Disaster Risk Reduction for Safe & Resilient Burmese Coastal Communities

Myanmar is characterized as an agrarian economy with 66.1% of the population currently residing in rural areas, however it is on a fast track mode to urbanization (33.9% as of 2010). Population density varies across the country and coastal states.

According to World Urbanization Prospects (2011), overall population growth has been declining since 1980, and in 2005 population growth in rural areas registered negative growth with further decline anticipated (1% between 2010-2015), whereas, urban population growth rate will be on an upward trend (3% between 2010-2015) and it is expected, that by 2014 Myanmar will cross the 50% landmark. One scenario projects that large cities will eventually become mega-cities, medium size cities will become large cities and many new smaller cities will crop up across the country (DPO Review).

The goal of “Disaster Risk Reduction for Safe & Resilient Burmese Coastal Communities (DRR-SBCC)” is to “enhance resilience of coastal communities to current and future risks through evidence based information for policy advocacy and mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into development planning”.

Following strategy is proposed in order to achieve the programme goal,

Objective 1: Minimize exposure and vulnerability of coastal communities to current and future risks through safe settlement planning by assessing existing policy and practices related to land use planning for town and city planning, and develop guidelines for land use planning in the context of Myanmar and demonstrate priority mitigation activities to minimize future exposure to disaster risk. Further it will establish linkages for training of relevant staffs on land use planning at Urban Research and Development Institute (URDI), under the Ministry of Construction.

Objective 2: Institutionalize capacity building of carpenters in vulnerable reduction of built environment through disaster resilient construction practices and though incorporation of green building concepts. In addition to training of carpenters from the pilot townships and communities in disaster resistant construction practices, this activity will strategically support competency based skills certification for construction trades (carpentry) through Ministry of Construction and Myanmar Engineering Society.

Objective 3: Advocacy on all of the above targeted to high level government officials at National, State and Township levels and awareness raising at community level.