J.C. Gaillard

The 21 February 2005, catastrophic waste avalanche at Leuwigajah dumpsite, Bandung, Indonesia

BackgroundOn 21 February 2005 the Leuwigajah dumpsite, Bandung (Java, Indonesia) was affected by a large slide after heavy rainfalls. Second deadliest waste slide in history, it buried 71 houses and killed 143 people. Amongst the contemporary disastrous events of this type, only a few have been documented. We explored failure preconditions, triggering mechanisms and local context that conducted to this disaster. We carried on four field investigations on the site. A series of aerial photographs were acquired and completed by topographical measures on the ground. The morphology of the slide and its trajectory were reconstructed. To constrain the movement condition, we studied the internal structure of the source area and realized surveys among stakeholders of the dumpsite and citizen.Results2.7 × 106xa0m3 of waste materials spread 1000xa0m from the source in a rice field with an average thickness of 10xa0m. The material displays a preferential fabric parallel to the previous topography. Numerous internal slip surfaces, underlined by plastic bags explain the low friction coefficient. The presence of methane within the waste dump was responsible for explosions prior to sliding and for the fire that affects whole sliding mass.ConclusionsResulting of a combination of heavy rainfall and consecutive explosions due to biogas sudden release, this disaster was predictable in reason ofi) a front slope of the dump of about 100% before the failure;ii) a poor dumpsite management;iii) the extreme vulnerability of the marginalized scavengers living at risk at the foot of the instable dump.

Children with disabilities in disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction: Focussing on school settings:

Every year, worldwide, disasters affect approximately seven million children with disabilities, highlighting their potential vulnerability. Although there is a growing move internationally to promote the rights of children with disabilities, they still receive little attention from disaster risk reduction (DRR) researchers and policy makers. They are often excluded in DRR initiatives and are portrayed as ‘helpless’ in disaster contexts. This policy brief draws on a multiple case study of three schools supporting children with disabilities in three New Zealand regions. Through the voice of both children and adult participants, the study identifies associated gaps and constraints to disability-inclusive DRR. It makes recommendations that acknowledge diversity and ensure that those marginalized can become stakeholders in the DRR process.

Fostering Participation of Local Actors in Volcanic Disaster Risk Reduction

Studies of recent volcanic crises have revealed that official evacuation and contingency plans are often not followed by communities at risk. This is primarily attributable to a lack of long-term coordination and planning among concerned stakeholders, and in particular, a lack of participation of local populations in disaster risk reduction (DRR). A lack of participation suggests the prevalence of top-down approaches, wherein local people are disengaged or even excluded in the development of DRR plans. It is not surprising, therefore, that existing plans are often non-operational, nor acceptable to the people for whom they are intended. Through an investigation of case studies at Mount Rainier (USA) and Bulusan (Philippines), and references to volcanoes elsewhere, this chapter aims to determine the key principles and important considerations to ensure peoples’ participation in volcanic DRR. The chapter discusses key factors that encourage local empowerment, engagement, influence, and control in development of plans and actions. It adds information to the existing literature about how participatory approaches can encourage contributions by both local and outside actors, the latter providing knowledge, resources and skills when unavailable at local levels. Such approaches promote dialogue and co-production of knowledge between the community and outside actors. Contributions from multiple and diverse stakeholders further enable all groups to address the underlying social, economic, political and cultural issues that contribute to the vulnerabilities of local people. Consequently, DRR becomes more sustainable because local actors are not fully dependent upon outside actors and resources, relying instead on local capacities.

It takes two to tango: integrating meteorological knowledge and actions for disaster risk reduction

In terms of meteorological prediction, it is broadly recognized that meteorological forecasts based on both local knowledge and science have strengths and weaknesses. It is also argued that actions taken by farmers in response to the meteorological information they receive are influenced by a range of factors or constraints. These constraints often require appropriate top-down support. This study examines the integration of sources of meteorological knowledge (i.e. local and scientific) and actions (i.e. both top-down support and bottom-up initiatives) within coconut farming communities in the Philippines. A case study approach using a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods is adopted for data collection. Although the study shows that the integration of local knowledge and scientific meteorological information merely occurs spontaneously at individual level, and that the integration of top-down and bottom-up actions remains ineffective, it also points to the need for knowledge and actions to be integrated at community level.