Empowering the communities through multi-level approaches
Bousavanh Vongbounleua Technical Officer, Department of Climate Change, Lao PDR
“The village is nestled along the foot of the hills. Access to timely information and assistance remains a challenge”
One of the key tools of disaster risk management that can build the resilience of communities prone to this cycle of crisis and increasing vulnerability is early warning. Early warning saves lives by alerting the population of an imminent danger, empowering them to make decisions that can help protect their lives and livelihoods.
According to Bouasavanh, two areas needed assistance to better prepare the community in times of disaster: installation of megaphones and resettlement areas. Most villages rely on the warnings from their own neighbors. There are no megaphones installed in the communities. “Early warning, when linked to early action can help mitigate the effects, complementing governmental mandates to protect lives.”
The problem of land scarcity is concerning. Many settlements appear along the main roads and built on lower slope gradients. In collaboration with local authorities and the government, the ASEAN DRR-CCA Project carried out a detailed risk assessment study. “Many areas have higher potential for occurrence of landslides in future. The observed vulnerabilities are common to rural and semi-urban areas of some of the ASEAN countries. “Immediate countermeasures will help mitigate disaster loss and help save lives.”
ASEAN Project on Disaster Risk Reduction by Integrating Climate Change Projection into Flood and Landslide Risk Assessment (ASEAN DRR-CCA) is supported by the Government of Japan through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).