Integrating Disaster Risk into Development Hazards and Opportunities Adrian Sayers

Presentation Focus Show relevance of disaster mitigation to development in the Western Cape Show the opportunities & hazards in integrating disaster mitigation into prov. structures and processes Show the hazardous impact of past perceptions on disaster risk management Underline importance of strategic advocacy in aligning disaster risk with other human security issues and provincial structures/processes

Background Information on the “Cape of Storms” Population approximately 4 million Total land area of 1.3 million km2 , 1 332 km coastline Vast socio-economic disparities Exposure to extreme weather conditions Diverse ecosystems, including desert interior and coastal forests

The ‘Hazard’ of Past Perceptions of Disasters Inadequacy of past approaches in C.M.A. (in just one year, from Aug ’99-July 2000) 1 x tornadic storm 1 x major wild fire Thousands of informal settlement fires

The ‘Manenberg Tornado’ August 1999 Picture Source: http://www.mg.co.za/news/99sep1/3sep-storm.html

The South Peninsula Fires (January, 2000) Picture Source: http://www.uni-freiburg.de/fireglobe/iffn/country/za/za_14.htm

Informal Settlements at-Risk (Floods) Photo source: Cape Argus, August 2001

Developmental Impact of these events Direct and indirect economic loss (diversion of funds from development priorities) Environmental loss (impact on tourist income & increased erosion/landslide risk) Lost lives, livelihoods, housing, impacts on health and sense of security

governance and civil responsibility These losses illustrate how past perceptions about disasters have effectively disengaged our management of disaster risk from other aspects of development planning, responsible governance and civil responsibility

….because, in the past we Focused mainly on large, but rare economically costly disasters Considered that disasters were events that should be managed, rather than being a civil responsibility to prevent/mitigate Compartmentalized different disasters according to constituency-specific and sector-specific categories

The Implications from an Institutional Perspective Difficulty in determining ‘true’ developmental cost of repeated disaster incidents across sectors & communities ‘Fragmentation’ of government, non-governmental, private sector and other responses Marginalisation of the field from mainstream of development planning

Strategic Advocacy: “Moving Disaster Risk into the Mainstream” It needs: Clarity on disaster risk & its developmental relevance Understanding political process, incl. Prov. planning, budgeting, institutional structures Political receptivity & opportunity for civil society to engage Organized civil society response

In the Western Cape, Disaster risk reduction is increasingly viewed as a priority for human security (like crime prevention & health promotion) It now features as a key priority of the Province’s next 3-4 yr Strategic Plan, with likely budget commitments Perceived as a ‘transversal’ function It promotes focused consultation between government and civil society, & adds value to processes of cooperative governance

Sustainable development in our “Cape of Storms” Cape requires commitment to promote both: a “culture of responsible local governance” and a “culture of disaster prevention”