A successful policy response for effective prevention includes information, interventions and infrastructure. Underpinning this policy response is the role of institutions without which any policy response would be ineffectual. Pre-event risk management for natural disasters is a planned and structured approach that aims at:
- Risk identification and assessment: identifying and prioritizing vulnerable areas and populations through advanced information systems,
- Risk Control
- Risk mitigation: reducing the intensity and frequency of the peril and the potential losses through interventions and infrastructure development, and
- Risk transfer: transferring or spreading the risks through innovative institutions to lessen the burden on the victims and to facilitate the recovery process.
Risk identification and assessment is used to monitor risks and enhance early warning of impending disasters.
Risk Control measures comprise of mitigation and risk transfer. Mitigation or loss-reduction measures reduce the intensity of the hazard and/or its consequences. While mitigation is directed towards physical vulnerability, risk financing or risk transfer is directed towards financial vulnerability of governments, households or businesses. Risk financing measures reduce the losses incurred by a subject or entity by transferring risk or sharing losses with others.
Risk identification and assessment
Risk identification and assessments involves developing an inventory of historical hazard maps and producing hazard and vulnerability risk studies using Geo-spatial data. People are often guided in their prevention decisions by information on hazards. Making such maps easily accessible could make developers and property owners more aware of the risks and be motivated to build appropriately. It is relatively easy and effective for governments to make information about hazards and risks easily accessible, such as, maps of flood plains and seismic fault lines. Research institutions can also identify hazard-prone areas and the limitations on their use, and advise the government on land-use allocations and risks. Educational facilities can be used for monitoring the hazard identification systems.
Systematic mechanisms for tracking information related to the changing nature of risk, and translating it into risk-related property valuations, would go a long way to increase the incentives for prevention. Risk identification and assessments can also provide a strategic view of hazard exposure or contingent risk for the country as a whole or for different sectors. Risk evaluation needs to be strengthened at the municipal level and should be integrated into territorial development planning.
Challenges in Risk Identification & Assessment
We have already seen that systematic data collection on hazards is scant; where it is collected it is not shared; and there are no universal standards for defining hazards and related data.
On the other hand, open information on hazard risks also has unintended consequences. In an ideal world, when land and housing markets work, property values reflect hazard risks, guiding people’s decision on where to live and what prevention measures to take.
No comments:
Post a Comment