Planning Recovery Process (Reconstruction and Rehabilitation)

J&K Flood Management Operation-2

Planning Recovery process (Reconstruction and Rehabilitation)

This is the second post on J&K Flood management as my professional contribution at my personal level to all those working in relief and recovery operation Jammu and Kashmir. Post 1 was on the cleaning and other material people in affected area will need. This post covers tips on planning for commencement of recovery process.

Recovery (Rehabilitation and Reconstruction) process – Step 1

1.    Planning and management of a survey to be conducted to assess the damage

 

a)      Standards, accepted definitions, documentation mechanisms and procedures for post disaster data collection and damage assessment.

b)      Establishing a building inspection procedure (e.g. using a standardized Rapid inspection technique to assess the structure and recommend repairs / rebuilt) and a safe Entry tagging system (i.e. no entry, Limited entry or safe entry) for buildings can facilitate reoccupation.

c)      Involve community / volunteers to collect data on damage in standard format.

d)     Data collection teams should be created at Panchayat level (a team under each Panchayat) in village and Municipal Corporation should handle (number of team based on number of wards) it in the urban areas.

2.    Planning and Management of  Rehabilitation and Reconstruction – Step 2

 

a)      Analysis of damage assessment survey and identify resource needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction.

 

b)      Providing services such as reconstruction planning, building design and expert advisory, construction and supervision services;

 

c)      Building and repairing residential buildings and public service facilities such as schools, hospitals, broadcasting and television facilities, and cultural, sports and welfare facilities;

 

d)     Building and repairing infrastructures for services such as roads, water and gas supply, drainage, sewage and garbage disposal;

 

e)      Building and repairing the agricultural infrastructure and providing agricultural technical services;

 

f)       Providing machinery, tools, equipment, building materials and other support goods;

 

g)      The locally existing ecologically friendly materials should be made use of. All the available local resources, local talents, subsidies under various schemes of the governments should be made use of like Nehru Rojgar Yojana, Indira Gandhi Awas Yojna etc.

 

h)      Providing personnel, organizing training and assisting in the provision of human resources and in job placement;

 

i)        Encouraging investments in industrial and commercial service facilities and in commercial infrastructure development.

 

j)        While rehabilitating people living on the dwellings on encroached land in river inundation area people would be shifted to safer places and permanent houses provided in such new and safe areas. In such circumstances, it is necessary to ensure that the new allotment of house sites is registered in the name of women. Involve community while taking such decisions which support gender issues and women empowerment.

I hope donors and administration would find above inputs useful in pro-active planning. For any questions - author can be reached at roopdave@yahoo.com.