Disaster Management: Traditional Knowledge

This assignment delves into the significance of traditional knowledge in disaster risk reduction and response. It highlights how communities in Myanmar utilize inherited weather forecasting methods and environmental understanding to prepare for floods and droughts. The analysis emphasizes the importance of integrating traditional practices with modern scientific approaches for effective disaster management.

Disaster management
and climate change area

Coping mechanism
The people who belongs from those place or areas which are difficult to live, they
evolves various kind of methods and techniques to protect from natural issues. The methods and
techniques which they develops are based on the knowledge of climate and environment as well
as past danger activities. In addition, their techniques and methods are based on the traditional
and modern knowledge. Traditional knowledge is a kind of knowledge that is related to the
having knowledge about the local area and environment.
Coping mechanism is also known by the coping strategy or adaptive strategy. Herein, the
choice of the needed skill or technique is depend on the nature of the hazard activity. Apart from
this, the individual capacities are also important for the facing the natural disaster activities
because these varies from each other, which offers more alternative to overcome from hazard
event.
Indigenous knowledge is largely based on the many factors like experience of an
individual living in the difficult situations as well as time period of surviving in that situation. It
is not necessary that it remain same as the past year, this kind of knowledge changes due to
various step by step generations and flexibility of external environment. Eventually, indigenous
knowledge is a wide term, it is not limited till any specific culture or religion. This type of
knowledge is not fixed it changes as per the need of environment and different challenging
activities. Apart from these, it consists many other information like finding of seeds, analysing
the need of selling and purchasing the essential items etc. This kind of knowledge is studied in
those countries which are of low income or poor environmental conditions. This is why, because
those country's generation knows about the natural environment, external situation as well as to
overcome from the natural disaster situations. Expect from this, it depends on the person's
perception about the different disaster situation.
The excitement for typical technologies of solving the natural disaster situations forces
the experts to ignore the local person's strategies to cope up with the disaster events. The experts
depends on the various agencies. Though the knowledge of local communities towards the
environmental conditions can help in making strong agenda for the natural disasters. In addition
the local generations are putting their interest towards the natural environmental changes. There
are many kind of studies about the food security, drought and famine in the disaster conditions
which are done by the natural disaster experts. These kind of strategies are praised by the
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experts. The value and techniques of agencies are not sufficient for solving the difficulties during
the climate changes. In addition, various kind of coping strategies are not sufficient for
overcoming the various kind of hazard or difficult situations which arise due to environment.
The existing strategies can be built strongly by studying about how people manage
themselves during the disaster situations as well as knowing about their techniques to overcome
in the hazard situations. This is necessary to involve the local communities and workers in the
preparation of the various kind of strategies. Experts should understand the value of local people
who lives in the typical environmental conditions. It will benefit in many terms because this
involvement will lead to the lower cost and effort. As well as it remove the dependencies on the
different agencies which occurs high cost.
The indigenous knowledge and skills are sufficient to make protective strategies for
future natural disaster. In addition, it is important to take suggestion from local communities by
keeping away their personal perceptions. This is important because it can create complexity in
the decision making of experts because there can be different perception of different individuals.
As well as experts need to make plans for natural disaster by avoiding psychological and
personal factor of the individuals.
Forms of coping
Basically, coping strategies are categorised in four types which are following:
 Economical
 Technological
 Social
 Cultural
These four types of coping strategies includes all the necessary elements. All the
fieldworkers and experts should have a kind of framework for analysing the coping strategies
and try to focus on not to repeat any element of these strategies. The four coping strategies are
mentioned in detail as following:
 ECONOMICAL- A disaster can be a natural or man-made calamity. Hence, an
economy may be largely affected based on how effectively it is able to control the
risk as well as the disaster occurrence itself. The two most important economic
variables to be considered in disaster management are economic vulnerability and
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resilience. Economic Vulnerability can be defined as the level of exposure of an
economy towards a disaster whereas Resilience is quite the opposite of it.
Economic Resilience helps to understand how resilient or strong an economy is in
facing the hazard. Hence, the more a company is resilient, it will be much easier
for it to bounce back from such an incident and resume its normal operations.
 It is one of the key strategy of the coping. It is based on the economic
diversification. Eventually, each individual supports their livelihoods for
overcoming the financial issues as well as to improve their living standards. The
diversification in the economical conditions arise due to earning opportunities.
Like in the rural or less developed area, people depends on the agricultural and
other small businesses including selling of small handicrafts, carpentry pictures
etc. Apart from this, mostly male workforce of rural areas migrates towards the
city due to lack of job opportunities in their local areas and failure of agriculture.
Eventually, coping can be done by the crop diversification. If there is only one
kind of crop then it is a danger. This is why because if any disaster comes then it
can destroy all the crops and situation may become difficult. While, if there is
diversification of the crops and many crops are available in the field then, disaster
will not impact entire area and situation can be manage. As on storing can be an
another way to survive in difficult situations because if families have the proper
storage then they can survive in tough conditions. It can protect the families from
eating bad quality food which can harm their health or they has to sell their assets
like animal, fields etc. for survive. So overall these all works as important
economical coping strategy. Except from this, big families can also be an
important coping strategy because if there are more number of members then it
will produce more income which may help in the disaster situation. Though, this
may create certain difficulties because some time large families can become an
issue in hazard situation. In addition, some families do not have the sufficient
sources as per the member, this can create the many difficulties. So it is important
to maintain the balancing the families as per the sources.
 TECHNOLOGICAL- This strategy is related to the effective management of
the available land and buildings. In many countries, land owners use the land for
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many purpose. Like they grow the kind of crops which can generate more cash in
the peak time. As well as after cutting the crop, it can be use for other reason. So
it is all about the land management. Basically, traditional seeds are valuable in the
situation where natural disaster can impact the crops. It is broader category which
include the land management system and it include robust, real time, tract based
GIS linked with land administration system. It will allow the management of
surface and it will include he building material and constructive. Land
management strategies is the process which is used for the development in the
rural as well as in urban land resources. It will include the organic agriculture,
water resources, reforestation and eco tourism etc. Traditional seed selected for
the organic agriculture. In this system, alternative seed used for the further
plantation which is widely used for the growth in Pacific island. This is why
because traditional seeds maintain the scope of other crop growing in any natural
disaster situation. In addition, poor farmers, who do not have field to grow the
crops, they works as the intercropping, gardening etc. It helps in the reducing the
risk of wasting the crop due to any disaster. This is possible because if farmers
cuts the ready crop as per the time then it can help in surviving in the typical
situations. So technological strategy can help in coping during the natural disaster
situation. Except from this, there are many kind of other techniques which can
help in hazard condition. For example there are many kind of seeds and
technology to grow the crop in less time and less cost. Specially, in some
countries which suffers from natural disasters, they adopts many kind of
techniques in the growing the crops. The technology plays an important role in the
growth and success of a company and a nation. Now a days it is essential to use
technology because it makes the work easy and convenient. In the corporation it is
widely using and without it growth of an organisation can not assume. It is helpful
to maximise the efficiency as well as productivity which is helpful to achieve the
objectives of corporation. Traditional source is a mixture that is chosen for
drought or flood resistance & for flourishing in special area. Secondary crops may
be kept in accumulation for planting if others are ruined by floods. Chemical
substance made from local plants are applied to plant. Several crop variety are
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chosen specifically for its repercussion. Tuber, for an example, they are widely
grown in Pacific islands, are known to be resistant to high flutter weather
condition.
 SOCIAL- Social group is a group of individuals in which minimum two persons
are required. They work for the welfare of society and they provide financial
helps to the persons who have suffered in the flood, earthquake, diseases or any
natural disaster. There are various social group which operates in the country for
the purpose of social goodness and work to protect the rights of individuals. It
also provide food to the victims and rest room so that people can rest. There are
medical facilities are also provided by the social group so that people can become
fit and healthy . All facilities and contribution which is provided by this is cost
free and they does not charge form the individuals. Social group voluntary
support the people and try to contribute all efforts for the social welfare and their
development. There are various individuals who show their willingness to include
in the social group so that they can do something better for the country and its
people. Environment is not predictable and chances of risk are always available so
it is important for the people to provide support to those individuals who got
affected and suffered. It is very import to understand the responsibility towards
the society because with it a nation can not be develop and growth. As the
government also support the persons who suffered or got injured during flood,
natural disaster, earthquake or diseases. So that life of people can be safe and
secure and they does not suffered from the problems and issues. The efforts of
social group are appreciable because it provide all support and assistance to the
persons who are victim and got affected. So for the benefit and welfare of society
it is plays an important role which is appreciable. This type of coping strategies
includes those kind of organisations which helps in the typical conditions
including disasters like flood. These types of organisations includes community
groups, self helped groups etc. The purpose of these communities is to help the
poor people in the tough situations by providing basic services for livelihood.
During disaster condition, people often feel situation of lack of food, place and
many more.
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 CULTURAL- Cultural norms and values are quite important in making
adjustment during the disaster situations. Eventually, cultural strategies includes
the perception of managing with the risk, religion review etc. This is based on the
people's mindset that how they understand the risk and find the solution to cope
up with the disaster conditions. In addition, ingenious knowledge also plays an
important role for adjusting in the typical disaster situations. As well as
appropriate management of the land, water and other basic fundamentals helps in
the coping up with the tough situations. Observation of the natural conditions can
also play an important role in the surviving during flood or other disaster. For an
example, there is a country in which their people are aware about the natural
disaster situations and have different values and norms about the environment,
then it can help them in making the strong policies and plans for the future. In
addition, different people have different thoughts about the environmental
conditions and situations because they live their from many years. Same as in
some places, flood comes every year, in that time their persons makes the plan
early before the flood. This is why because they know what would be the loss of
the disaster in future. \
Traditional knowledge critical to preparing for disasters in Myanmar
In Myanmar for the traditional coping mechanism for disaster management it does not
have any proper research but interviews of various stakeholders were conducted in order
to 1) Understanding of disaster management in traditional way; 2) local short and long term
coping mechanism, and 3) Finding ways how to integrate to other DRR and CCA interventions.
The event “Local and Scientific Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency
Response” on 8 th October 2015 was brought together by the community leaders from
Ayeyarwaddy Region and the Rakhine and Chin States along with the representatives from
government and the International NGO community 5.
Importance of various traditional weather forecasting methods were highlighted by the
community leaders on the panel, which have been passed down through different generations –
in order to help communities to predict seasonal rainfall and prepare for potential flood and
periods of drought.
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“The best example is if birds don’t arrive on time then the rain is going to last longer,”
he said. As ActionAid Country Director Mr Shihab Uddin Ahamad pointed out, that the
traditional knowledge of communities about the local environment and weather, in which
they live remains important, even after so many advances made in science and technology. He
gave the example of the Moken people’s role in preventing deaths during the devastating Indian
Ocean tsunami of 2004. The Moken people are a small nomadic indigenous group living
in Myanmar’s southern Tanintharyi Region and Thailand’s southern region. They are
known for their free-diving techniques and are commonly referred to
as “sea gypsies.”
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