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Content

1. 9th CITYNET Disaster Cluster Seminar in Taipei2. Technical Advisory Visit on Community Resilience and Fire Safey Programs3. First and Second Batch of Barangays participate in Community Based Risk Assessment, Iloilo, Philippines4. Early Warning System workshop set for Coastal Barangays, Iloilo5. Strengthening DRRM Capacities in the CDRRM Council and Office6. CYO staff visit the Hokubu Wastewater and Sludge Treatment Facilities7. Indonesian delegation visit Yokohama to learn about Smart City Project8. CYO welcomes new a new Intern

2. Technical Advisor y Visit on Com-muni t y Re s i l i ence and F i r e Sa f e t y Programs

CITYNET Yokohama Project Office is pleased to announce that the 9th CITYNET Disaster Cluster Seminar and Symposium will be hosted by Taipei City Government from September 22-24, 2016. The invitation goes out to all Disaster Cluster members and officers in charge of Disaster Risk Reduction Management for a knowledge exchange and networking opportunity to make cities more resilient against disasters.

E-NewsAugust 2016

Vol. 3 No. 8

As a part of the ongoing technical assistance from Japan to Iloilo, members from the Fire Bureau, the Urban Development Bureau of the city of Yokohama as well as the community disaster volunteer and coordinator of one of Yokohama’s wards visited Iloilo to share knowledge and practices from Yokohama.

Yokohama Fire Bureau personnel shares fire prevention regulations of Yokohama to personnel of

Bureau of Fire (BFP) in Iloilo

As the need for fire safety has risen over the years in Iloilo, members of the Bureau of Fire (BFP) in Iloilo and the expert from Yokohama Fire Bureau exchanged their tactics in preventing fires, conducting CPR and development of local ordinances that help in regulating preparedness and preventing disasters. A session with the members of the community was also conducted to share prevention programs practiced in the communities in Japan including the ways to prepare emergency packs and conducting awareness raising programs.

1. 9 th C IT YN ET D isaste r C luste r Seminar in Taipei

A community representative from Yokohama conducts a workshop on emergency kit preparation with the

members of CDRRMO and stakeholders

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Members from Yokohama and the residents of the barangays conduct exercises on rescuing people

from the scenes of disasters

3 . F i r s t a n d S e c o n d B a t c h o f Barangays participate in Community B a s e d R i s k A s s e s s m e n t , I l o i l o , Philippines

A representative from one of Yokohama’s wards and a member of the volunteer group introduced the emer-gency preparations done at household levels, particu-larly on making the emergency kit. Emergency kits in Yokohama are based on the assumption of a large scale earthquake but in Iloilo’s case, the kit needs to be localised to address floods and typhoons as well.

The technical advisory team also consisted of specialists from the Urban Design Bureau who shared the com-munity initiatives on disaster prevention. The initiatives are supported by the city government with subsidies and implemented through a selection process to which members of the communities can submit project pro-posals. Specific examples on how residents can develop and propose a project were shared.

Members from Yokohama visit Iloilo Fire Station

One such example was the installation of a cistern in the community prone to fires and inaccessible by fire trucks. The cistern installed underground and maintained through the neighbourhood association acts as a reserve tank which can cater water for drinking purposes as well as for extinguishing fires.

Thirteen barangays participated in an orientation on Community Based Risk Assessment (CBRA) as part of Component 1, CBARAD-II activities. A total of 149 bar-angay leaders attended the orientation and participated in discussions. The group was led by the City Planning and Development Office, staff from the Research and Planning Section of the City Planning and Development Office, and trained facilitators. The group was a part of the second batch of barangays that will undergo CBRA, in which GIS-based hazard maps, risk maps, vulnerability and resource maps will be produced to assist in better risk, resource and disaster management. Three batches will undergo the assessment, totalling 50 barangays overall. The first batch conducted CBRA in May and have produced risk profiles of each barangay. The next step will be to undergo data validation in partnership with volunteers form the Social Advocacy and Community Engagement Office (SACEO) of the University of San Agustin. The first validation meeting included barangay leaders and health workers of Barangay Bito-on, in which data shared by community members was double checked and assessed.

SACEO faculty volunteers meet the barangay leaders of Brgy. Bito-on to validate the risk data gathered

during the community based risk assessment.

Barangay officials attend the barangay orientation on Community Based Risk Assessment.

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5. Strengthening DRRM Capacities in the CDRRM Council and Office

A workshop to establish a community based Early Warning System (EWS) for storm surges and typhoons in coastal barangays has been set for September 22-23, 2016 in Iloilo City to strengthen its resiliency. As part of Component 1’s activities in the CBARAD-II Project, 25 coastal barangays have been consulted to develop a EWS to ensure their communities are better prepared for typhoons and related risks. According to the UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction EWS is defined as “the provision of timely and effective information, through identified institutions, that allow individuals exposed to a hazard to take action to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for effective response”. Barangays from Punong and Kagawads shared their EWS practices such as emergency meetings of the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Committee, house to house visits to ensure residents are aware of the impending disaster, providing relief goods, and more. The collaboration between the Community Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), the City of Iloilo, and barangays aims on building a more disaster-resilient city by strengthening its community based disaster risk reduction and management activities.

Barangay officials from the coastal communities of Iloilo City participate in the dialogue of the

establishment of the EWS for typhoon and storm surge.

In cooperation with Component 1 of the CBARAD-II Project, the Iloilo City DRRM Council and Office began an organizational development process with an aim in strengthening DRRM capacities and core competencies of its members; four workshops where established to achieve this. The first of the workshops, “First Conversation: Our Resources and Challenges”, was conducted on July 21-22 at the Diamond Jubilee Hall. Participants collected stakeholder concerns, plans and visions for the Iloilo City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (ICDRRMC) and the CDRRMO. The workshop used Open Space Technology to ensure the 44 stakeholders’ areas of concern around disaster risk reduction management were taken into account, and produced 14 actionable items. One of the most significant outcomes was the revision of the CDRRMC and CDRRMO structures to ensure smooth Disaster Risk Reduction activities are facilitated. The level of engagement from participants of the workshop brought forth a high interest of commitment to improve on disaster resilience in Iloilo City. During the closing remarks of the first workshop, the participants expressed their satisfaction with the 2-day exercise and look forward to the workshops to come. Michelle Lopez, City Accountant, stated, “Whatever is the problem of an organization, it does not remain as its own problem. It becomes the problem of the whole agency because we belong to the same organization. Thus, we need to help each other – it may be in the area of finance or of administration. In that way, when this office (CDRRMO) stands on its own, we stand alongside them because we work as one”.

Below: Participants from the Iloilo CDRRM Council and Office discuss items which can improve the efficacy of

the organization.

4. Early Warning System workshop set up for Coastal Barangays, Iloilo

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CYO Staff and City of Yokohama Staff in front of the sludge digestion tanks.

6 . C Y O s t a f f v i s i t t h e H o k u b u Wastewater and Sludge Treatment Facilities

As part of staff training, CITYNET Yokohama Project Of-fice staff paid a site visit to the Hokubu Wastewater and Sludge Treatment facilities. The objective of the site visit was to understand how Yokohama City deals with its wastewater and to learn about how treating wastewater is an essential part of the City’s environmental conserv-ation plan. The Hokubu Wastewater Treatment Plant, responsible for treating Tsurumi Ward’s wastewater, is one of the 11 treatment plants in Yokohama. The total network of sewage pipes in the area is approximately 11,000 km long.

Primary Sedimentation tank at the wastewater facility

The role of the sewage system is to drain rainwater, im-prove sanitation, protect and maintain the natural en-vironment, and be resourceful. The treated wastewater is used for many purposes such as for washing, toilet water, heating, and cooling. Because the facilities are so large, unused space, such as rooftops, are utilized as playgrounds or parks open to the public. Since the im-plementation of wastewater treatment in the city, river

water quality has improved substantially, even with the population rise by 1,950,000 between 1962 (when the first wastewater treatment plant was introduced) and 2003. There are over 40 quality standards applied to the wastewater treatment plant’s outflow, including those to control chemicals and heavy metals. The Hokubu Sludge Treatment Center currently receives sludge from five water treatment plants and treats approximately 5,450,000 m3 annually. Processing sludge produces use-ful bi-products such as electricity, fuel, and ash. Gas is produced from sludge in the process of thickening and decomposition, which is used to produce most of the energy consumed at the facility. After a lengthy process of removing most of the moisture from the sludge it is then incinerated and turned into ash. 100% of the ash is used in a variety of applications, such as improved soil, cement material, filling material, and pottery. The treat-ment facilities are now working on the construction of a sludge fuelization facility, where it will be used to make alternative fuel for fossil fuels to be used for electricity generation. The Hobuku facility is one of the leading treatment facilities in the country and often participates in knowledge sharing with other cities and nations for better wastewater and sewage treatment practices.

Disinfection facility at the wastewater facility.

Blue roofed low pressure gas holder and white spherical moderate pressure gas holders.

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7. I n d o n e s i a n d e l e g a t i o n v i s i t Yokohama to learn about Smart City Project

8. CYO welcomes a new Intern

Starting August 2016, CITYNET Yokohama Project Office welcomes a new intern to support our office activities.

Ms. Akane Inaba

learning more about CITYNET projects and how she can help persons in need. She wishes to express the know-ledge gained from this experience to members of CITYN-ET Youth, and to make good use of university life.Five Indonesian officials from BAPPEDA (Development

and Planning Agency) visited Yokohama City hall to learn about Yokohama Smart City Project. The session was conducted at Climate Change Headquarters of the City of Yokohama where they shared the initiative which mainly addresses the energy management schemes and targets reduction of GHG emissions from various sources.Yokohama Smart City Project involves various public and private stakeholders who contribute to the com-mon goal of optimising energy supply and demand in both residential and commercial buildings. Compared to the national average of 22 percent per household, Yokohama city consumes more energy at 38 percent per household. To achieve the reduction of energy by 16 percent by 2020, the project introduces various energy management systems through households, commercial buildings, storage batteries, and the usage of electric ve-hicles.The objective of the delegation is to learn modern methods and procedures in various urban initiatives and hopes to use the knowledge gained through the training program to help improve relevant policies and practices in their specific regions in Indonesia.The visit was coordinated through Temple University Japan who regularly conducts workshops and training courses for government officials from various countries. Temple University Japan is also a member of CITYNET.

Ms. Akane Inaba will be part of CYO for the next month. She is a sophomore at Ferris University in the Division of Global and Inter-cultural Studies and specializes in Span-ish and American politics. She participated in the CITYN-ET Youth and is interested in international cooperation and disaster education. She is looking forward to