India - Disaster Relief and Preparedness

Released By The U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID)
Bureau For Democracy, Conflict, And Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA)
Office Of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA)

SUMMARY

USAID/OFDA’s total assistance to India for FY 2003 is $1,897,966. To date USAID/OFDA has provided $1,072,966 in emergency relief assistance to alleviate the effects of the drought in Rajasthan, and funded $825,000 in preparedness activities in India. A summary of USAID/OFDA’s FY 2003 assistance to date is listed below.

DROUGHT - RAJASTHAN

Background

• The current drought situation in Rajasthan is considered the worst in 100 years, and has affected both the food security and livelihoods of marginalized and impoverished families.
  
• During 2002, insufficient and erratic monsoons resulted in drought conditions in 14 Indians states. Rajasthan, one of India’s poorest states, was the most adversely affected, experiencing its fourth consecutive year of insufficient rains. The drought affected more than 43 million people in Rajasthan.

USAID/OFDA Relief Assistance

• Between August 2002 and February 2003, USAID/India staff and a USAID/OFDA Regional Advisor completed three assessments of drought conditions and emergency humanitarian needs in the affected areas. Based on the results of these assessments, the U.S. Ambassador declared a disaster on January 16, 2003. USAID/OFDA provided $50,000 to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to help meet the emergency needs of the drought victims. USAID/OFDA also approved three grants for emergency relief, listed below.
  
• Lutheran World Relief is providing assistance to approximately 12,000 beneficiaries in 24 villages in Barmer and Jodhpur districts. Utilizing Cash-for-Work programs, beneficiaries will build essential structures for the promotion of water conservation to mitigate the impact of future droughts. Program implementation is March 1-June 30, 2003. $254,685
  
• Catholic Relief Services is providing immediate and long-term food, water, livelihood, and food security assistance to 48,600 beneficiaries in 54 villages in Ajmer, Banswara, Dungarpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Tonk, and Udaipur districts. Activities will be carried out through Cash-for-Work programs, promoting water harvesting projects, repairing hand pumps to increase access to potable water, and developing women’s Self Help Groups to diversify family income and reduce vulnerability to drought. Program implementation is March 1-May 31, 2003. $503,629
  
• World Vision International is providing emergency assistance to 42,000 beneficiaries from 6,500 households in Baran and Tonk districts through a Cash-for-Work program repairing wells, water tanks, reservoirs, and canals to rehabilitate and increase access to water sources. Program implementation is March 1-May 31, 2003.
  $264,652

PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES

• Incident Command System (ICS) Training: This capacity-building initiative is providing ICS training ?teaching government and non-government disaster managers to develop a coordinated disaster response plan?through an interagency agreement between USAID/OFDA and the U.S. Forest Service. ICS training and simulation exercises are carried out on the national and state level. This activity, co-funded with USAID/India, started in April 2002 and will be completed in January 2006. $750,834
  
• India Earthquake Safety Initiative: Implemented by Geohazard International, the objectives of the program are to carry out risk assessments and risk reduction activities in 20 of India’s most earthquake-prone urban areas, and conduct mitigation activities in five of those cities. Co-funded with USAID/India, this program started in September 2002 and ends in October 2005 with a $650,000 funding level. In FY 2003 USAID/OFDA provided $450,000.
  
• Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER): The PEER program began in September 1998 as a collaborative initiative among the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), USAID/OFDA, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department (MDFRD). Focusing on earthquake preparedness, the objective of the program is to assist local, regional, and national agencies in India, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines in organizing and conducting courses in Medical First Response; Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue; and Hospital Preparedness for Emergency training. The MDFRD receives separate funding, not highlighted here, in support of the program. This five-year program ends in June 2003. $562,030*
  
• Phase II, Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER): This new five-year activity will further expand training programs in the four original countries, and will expand PEER activities to Bangladesh and in two earthquake-prone states in India. The program will end in March 2008. The funding level for the India portion of this program is $1,875,000*. In FY 2003 USAID/OFDA provided $375,000.
  
• Flood and Drought Mitigation Strategies in South Asia: Implemented by the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, the program will document coping strategies developed by local communities in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh for flood and drought mitigation, and will recommend new and more effective strategies for reducing vulnerabilities. The program ends in March 2004. $200,000*
  
• Regional Flood Forecasting Forums: The forums bring together decision-makers and technical personnel from the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region to share information related to flood management and flood early-warning systems, and to promote cooperation on broader trans-boundary water issues in the region. The forums are hosted by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) based in Kathmandu, Nepal ? a consortium representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, the People’s Republic of China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. The program began in November 2001 and ends in March 2004.

* Describes approximate spending for India based on total project cost.

(A) The above figure reflects the total amount of funding for implementation of the current preparedness programs in India over the entire multi-year duration of the initiatives.