Tutong - Management and mitigation of disasters should begin at the community level and not from those in upper management, Fujieda Makoto from Asean Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC) said yesterday.

Makoto told The Brunei Times that local residents are usually the first to encounter disasters in their respective communities, therefore they have to be able to respond and act accordingly, on their own, to mitigate damage.

"Sometimes the orders come from upper management, but they will first need to know the local situation. However, (the local officers and residents) will have to know what to do beforehand," he said during a fieldwork "town watching" training session at the Lamunin Fire Station, Tutong.

There must also be strong communication between the local residents and the relevant authorities, Makoto said, as the residents will have better knowledge of where and what sort of disasters or complications are prevalent in the different areas.

"They can provide prior information that is needed for those from upper management to plan and implement their policies," he said.

Makoto, accompanied by three other ADRC researchers from Kobe, Japan, was on a three-day working visit to the Sultanate to lead the Asean Cooperation Project Training of Trainers' Programme "Capacity Building of Local Government Officials on Disaster Management", organised by the ADRC and Brunei's National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC).

The training programme, from November 17 to 19, began with a two-day lecture series at the Civil Service Institute in Rimba, followed by the fieldwork exercises in Kg Rambai and Kg Ukong, Tutong, yesterday.

The fieldwork exercises allowed some 20 participants. comprising staff and personnel from the Ministry of Development, Ministry of Health, the Civil Service Institute, the NDMC and the Fire and Rescue Department, among others, to go on-site and interact with the local community to analyse and identify the best action plan when dealing with disasters or emergencies in the respective areas.

Information gathered on the day will also be used to develop a "hazard map", which will facilitate evacuation efforts during emergencies while also alerting residents of high-risk and danger-prone areas.

"Brunei is not so prone to disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, but you have annual flooding," said Makoto.

"Our target here is to formulate hazard maps that will cater to mitigating floods," he said, adding that such maps can also be effective in dealing with other disasters.

Asked what the Sultanate had to do to further prepare itself for future disasters, the ADRC researcher replied, "Not much."

He explained that Brunei should focus more on developing relief and mitigation plans. "we have to further strengthen communication between residents, local officers and the government and also work on preparation efforts," he said.

Makoto added that Brunei is one of the first Asean countries to undergo such training.

"Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines have started this year. Other countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, are scheduled for the programme next year," he said. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment