ECO-DRR Program (Eco System Based Disaster Risk Reduction)
The ECO DRR Project is being implemented in 12 Villages Block of Ikauna Block, Shravasti District from September 2015 by DISA through the support of Caritas India, New Delhi. Shrawasti District is one of the districts of the Uttar Pradesh, India and Bhinga town is the districts headquarter. Shrawasti is a part of Devipatan Division is located near River Rapti. Natural disasters that are common in Uttar Pradesh are – Floods, Droughts, Fires and Earthquakes. Loss of life and property from these disasters, especially the former three, are in terms of hundreds of corers of rupees annually. UP is also vulnerable from the aspect of man-made hazards too i.e. stampede, chemical, radiological and other hazard.
Approximately 7.34 million hectares of area get affected annually due to Floods. Annual approximate loss due to floods is Rs. 432 corers. Number of human loss due to floods & thunder storm is 380 in the year 2013. As per the 2014 report, 68,000 people had been hit by the floods in Shravasti district. The important area of concern in the district Shravasti is that it is badly affected by frequent floods every year. The water from the River Rapti in the rainy season submerge many of villages and destroy households, crops, roads, trees, electric poles and many other public infrastructures.
The main goal of this Project is to restore the Eco-System by adopting Eco-based Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Sensitive Practices with focus on community institutions, resilience building, networking and convergence for their Rights and Entitlements (Eco-DRR) with the support and guidance of CARITAS India, New Delhi.
Case Study
Ever since the implementation of ECODRR project in Jodpur Village, the village has been experiencing ripples of societal transformations through the interventions of the ECODRR staffs, in all the aspects of their lives. Since the village is close by the river Rapti annual floods have shattered many lives of the villagers. During the raining season finding a suitable means for cooking food was difficult for the villagers and the programme has helped many villagers to make use of the government scheme for obtaining gas connections. Below given is the example of successful materialisation of the ECODRR project in one among the areas of its focus.
Gudiya Devi lives in village Jodhpur and belonging to SC community. She always participates in community meeting (ECO DDR Project). In the beginning stages of the project she was bit critical about the project but when she understood through gradual participation of the meeting, the benefits of this project, she started encouraging her neighbours to join the group. It was in one such meeting that the villagers came to know about the Pradhan Mantari Gas Ujala Yojana. Through the support of ECO DDR project eligible families met the associated officer and they received the benefits. After one month 12 families have received free Gas connection in Jodhpur and Gudiya Devi is one among them. They have now become convinced of the importance of having information about the different government schemes which otherwise remains hidden and manipulated. The villagers are very grateful to the facilitators and staff of the ECODRR project and DISA for enhancing and empowering their lives.