Disaster Risk Management

Active

• Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project Additional Financing

• Dam Rehabilitation & Improvement Project - Restructuring and Additional Financing

  The objective of the Additional Financing for the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project for India is to improve the safety and operational performance of selected existing dams in the territory of the participating states. The PDO will be achieved through rehabilitation and improvement of dams and improvement in central and state-level institutional capacity to sustainably manage dam safety administration and operation and maintenance. GoI has requested additional financing in the form of an IBRD loan of US$137 million to help finance the additional project cost of US dollar 113.5 million as well as the dollar 87.5 million gap created by the earlier cancellation. The largest part of the additional cost arose from design changes that were anticipated at the time of the appraisal of the project and that were detailed during implementation through additional studies, including safety enhancements recommended by various Dam Safety Review Panels.

• Integrated Coastal Zone Management

  The objective of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project is to assist Government of India (GoI) in building national capacity for implementation of comprehensive coastal management approach in the country, and piloting the integrated coastal zone management approach in states of Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal. There are four components to the project, the first component being national ICZM capacity building. The national component will include mapping, delineation and demarcation of the hazard lines, and delineation of coastal sediment cells all along the mainland coast of India. The second component is the piloting ICZM approaches in Gujarat. This component will support capacity building of the state level agencies and institutions, including preparation of an ICZM plan for the coastal sediment cell that includes the Gulf of Kachchh, and pilot investments. The third component is the piloting ICZM approaches in Orissa. This component will include capacity building of the state level agencies and institutions, including preparation of an ICZM plan for the coastal sediment cells that include the stretches of Paradip-Dhamra and Gopalpur-Chilika, including a regional coastal process study, and pilot investments. Finally, the fourth component is the piloting ICZM approaches in West Bengal.

• Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project

  The objective of the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project for India is increasing the resilience of coastal communities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, to a range of hydrometeorological and geophysical hazards along with improving project implementation entities? capacity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. The project has five components. The first component is vulnerability reduction. The objective of this component is to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities through infrastructure such as permanent houses, evacuation shelters and routes, and resilient electrical networks. It has following three sub-components: (i) resilient housing; (ii) evacuation shelters, routes and early warning systems; and (iii) cyclone resilient electrical network. The second component is sustainable fisheries. The objective of this component is to address gaps in the context of a long term vision for the fisheries sector. The component aims at upgrading infrastructure, developing an approach for co-management of fisheries and addressing safety at sea. This component has following two sub-components: (a) fishing infrastructure; and (b) Second Fisheries Management for Sustainable Livelihood (FIMSUL II). The third component is capacity building in disaster risk management. This component will focus on strengthening the capacity of government institutions, civil society, the school education system and coastal communities through following four sub-components: (i) strengthening of state disaster management authority; (ii) Community Based Disaster Risk Management Program (CBDRM); (iii) curriculum development on disaster risk reduction for schools and training institutions; and (iv) completing preparation of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) plan for Tamil Nadu, completing erection of High Tide Line (HTL) pillars

• National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-II

  The development objective of the Second Phase of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project for India is to reduce vulnerability to cyclone and other hydro-meteorological hazards of coastal communities in project states, and increase the capacity of the state entities to effectively plan for and respond to disasters. The project comprises of four components. The first component, early warning dissemination systems (EWDS) will reduce the vulnerability of coastal areas by addressing the existing gap in dissemination of warning to the communities. The second component, cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure aim to increase the preparedness and reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities through strategic infrastructure investments, that is, improving their capacity and access to emergency shelter, evacuation routes, and protecting critical infrastructure against cyclones and hydro meteorological hazards to reduce potential damages and ensure continuation of services. It consists of following six sub-components: (i) cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure in Goa; (ii) cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure in Gujarat; (iii) cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure in Karnataka; (iv) cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure in Kerala; (v) cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure in Maharashtra; and (vi) cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure in West Bengal. The third component, technical assistance for multi-hazard risk management aims to improve the quality of available information on multi hazard risks for decision making, and strengthen multi-hazard risk management at a national level. It consists of following five sub-components: (i) multi-hazard risk modeling and assessment; (ii) strengthening emergency recovery capacity; (iii) enhancing the capacity for disaster risk management and response in non-coastal states; (iv) hydro-meteorological resilience action plans; and

• Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project

  The objective of the Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project for India is to restore housing, rural connectivity and build resilience of communities in Uttarakhand and increase the technical capacity of the state entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. There are six components to the project, the first component being resilient infrastructure reconstruction. The objective of this component is to focus on the immediate needs of reconstruction of damaged houses and public buildings. The aim is to reduce the vulnerability of the affected population and restore access to the basic services of governance. The second component is the rural road connectivity. The objective of this component is to restore the connectivity lost due to the disaster through the reconstruction of damaged roads and bridges including: village roads, Other District Roads (ODRs), bridle roads and bridle bridges. The third component is the technical assistance and capacity building for disaster risk management. The objective of this component is to enhance the capabilities of government entities and others in risk mitigation and response. The fourth component is the financing disaster response expenses. This component will support the financing of eligible expenses already incurred by the state during the immediate post-disaster response period. The fifth component is the implementation support. This component will support the incremental operating costs of the project, including the operation of the Project Management Unit (PMU) and the respective Project Implementation Units (PIUs). Finally, the sixth component is the contingency emergency response.

• Odisha Disaster Recovery Project

  The development objective of the Odisha Disaster Recovery Project for India is to restore and improve housing and public services in targeted communities of Odisha, and increase the capacity of the state entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. The project has five components. The first component is resilient housing reconstruction and community infrastructure. It has following two sub-components: (i) housing reconstruction for the reconstruction of about 30,000 houses in the designated rural areas in the coastal belt 5 km from the high tide line (HTL) in the districts of Ganjam and Puri, and 5km from the Chilika lake boundary as defined by the survey of India in the district of Khordha; and (ii) selected community infrastructure for public infrastructure improvements to complement the housing reconstruction. The second component, urban infrastructure in Berhampur will finance investments to improve public services in Berhampur while at the same time reduce the vulnerability of its population. Improved public infrastructure will reduce vulnerability through improved drainage to reduce floods, and increasing the resilience of public service infrastructure. It has following four sub-components: (i) upgrading of slums; (ii) public service infrastructure; (iii) community participation; and (iv) technical assistance. The third component, capacity building in disaster risk management objective is to support Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) in strengthening their overall capacity towards better risk mitigation, preparedness, and disaster response, in line with global best practices. The fourth component, implementation support will finance the incremental operating costs of the project management units (PMUs) in OSDMA and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (H and UD), and the project implementation unit (

• India: National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (I) Additional Financing

  The objective of Additional Financing for the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project for India is to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa to cyclone and other hydro meteorological hazards. The additional financing will be used to scale up risk mitigation project activities and their impact and development effectiveness in the context of the October 2013 cyclone that hit the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. These aims will be targeted through expanded activities under component B (cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure) and the related incremental management and coordination support under component D (project management and implementation support). The additional financing will be processed with the following: (i) adjustment of the indicators to reflect the proposed scale up and additional activities, and (ii) closing date of October 31, 2017. As a result of cyclone Phailin, the Government of India is seeking support to further finance disaster preparedness, ever more conscious of the need for cyclone risk mitigation infrastructure in the vulnerable coastal states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

• Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project

  The development objectives of the Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project for India are to restore, improve, and enhance resilience of public services, environmental facilities, and livelihoods in targeted communities, and to enhance the capacity of state entities to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. The project comprises of seven components. The first component, resilient electrical network objective is to reduce the vulnerability of the city’s electrical network by laying the power distribution system underground. The second component, restoration of connectivity and shelter infrastructure will finance investments to permanently restore, upgrade, and increase resilience towards future disasters of roads and cyclone shelters. It consists of following two sub-components: (i) restoration of rural roads and cyclone shelters; and (ii) restoration of major district roads. The third component, restoration and protection of the beach front will support priority investments along the beachfront of the city of Visakhapatnam. It consists of following two sub-components: (i) shore protection works; and (ii) beach front restoration. The fourth component, restoration of environmental services and facilities and livelihood support will finance the reconstruction of the severely damaged Indira Gandhi zoological park (IGZP) at Visakhapatnam and eco-tourism Park at Kambalakonda wildlife sanctuary. It consists of following two sub-components: (i) restoration of environmental services and facilities; and (ii) livelihoods support. The fifth component, capacity building and technical support for disaster risk management will support investments to enhance the capabilities of Government of Andhra Pradesh (GoAP) entities and other stake holders in managing disaster risks, enhancing preparedness, and achieving resilient recovery. It consists of following

• Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project

  The Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for India will support the recovery and increase disaster resilience in Project Areas, and increase the capacity of the Project Implementing Entity to respond promptly and effectively to an eligible crisis or emergency. The flood affected region, consists of 22 districts, affecting 12.5 million people. The project involves seven components, including: 1) Reconstruction and strengthening of critical infrastructure; 2) Reconstruction of roads and bridges; 3) Restoration of urban flood management infrastructure; 4) Restoration and strengthening of livelihoods; 5) Strengthening disaster risk management capacity; 6) Contingent Emergency Response; and 7) Implementation Support. The project incorporates lessons learned from ongoing post-disaster recovery projects financed by the Bank in Uttarakhand, Odisha, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh, as well as worldwide. Some of the lessons incorporated are: technical codes and standards utilized should be resilient to natural hazards; the Disaster Management Act of 2005 paved the way for the creation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at the national level, and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the latter with a clear mandate for spearheading disaster management efforts in the states; globally, there is evidence that some flood response programs have focused too heavily on rebuilding infrastructure and not enough on better adaptation and preparedness for the future in complementary investments, such as water and flood management, rural finance, early warning communication systems, etc; DRM institutions are frequently overstretched between regular operations and emergencies; and the project also incorporates lessons from the Bogota Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, which included retrofitting of hospitals.

Pipeline

• Enhancing Coastal and Ocean Resource Efficiency

• Forests and Fire : Strengthening Prevention and Management in India : Forests and fire : strengthening prevention and management in India

  Fire has been a part of India’s landscape since time immemorial and can play a vital role in healthy forests, recycling nutrients, helping tree species regenerate, removing invasive weeds and pathogens, and maintaining habitat for some wildlife. Occasional fires can also keep down fuel loads that feed larger, more destructive conflagrations, but as populations and demands on forest resources have grown, the cycle of fire has spun out of balance. Large areas of degraded forest are now subject to burning on an annual or semi-annual basis. As these fires are no longer beneficial to forest health, India is increasingly wrestling with how to improve the prevention and management of unwanted forest fires. India is not alone in facing this challenge. Forest fires have become an issue of global concern. In many other countries, wildfires are burning larger areas, and fire seasons are growing longer due to a warming climate (Jolly et al 2015). With growing populations in and around the edges of forests, more lives and property is now at risk from fire. About 670,000 km2 of forest land are burned each year on average (about 2 percent of the world’s forested areas (van Lierop et al 2015)), releasing billions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere,1 while hundreds of thousands of people are believed to die due to illnesses caused by exposure to smoke from forest fires and other landscape fires (Johnston et al 2012). Tackling forest fires is even more imperative in India as the country has set ambitious policy goals for improving the sustainability of its forests. As part of the National Mission for Green India under India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change, the government has committed to increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares and to improve the quality of forest on another 5 million hectares. Relatedly, under its NDC, India has committed to bringing 33 percent of its geographical area under forest cover and to create additional sinks of 2.5 billion to 3 billion tons worth of CO2 stored in its forests by 2030. Yet, it is unclear whether India can achieve these goals if the prevention and management of forest fires is not improved. Field-verified data on the extent and severity of fires are lacking, and understanding of the longer-term impacts of forest fires on the health of India’s forests remains weak. The objective of this assessment is to strengthen knowledge on forest fires by documenting current management systems, identifying gaps in implementation, and making recommendations how these systems can be improved.