| News Details |
| Development planning and the hurdles ahead | | 
By Dr Kavita Suri
Recent studies on climate change indicate an increase in the frequency and the scale of disasters induced by natural hazards. The wide spread damage caused to life and property by such events can impede the development of the affected area for several decades. As a result, a more holistic approach to managing disaster risks is being advocated worldwide. Several disaster prone countries in South Asia including India are making efforts to mainstream disaster risk reduction in their development planning. Despite these positive initiatives there are several gap areas in preparedness, response and recovery actions. Culture still remains the weakest link in the field of disaster risk management. Every time such disasters occur, the human tragedy is coupled by the massive loss of our cultural heritage. Jammu and Kashmir, the Himalayan state in India is one such state which is located in earthquake-prone zone and has witnessed massive earthquakes and floods in the recent past resulting in human losses besides massive damage to our cultural heritage and property.
"Disaster Risk Management, Development and Cultural Heritage" was the theme of the first extension lecture of the year 2011 at the Department of Lifelong Learning (DLL), University of Jammu last week. The Extension lecture series of the DLL is an outreach program of the University of Jammu which is aimed at increasing public awareness on pertinent issues regarding environment, culture, public policy, education, governance and so on. Internationally known heritage expert Aparna Tandon who is based in Rome, Italy spoke on this theme. Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister for tourism and culture, J&K government was the chief guest while Professor Varun Sahni, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu presided over the function.
The lecture was quite important for various reasons. Even though indigenous cultural values, practices and traditions lie at the heart of the social fabric of local communities around the world, these values are often overlooked or marginalized during disaster management initiatives. For holistic and sustainable disaster management and the positive recovery and growth of communities after a disaster, it is very essential to integrate local cultural traditions and heritage into the overall framework of disaster management initiatives.
Ms. Tandon who has studied art conservation at Harvard University highlighted the significance of culture in the planning for disaster risk reduction and post disaster response and recovery. Pertinent issue of disaster risk management, its mainstreaming in the planning for development and integration of concerns for cultural preservation was illustrated with the examples of recent disasters in Kashmir, Ladakh, Bhutan and Haiti. Ms Tandon who has seventeen years of post qualification experience in the field of conservation of cultural heritage, is a programme manager at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)- an intergovernmental organization founded by UNESCO in 1956 based in Rome, Italy, since 2004. She also holds an MA in Art Conservation and has received advanced level training in Paper Conservation from the Straus Center for Conservation, Harvard University Art Museums, USA. She is the recipient of Inlaks and Samuel H. Kress foundation scholarships. In 2001-2002 she was the Fulbright Arts Fellow at Preservation Directorate of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and then a Conservation Guest Scholar at the Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angles, USA.
Her presentation also discussed in detail ICCROM’s pioneering training on First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Conflict focusing on cultural emergency in Haiti following the earthquake of January 12, 2010. In August 2010, Aparna led the ICCROM- Smithsonian Institution joint training on providing first aid to the Haitian cultural heritage collections damaged due to the earthquake.
"Cultural heritage is more than monuments, buildings and objects. It can include languages, traditions, rituals, craft and farming practices, land use and so on. It is thus crucial to post-disaster recovery of affected communities and concerns for cultural heritage should be included in our planning and actions on disaster risk management”, said Aparna Tandon, outlining various issues and challenges related to the protection of cultural heritage in the event of disaster. It included a rich commentary on how concerns for cultural heritage were addressed in recent disasters such as the earquakthe in Haiti in 2010, the Earthquake in 2010 in Kashmir and the flash floods in Ladakh. She highlighted the significance of the traditional knowledge systems on use of land and other natural resources in avoiding damage to life and property during disasters besides presenting international perspectives in the field of disaster risk management and explained how there is increasing emphasis on mainstreaming disaster risk management in planning for social and economic development.
Jammu and Kashmir which is located in a earthquake-prone zone and recently witnessed massive floods in Ladakh resulted in the killing of 286 people and permanent damage to 700 houses, need to do a lot in this area, felt the dynamic J&K culture minister Mr Jora who himself hails from Ladakh. A humanitarian emergency is also a cultural emergency and situational awareness is key to successful post disaster recovery and reconstruction, he said adding there was a need for preservation of our rich cultural heritage in times of disaster and conflict. Culture is one of the priority areas for his government, he said, but due to the conflict situations prevailing in the state, sometimes things become difficult to deliver.
“Culture is one of the priority areas for my government and several steps are being initiated to restore and promote this vital part of our society,” he adding whenever calamity of any kind occurs, government is under pressure to save human life and cultural resources . Within our limited resources and manpower, the government tries to do its best.
As culture is closely linked to our lives, it is only because of his initiatives that the department of culture was set up in Jammu and Kashmir two years ago. Besides, he also got a draft bill on culture ready.
The recommendations made by the expert included multi-hazard risk assessments should incorporate cultural heritage, Culture sector cannot afford to work in isolation, a possible way forward could be to integrate operations with national and international disaster risk management plans and programmes. Institutions and organizations within the culture sector should coordinate efforts and share information for effective prevention and response. Documentation and prioritization of cultural assets can ensure an effective response. In order to provide protection to private or religious heritage emergency legislations are required. Capacity building pre –and- post disaster will reduce aid dependency and ensure faster recovery.
Delivering his presidential remarks, Prof Varun Sahni, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu said we will have to strike a balance between the restoration of the lost heritage due to any natural or manmade calamity and of course keeping in mind that the human element is taken care of because culture is not a luxury but life itself.
Complimenting Ms Tandon for her presentation, the Vice Chancellor said he was fascinated by this talk as this was ‘one of the most interesting talks and presentations in the past two years since he took over as the VC of University of Jammu’. He said that he liked three aspects of the presentation, one, it connected global concerns with the local problems and issues; it was an inter-disciplinary interaction where both academicians and practitioners participated and discussed the issues related to disaster risk management. This, he added a unique flavor to the event. Greatly appreciating the presentation, he said that disasters are likely to occur with greater frequency but we need to have institutional and human linkages in place so that we can recover effectively and safeguard all that we hold precious i.e. our culture.
The lecture was followed by a lively interaction in which several academicians from Jammu University, representatives of cultural non government organizations, departments of archaeology, tourism, and civil defense participated. The discussion was moderated by Prof Varun Sahni, VC University of Jammu.
Professor Poonam Dhawan, Director DLL, Mr. Saleem Beg, former Director General Tourism who is also convenor of INTACH J&K, Prof. G.M.Bhat Controller Examinations who also headed Centre for Disaster management at Jammu University, Dr. C.M. Seth, J&K State Pollution Control Board, Dr. Khursheed Qadri, former Director Archives, beside a number of University professors and scholars attended the lecture.
(Dr Kavita Suri presently teaches in Jammu University. Prior to this she was Bureau chief Statesman in J and K state. She is from the media background.)
Feed back at: [email protected]
(Opinions expressed in write ups/articles/Letters are the sole responsibility of the authors and they may not represent the Scoop News)
[email protected]
... |
| |
|
|
Share this Story |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|