Blog with us about the GPDRR13

Thanks to UNOPS for sending in these photos of flood preparedness in Afghanistan and blogging with us! A featured event on Day 3 of the Global Platform will be about “Recovering and Building Resilience after Disasters”, organized by the World Bank/GFDRR, UNDP (BCPR) and the International Recovery Programme (IRP).

The village of Jabraeel on the banks of the Harirod River in Herat province has repeatedly suffered from flooding as the water overflows the river’s natural banks. The flooding has been exacerbated by unpredictable weather, the mismanagement of natural resources, and the construction of infrastructure that has encroached on the natural river bed.

Village elders attempted to prevent or reduce this flooding by constructing a wall to protect the river bank and to do this they contacted the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA).

ANDMA then sought support from the Enhancing Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response (EDPER) programme which is funded by the Government of Italy and implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to help Jabraeel village construct a retaining wall to limit flooding.

A soil and water conservation expert, together with technical staff from ANDMA and the Provincial Department of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) evaluated the needs in the village and developed an action plan with the community.

Women in the community were trained to build gabion baskets (cages weaved from wire) and men filled them with stones, ensuring full community participation in the process. The gabions were then used to build a wall that would reduce the damage caused by flooding to the community.

Khadija, a woman who received training in gabion weaving said: “A neighbouring village has now asked our women’s group if we can weave gabions for them in return for payment. With the training I got I was able to contribute to the wall project in my own village and to the family income.”

During the spring and early summer months the community usually earns money from raising crops however they were willing to continue with the gabion-weaving initiative in spite of the smaller revenue it generated as the community viewed this activity as uniquely valuable.

Funded by the Government of Italy, EDPER aims to strengthen the capacity of the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority in Herat, Farah, Badghis, and Ghor provinces.

The EDPER programme will firstly concentrate on, assessing risks to local populations and compiling a risk and vulnerability database of those communities regularly affected by natural disasters.

The next priority for the programme is to create disaster management and contingency plans at the provincial level in order to enable vulnerable communities to mobilize resources in times of crisis.

The third component will enhance the operational capacity of ANDMA and boost ANDMA’s outreach ability at a regional and provincial level through the construction and equipping operations centers. As such, EDPER will support the construction of a pilot operations centre for ANDMA in Herat and assist with procuring logistical and radio communications equipment.

The Jabraeel village flood mitigation project is an example of the fourth component of EDPER which will implement community-based risk reduction projects that help communities prepare for natural disasters and reduce the damage they cause.

To date, EDPER has launched nine pilot projects of this kind to help vulnerable communities by providing training in technical skills, environmental awareness and small income opportunities.