Back
About RSIS
Introduction
Building the Foundations
Welcome Message
Board of Governors
Staff Profiles
Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
Dean’s Office
Management
Distinguished Fellows
Faculty and Research
Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
Visiting Fellows
Adjunct Fellows
Administrative Staff
Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
RSIS Endowment Fund
Endowed Professorships
Career Opportunities
Getting to RSIS
Research
Research Centres
Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
Centre of Excellence for National Security
Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
Research Programmes
National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
Social Cohesion Research Programme (SCRP)
Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
Other Research
Future Issues and Technology Cluster
Research@RSIS
Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
Graduate Education
Graduate Programmes Office
Exchange Partners and Programmes
How to Apply
Financial Assistance
Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
RSIS Alumni
Outreach
Global Networks
About Global Networks
RSIS Alumni
Executive Education
About Executive Education
SRP Executive Programme
Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
International Programmes
About International Programmes
Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS)
International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
Publications
RSIS Publications
Annual Reviews
Books
Bulletins and Newsletters
RSIS Commentary Series
Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
Commemorative / Event Reports
Future Issues
IDSS Papers
Interreligious Relations
Monographs
NTS Insight
Policy Reports
Working Papers
External Publications
Authored Books
Journal Articles
Edited Books
Chapters in Edited Books
Policy Reports
Working Papers
Op-Eds
Glossary of Abbreviations
Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
RSIS Publications for the Year
External Publications for the Year
Media
Cohesive Societies
Sustainable Security
Other Resource Pages
News Releases
Speeches
Video/Audio Channel
External Podcasts
Events
Contact Us
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University
  • About RSIS
      IntroductionBuilding the FoundationsWelcome MessageBoard of GovernorsHonours and Awards for RSIS Staff and StudentsRSIS Endowment FundEndowed ProfessorshipsCareer OpportunitiesGetting to RSIS
      Staff ProfilesExecutive Deputy Chairman’s OfficeDean’s OfficeManagementDistinguished FellowsFaculty and ResearchAssociate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research AnalystsVisiting FellowsAdjunct FellowsAdministrative Staff
  • Research
      Research CentresCentre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)Centre of Excellence for National SecurityInstitute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      Research ProgrammesNational Security Studies Programme (NSSP)Social Cohesion Research Programme (SCRP)Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      Other ResearchFuture Issues and Technology ClusterResearch@RSISScience and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      Graduate Programmes OfficeExchange Partners and ProgrammesHow to ApplyFinancial AssistanceMeet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other eventsRSIS Alumni
  • Outreach
      Global NetworksAbout Global NetworksRSIS Alumni
      Executive EducationAbout Executive EducationSRP Executive ProgrammeTerrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
      International ProgrammesAbout International ProgrammesAsia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS)International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
  • Publications
      RSIS PublicationsAnnual ReviewsBooksBulletins and NewslettersRSIS Commentary SeriesCounter Terrorist Trends and AnalysesCommemorative / Event ReportsFuture IssuesIDSS PapersInterreligious RelationsMonographsNTS InsightPolicy ReportsWorking Papers
      External PublicationsAuthored BooksJournal ArticlesEdited BooksChapters in Edited BooksPolicy ReportsWorking PapersOp-Eds
      Glossary of AbbreviationsPolicy-relevant Articles Given RSIS AwardRSIS Publications for the YearExternal Publications for the Year
  • Media
      Cohesive SocietiesSustainable SecurityOther Resource PagesNews ReleasesSpeechesVideo/Audio ChannelExternal Podcasts
  • Events
  • Contact Us
    • Connect with Us

      rsis.ntu
      rsis_ntu
      rsisntu
      rsisvideocast
      school/rsis-ntu
      rsis.sg
      rsissg
      RSIS
      RSS
      Subscribe to RSIS Publications
      Subscribe to RSIS Events

      Getting to RSIS

      Nanyang Technological University
      Block S4, Level B3,
      50 Nanyang Avenue,
      Singapore 639798

      Click here for direction to RSIS

      Get in Touch

    Connect
    Search
    • RSIS
    • Publication
    • RSIS Publications
    • CO11150 | Floods and Regional Disaster Preparedness: Too Little, Too Late?
    • Annual Reviews
    • Books
    • Bulletins and Newsletters
    • RSIS Commentary Series
    • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
    • Commemorative / Event Reports
    • Future Issues
    • IDSS Papers
    • Interreligious Relations
    • Monographs
    • NTS Insight
    • Policy Reports
    • Working Papers

    CO11150 | Floods and Regional Disaster Preparedness: Too Little, Too Late?
    Mely Caballero-Anthony, Sofiah Jamil

    17 October 2011

    download pdf

    Synopsis

    As the floods in Thailand and Cambodia continue, the state of regional cooperation is proving critical in addressing the difficulties faced by affected countries. Disaster preparedness is increasingly vital.    

    Commentary

    HEAVY RAINS in the Thailand and Cambodia since July 2011 have resulted in high socio-economic costs from flood damage and has claimed at least 500 lives. For Thailand with areas only two metres above sea level, the flood is said to be the country’s worst in the past 50 years, with a third of its provinces declared disaster zones. However, such incidents are not all that new nor unexpected, for two main reasons:

    Firstly, various studies have highlighted the increasing vulnerability of Southeast Asian countries to weather–related disasters. Among these is the Report by the International Development Research Centre, which has highlighted areas in Southeast Asia that are highly vulnerable to various environmental hazards. Similarly, other reports, such as those by the World Bank, United Nations and World Wide Fund have highlighted the socio-economic factors that increase vulnerabilities, such as rising population densities in cities. Secondly, there is existing knowledge and solutions to control floods, based on the region’s long experience with disasters. These factors are particularly significant in Southeast Asia, which is home to at least three megacities – Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila.

    Inertia and its sources

    Yet, in spite of such information, there remains a strong dose of inertia within states to effectively integrate climate change adaptation strategies with disaster preparedness. Climate change adaptation refers to responses to reduce vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change.

    It is particularly vital for disaster-prone areas as it not only enhances a community’s level of preparedness but also resilience in coping with the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters. It is therefore important to understand why there is this inertia, much of which can be alleviated through increased regional cooperation and collaboration.

    A primary factor contributing to the inertia to integrate climate change strategies into disaster preparedness is the often complex task of coordination across multiple agencies and stakeholders. The issue of climate change extends beyond the environmental realm and needs changes and inputs from various sectors related to the economy. For flood management, this even comes down to issues such as waste management, irrigation systems and the extent of groundwater extraction and urbanisation.

    The relocation of urban poor communities living in areas highly vulnerable to floods, for instance, requires a substantial amount of resources and time. Attention includes ensuring that new housing and dwellings are located near sources of economic livelihood. Such an overhaul of systems in the medium and long term is thus often not in the interests of policymakers whose terms in office are usually three to five years.

    Adaptation and Mitigation

    A second factor for the inertia is the belated importance given to climate change adaptation compared with climate change mitigation. While climate change mitigation emphasises reducing carbon emissions – the source of climate change – it does not prevent existing effects of climate change. Hence, this necessitates measures for adapting to climate change. Countries now have to make up for lost time as they had only recently channelled efforts to measure and control their carbon emissions in the lead up to the 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit

    Reducing carbon emissions has also allowed policymakers to steer the focus to development-related issues such as energy security and meeting the increasing energy demands of developing/industrialising countries. While these issues are significant, they overshadow the effects of climate change which many communities in Southeast Asian countries are highly vulnerable to.

    This relates to a third contributing factor to the inertia – economic growth as a priority. In terms of erecting flood defences, cities or other significant centres of economic activity are the first to be protected. Bangkok has occasionally been criticised for this, as its flood defences have caused a diversion of flood waters to other parts of Thailand such as Ayutthaya.  While protecting the megacity is vital to prevent millions of economic losses, it does not ensure similar regard for communities that are most vulnerable to disasters in less urban areas.

    Their losses are not just about economics, but about survival – that is access to essential supplies such as food, water and electricity. Recent studies have thus emphasised the need to build climate resilience in medium-sized cities, which may not have as much resources as the megacities.

    Reducing inertia through regional cooperation

    What message can be drawn from the slack in integrating climate change strategies into disaster preparedness? It is the fact that policymakers often relegate the problem to the lack of capacity. While this is true within national boundaries, it is vital for countries to collaborate across borders to build capacity.

    Regional frameworks in Southeast Asia currently exist, some of which are in operation like the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management under the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER). While such initiatives have been operationalised since disasters such as Cyclone Nargis in 2008, regional frameworks need to be further strengthened to enhance preparedness and climate change adaptation mechanisms, rather than just responding in times of disasters. In this regard, ASEAN’s efforts to streamline and integrate its broad strategies on food and energy security with sustainable development must be matched with greater effectiveness in implementation. In addition, regional cooperation can facilitate the transfer of best practices.

    While regional cooperation at the official level has been significant, more can be done to increase the level of cooperation between ASEAN civil society and business communities. ASEAN must increase its engagement with the scientific community to understand better how climatic changes, in addition to other existing natural and man-made disasters, will affect regional security. Greater engagement with the private entities that are keen on corporate social responsibility will also open doors for targeted funding in projects which may not have had enough government support.

    It remains to be seen how regional cooperation in disaster preparedness in Southeast Asia will progress. Can ASEAN shift from merely reacting to disasters to be more pro-active in preparing for disasters?  In light of the frequency of devastating natural calamities, ASEAN countries should not wait for another Cyclone Nargis or Typhoon Ketsana to move forward on this front.

    About the Authors

    Mely Caballero-Anthony is Associate Professor and Head (on leave) and Sofiah Jamil is Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.

    Categories: RSIS Commentary Series / Non-Traditional Security / Southeast Asia and ASEAN

    Synopsis

    As the floods in Thailand and Cambodia continue, the state of regional cooperation is proving critical in addressing the difficulties faced by affected countries. Disaster preparedness is increasingly vital.    

    Commentary

    HEAVY RAINS in the Thailand and Cambodia since July 2011 have resulted in high socio-economic costs from flood damage and has claimed at least 500 lives. For Thailand with areas only two metres above sea level, the flood is said to be the country’s worst in the past 50 years, with a third of its provinces declared disaster zones. However, such incidents are not all that new nor unexpected, for two main reasons:

    Firstly, various studies have highlighted the increasing vulnerability of Southeast Asian countries to weather–related disasters. Among these is the Report by the International Development Research Centre, which has highlighted areas in Southeast Asia that are highly vulnerable to various environmental hazards. Similarly, other reports, such as those by the World Bank, United Nations and World Wide Fund have highlighted the socio-economic factors that increase vulnerabilities, such as rising population densities in cities. Secondly, there is existing knowledge and solutions to control floods, based on the region’s long experience with disasters. These factors are particularly significant in Southeast Asia, which is home to at least three megacities – Bangkok, Jakarta and Manila.

    Inertia and its sources

    Yet, in spite of such information, there remains a strong dose of inertia within states to effectively integrate climate change adaptation strategies with disaster preparedness. Climate change adaptation refers to responses to reduce vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change.

    It is particularly vital for disaster-prone areas as it not only enhances a community’s level of preparedness but also resilience in coping with the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters. It is therefore important to understand why there is this inertia, much of which can be alleviated through increased regional cooperation and collaboration.

    A primary factor contributing to the inertia to integrate climate change strategies into disaster preparedness is the often complex task of coordination across multiple agencies and stakeholders. The issue of climate change extends beyond the environmental realm and needs changes and inputs from various sectors related to the economy. For flood management, this even comes down to issues such as waste management, irrigation systems and the extent of groundwater extraction and urbanisation.

    The relocation of urban poor communities living in areas highly vulnerable to floods, for instance, requires a substantial amount of resources and time. Attention includes ensuring that new housing and dwellings are located near sources of economic livelihood. Such an overhaul of systems in the medium and long term is thus often not in the interests of policymakers whose terms in office are usually three to five years.

    Adaptation and Mitigation

    A second factor for the inertia is the belated importance given to climate change adaptation compared with climate change mitigation. While climate change mitigation emphasises reducing carbon emissions – the source of climate change – it does not prevent existing effects of climate change. Hence, this necessitates measures for adapting to climate change. Countries now have to make up for lost time as they had only recently channelled efforts to measure and control their carbon emissions in the lead up to the 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit

    Reducing carbon emissions has also allowed policymakers to steer the focus to development-related issues such as energy security and meeting the increasing energy demands of developing/industrialising countries. While these issues are significant, they overshadow the effects of climate change which many communities in Southeast Asian countries are highly vulnerable to.

    This relates to a third contributing factor to the inertia – economic growth as a priority. In terms of erecting flood defences, cities or other significant centres of economic activity are the first to be protected. Bangkok has occasionally been criticised for this, as its flood defences have caused a diversion of flood waters to other parts of Thailand such as Ayutthaya.  While protecting the megacity is vital to prevent millions of economic losses, it does not ensure similar regard for communities that are most vulnerable to disasters in less urban areas.

    Their losses are not just about economics, but about survival – that is access to essential supplies such as food, water and electricity. Recent studies have thus emphasised the need to build climate resilience in medium-sized cities, which may not have as much resources as the megacities.

    Reducing inertia through regional cooperation

    What message can be drawn from the slack in integrating climate change strategies into disaster preparedness? It is the fact that policymakers often relegate the problem to the lack of capacity. While this is true within national boundaries, it is vital for countries to collaborate across borders to build capacity.

    Regional frameworks in Southeast Asia currently exist, some of which are in operation like the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management under the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER). While such initiatives have been operationalised since disasters such as Cyclone Nargis in 2008, regional frameworks need to be further strengthened to enhance preparedness and climate change adaptation mechanisms, rather than just responding in times of disasters. In this regard, ASEAN’s efforts to streamline and integrate its broad strategies on food and energy security with sustainable development must be matched with greater effectiveness in implementation. In addition, regional cooperation can facilitate the transfer of best practices.

    While regional cooperation at the official level has been significant, more can be done to increase the level of cooperation between ASEAN civil society and business communities. ASEAN must increase its engagement with the scientific community to understand better how climatic changes, in addition to other existing natural and man-made disasters, will affect regional security. Greater engagement with the private entities that are keen on corporate social responsibility will also open doors for targeted funding in projects which may not have had enough government support.

    It remains to be seen how regional cooperation in disaster preparedness in Southeast Asia will progress. Can ASEAN shift from merely reacting to disasters to be more pro-active in preparing for disasters?  In light of the frequency of devastating natural calamities, ASEAN countries should not wait for another Cyclone Nargis or Typhoon Ketsana to move forward on this front.

    About the Authors

    Mely Caballero-Anthony is Associate Professor and Head (on leave) and Sofiah Jamil is Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.

    Categories: RSIS Commentary Series / Non-Traditional Security

    Popular Links

    About RSISResearch ProgrammesGraduate EducationPublicationsEventsAdmissionsCareersVideo/Audio ChannelRSIS Intranet

    Connect with Us

    rsis.ntu
    rsis_ntu
    rsisntu
    rsisvideocast
    school/rsis-ntu
    rsis.sg
    rsissg
    RSIS
    RSS
    Subscribe to RSIS Publications
    Subscribe to RSIS Events

    Getting to RSIS

    Nanyang Technological University
    Block S4, Level B3,
    50 Nanyang Avenue,
    Singapore 639798

    Click here for direction to RSIS

    Get in Touch

      Copyright © S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. All rights reserved.
      Privacy Statement / Terms of Use
      Help us improve

        Rate your experience with this website
        123456
        Not satisfiedVery satisfied
        What did you like?
        0/255 characters
        What can be improved?
        0/255 characters
        Your email
        Please enter a valid email.
        Thank you for your feedback.
        This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. Learn more
        OK
        Latest Book
        more info