Opinion: People, Not Technology, Are The Key To Effective Disaster Management

India¡¯s natural disasters are becoming more frequent in this century. The potential for flooding, landslides, wildfires, and droughts increases as our growing population extracts more natural resources from the biodiversity, land, and water around us. Our increasing movement to cities and reduction in green spaces in urban environments also create ¡°heat islands¡± that lead to deadly heat waves in our hottest months. Finally, global climate change has increased the frequency of storms, cyclones, and extreme temperatures.

Poverty ¨C the worst impact

The hardest hit by climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and other pressing issues that lead to natural disasters are the poorest and most disempowered in our societies. Yet, the public¡¯s accessibility and understanding of ways to address natural disasters is tied closely to equity and inclusion issues. Ultimately, disaster preparedness and response needs to reach every individual in India - the so-called ¡°last mile.¡±

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Shreya Wadhavan of the Council for Energy Environment and Water notes that ¡°India can leapfrog to multihazard early warning systems from the existing early warning system mechanisms by leveraging new age technologies, involving local communities in the early warning dissemination process, investing in regional real-time flood monitoring micro-sensors, establishing public-private partnerships, and learning from international best practices." However, while last-mile solutions such as digital technologies exist, there is still a significant gap in awareness and preparedness of communities to utilize even widespread solutions such as early warning and alert systems.

Solutions

The digital divide, equity issues, language, and other barriers often prevent established solutions from reaching the most vulnerable populations who need them. Despite this gap, there are an estimated 3.3 million non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India alone, one for every 400 persons. If we could provide resources to quickly connect some of these organizations and communities with the companies and institutions that can provide the solutions, we would be able to promptly scale solutions for disaster preparation and management. This process would benefit our communities and provide new test populations and markets for emerging technologies that offer relevant societal solutions for disaster management.

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National S&T multistakeholder platforms like Manthan and international networks like ours should be harnessed by local, state, and national governments to work with local NGOs and raise awareness of new technologies and solutions in communities. Students and regional champions from these communities can also be trained to inform communities in their local language and dialect. India¡¯s greatest strength has always been her people. Our best path forward in this increasingly uncertain world is to remember that technologies and solutions are only effective when properly used. And that makes people the heart and soul of disaster management.

About the author: Shannon Olsson is the founder and Global Director, of Echo Network. All views/opinions expressed in the article are of the author.