Resilience, water and sanitation

Lee Bosher and Bob Reed Water, Engineering and Development Centre

5th July 2011

IntroductionResilience – what is it?

.. as a component of sustainability and DRR

Structural and non-structural approaches

Challenges

Seven guiding principles

Group exercise

What are the hazards/threats?Natural hazards

Geo-Hazards

EarthquakesVolcanic eruptionsTsunamisLandslides

Hydro-meteorological

Hazards

FloodCoastal erosion & floodingWindstormsExtreme temperatureStorm surgesDroughtfires

Human induced threats

MaliciousWar

Terrorism

Arson/petty crime

Non-malicious

Poor planning

Poor construction

Rapid urbanisation

Hazard: primarily a ‘natural’ source of potential dangerThreat: primarily a ‘human induced’ source of potential danger

Disaster Risk Reduction

DRR is defined by the United Nations (2004) as:

“The conceptual framework of elements considered with the possibilities to minimize vulnerabilities and disaster risks throughout a society, to avoid (prevention) or to limit (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts of hazards, within the broad context of sustainable development.”

What do we mean by ‘resilience’?

Is sufficient?

Iain Dowie,

Former football manager

‘Bouncebackability’

Resilience: A definition

“A resilient built environment should be designed, located, built, operated and maintained in a way that maximises the ability of built assets, associated support systems (physical and institutional) and the people that reside or work within the built assets, to withstand, recover from, and mitigate for, the impacts of extreme natural and human-induced hazards.”

(Bosher ed. 2008:13)

Components of resilience!

"#$%&'! ()*+%$&'!

,-+.%./.%#-&'!

0-1%2#-34-.&'!

Resilience and sustainability

Resilience-building Long-term sustainable development

Increasing societal resilience Cohesive society with strong coping capabilities

Institutional capacity building Strong, agile and prepared institutions

Physical reconstruction Robust physical infrastructure and critical lifelines

Increasing environmental resilience Environmental protection and adaptation strategies

Range of approachesStructural

Earthquake engineering, flood defences, hurricane shelters, retrofitting, sustainable urban drainage systems, resilient materials

Non-structural

Hazard mapping/zoning, urban planning, warning systems, evacuation drills, awareness raising, emergency planning, professional training, continuity planning

Therefore…Resilience is an outcome of effective DRR and is a critical component of sustainable development

Resilience needs to be ‘culturally’ embedded:By various stakeholders

At all levels of developmental activities

By integrating structural and non-structural approaches

Some challengesInfrastructure related

Bespoke project based approachFocused upon the ‘bottom line’Professional fragmentationThe spectre of corruption

GenericPerception of additional capital costs Technological over social issuesStrong political will requiredIncapacity to enforce regulations/agree standardsFailure to apply knowledgeGap between humanitarian relief and development

Seven guiding principles1) Adopt a holistic perspective;2) Develop and appropriately apply resilient technologies;3) Engage a wide range of stakeholders (including local

communities) in resilience efforts;4) Utilise existing guidance and frameworks when

appropriate;5) Exploit opportunities to build-in resiliency measures

post-disaster;6) Integrate built environment and emergency

management professionals into the DRM process, and;7) Mainstream resilience into the built environment

curricula.(after Bosher & Dainty 2011)

1) Adopt a holistic perspectiveView the components of resilience (physical, social, environmental, institutional) and response as interrelatedSystematically utilise the skills and expertise of a wide range of stakeholdersBuild capacity at the local level as well as at regional and national levels Be proactive by integrating DRR into long-term development

1) Adopt a holistic perspective

Source: Bosher in, Lizarralde et al. (2010)

2) Develop and apply resilient technologies

Source: Dhaka Ahsania Mission & Concern Universal

Reconcile traditional with modern

3) Engage a wide range of stakeholders

Identify the stakeholders (all of them!)Understand the stakeholders’ perspectivesDevise methods to ensure that THE key stakeholders are involved in decision-makingRaise awareness of DRR at a local level

School childrenIn the workplaceCommunity groups…

3) Engage a wide range of stakeholders - communities

Image courtesy of NSET, Nepal

The ‘Yellow Pages’ (New Zealand)

UN/ISDR ‘Stop Disasters’ game

http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/home.html

4) Use existing guidance and frameworks when appropriate

The challenge of disaster risk reduction is largely a matter of how to apply existing knowledge (investment and adaptation and of reducing the 'implementation shortfall’) rather than generating new knowledge per se. The research challenge, therefore, is grounded in the process of technology transfer and diffusion.

5) Exploit opportunities to built-in resiliency measures post-disaster

Trend in post-disaster reconstruction –Shift from ‘donor driven’ approaches to ‘owner driven’ approachesTherefore rather than agencies and their contractors needing to incorporate resilient technologies and designs it has become important to ensure that people who are given grants to reconstruct are also given support to incorporate resilient features……

‘Owner driven’ approaches

Specific supportFinancialAwareness raisingTechnical/skills training

Construction, repair and maintenance

• Deeper rooted but generic supportImproved basic needs

Water, education, healthcare…Land rightsAffordable insurance

6) Integrate built environment and EM professionals into DRM

Achieving built-in resilience demands that traditional demarcations in roles and responsibilities are reconstituted in order to propagate the free-flow of knowledge between the stakeholders of the built environment.

6) Integrate built environment and EM professionals into DRMBreak down the silo mentalityEncourage proactivityRaise awareness of how professionals can influence DRMRaise awareness of the long-term financial benefits Gain a competitive edge, nationally and internationally ??

7) Mainstream resilience into the built environment curricula

Bhatia 2008 (ADPC)

7) Mainstream resilience into the built environment curricula

Formal and non-formal (artisan) educationClassroom based and ‘on the job’ trainingRealisation that there is no panaceaMainstream DRR education or encourage people to specialiseReconcile modern and traditional solutions

….BUT a political will is required

Summary - Water technologies

Summary - Sanitation technologies

SummaryResilience conceptualised as a component of

sustainability and DRR

Challenges to the attainment of resilient WATSAN

Seven guiding principles

These principles offer a point of departure … but,

challenges lay ahead in developing the specific approaches

necessary to account for individual contexts and situations.

Group work session

Just a bit of fun really

Brief group task1. Split up into small groups and read the

‘SITREP’ about the Haiti (2010) earthquake disaster

2. A 15 minute group discussion – draw up examples of how the 7 principles could be applied to Water and Sanitation interventions in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake

3. Select one person from each group to present an outline of your examples (3 minutes maximum each)

4. Discussion and feedback

Structure of your feedbackResiliency principle What you could do?1. Adopt a holistic perspective

2. Develop and appropriately apply resilient technologies

3. Engage a wide range of stakeholders in resilience efforts

4. Utilise existing guidance and frameworks when appropriate

5. Exploit opportunities to build-in resiliency measures post-disaster

6. Integrate built environment (and WATSAN) professionals into DRM

7. Mainstream resilience into the built environment curricula

THANK YOU

For more information please contact Lee Bosher or Bob Reed:

E-mail: L.Bosher@lboro.ac.ukTel: 44(0)1509 222397

E-mail: R.A.Reed@lboro.ac.ukTel: 44(0)1509 222628