Incorporating Traditional Knowledge in Post Disaster Recovery to Integrate Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction

Abstract

The most visible and extreme impacts of climate change are being felt through hydro-meteorological disasters. These disasters can be avoided and mitigated through integrated climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction approaches. Traditional knowledge is a rich source of time-tested solutions for early warning and locally appropriate coping mechanisms in times of disasters. At the same time traditional knowledge is also a valuable source of information about local climate systems, longstanding adaptation practices and adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities. Consequently, traditional knowledge can aid the design of highly customized and integrated climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction solutions that are locally contextualized, appropriate and sustainable. In this chapter, we present two case studies of post hydro-meteorological disaster situations from India to show used and misused opportunities for incorporating traditional knowledge in post disaster recovery to integrate climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Post disaster situations present a unique opportunity to facilitate integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction because of increased levels of sensitivity and willingness to engage in risk reduction from all major stakeholders. The case studies presented in this chapter, explore disaster recovery programmes of the 2006 flash floods in Barmer, Rajasthan and 2010 flash floods of Leh, Jammu and Kashmir. Both these districts lie in highly arid and climate sensitive agro-ecological zones of the country. The unprecedented flash floods in these usually drought prone districts and consequent disaster recovery efforts provided us a unique opportunity to study and demonstrate the role of traditional knowledge in integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. We conclude that traditional knowledge can be used to understand and facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in post disaster recovery and unless this is done it is not only a missed but misused development opportunity.