Strengthening Resilience in Tsunami-affected Communities (India and Sri Lanka)

During the December 2004 tsunami in South Asia, it was reported that mangrove wetlands and other thick coastal vegetation served to reduce loss of life and property by providing a natural shield or barrier. In other cases, for example Nallavadu village in Pondicherry, loss of life was avoided when villagers received early warning via telephone or public address system linked to international sources of information. And, experience has shown that the resilience of the poor to natural disaster increases as livelihoods are made more secure and diverse. While a tsunami of the magnitude of the December 2004 event is rare, these coastal areas are regularly subject to less extreme storms, floods and other natural disasters.

This project aims to strengthen local capacities, livelihoods and protective forest belts. It will also increase people's access to strategic and transformative information through a network of village knowledge centres (VKCs). The results of the project are expected to demonstrate how new technologies and local institutions can reduce the vulnerability of the poor to natural disasters.