided over the seminar. Mr K.N. Goswani, the Sub District Magistrate, Ghansali, was the Chief Guest. Mr Jobin Matthew, DiDRR Project Manager, stressed that “the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programme should be Disability Friendly and Disability Inclusive”. Mr Brijesh Bhatt focused his speech on preventive preparedness and rescue methods. “To reduce the adverse effects of disaster, the village community should work together without leaving anyone behind,” he added.
Mr Anil Saklani, the Master Trainer for Survival, Search, and Rescue Operations at the DDMO, and his SDRF team demonstrated the use of equipment, including life jackets, gloves, safety shoes, and helmet, pulley, and tent. The participants also planned a 5-day Mock Drill, Search and Rescue training for selected MTs and interested youth in September and a village-level Mock Drill in the coming weeks.
