Economic effects of riverbank erosion: some evidence from bangladesh

In this paper I investigate some of the economic effects of riverbank erosion in Bangladesh. The study was conducted in one village over the period 1979–89. Between these dates the village lost almost 20 per cent of its farmland to riverbank erosion. This resulted in a loss of more than 50 per cent of crop income (at 1989 prices). About 45 per cent of households were affected during the period. It appears, however, that there is little understanding among the relevant government agencies and non-governmental organisations of the severity of riverbank erosion in Bangladesh. This article aims to provide, therefore, some basic information on the various economic effects of this natural hazard.     

Peasant survival strategies in ethiopia1

This paper focuses on peasant farmers in Ethiopia, and their behaviour as serious famine sets in. In many of the last seventeen years the crop yields on rain-fed plots in drought-prone areas have failed to meet the requirements of the peasant farmers and their families. Significant numbers have received food aid either at distribution points or in the shelters which developed in 1973 and 1984. Seeking food relief from external sources, however, is the last resort of peasants who have managed their dwindling resources for months, if not years, in order to survive.     

The displaced poor and resettlement policies in bangladesh

Bangladesh is a land of natural disasters. Every year the country is affected by flood, riverbank erosion, drought, coastal cyclone and tornado. Riverbank erosion alone displaces an estimated one million people annually. Based on research carried out in Bangladesh in 1984–85, this paper critically examines resettlement options of the displaced poor in the light of existing policies for developing more effective short and long-term resettlement and development strategies .     

Coping strategies and risk manageability: using participatory geographical information systems to represent local knowledge

The accumulated knowledge and perceptions of communities 'at risk' are key elements in managing disaster risk at the local level. This paper demonstrates that local knowledge of flood hazards can be structured systematically into geographic information system (GIS) outputs. When combined with forecasting models and risk scenarios, they strengthen the legitimacy of local knowledge of at-risk populations. This is essential for effective disaster risk reduction practices by external actors, local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and municipal authorities. The research focused on understanding coping strategies and 'manageability' of flood hazards as defined by communities. 'Manageability' is how people experience flooding in relation to their household capacity and the coping mechanisms available. The research in the Philippines highlights the significance of localised factors, including socioeconomic resources, livelihoods, seasonality and periodicity, for understanding manageability. The manageability concept improves practice at the municipal level by legitimising local coping strategies, providing better indicators, and developing understanding of flooding as a recurrent threat.     

论天然气水合物与海底地质灾害、气象灾害和生物灾害的关系

论述了天然气水合物与海底滑坡、全球变暖和海底生物灭绝等地质、气象、生物灾害的关系。海底天然气水合物的分解能够减小沉积物的胶结强度,并导致沉积层孔隙压力的过剩,进而诱发海底滑坡的发生。天然气水合物与全球变暖关系密切。从天然气水合物释放出来的甲烷可使地球温度升高4℃至8℃,升温的结果一方面可能中和全球变冷的趋势,另一方面也可能加剧全球变暖的趋势。全球天然气水合物大规模的分解,导致了海底单细胞生物大量灭亡,对海底生物多样性的保持构成巨大危害。在天然气水合物开发利用的设计阶段和实施阶段,必须有足够的防范意识和技术措施,防止或尽可能减少天然气水合物开发利用造成的各种环境灾害。     

Coping strategies developed as a result of social structure and conflict: Kosovo in the 1990s

The end of 1989 brought with it political and economic decisions which resulted in Kosovo being stripped of its autonomy and the Albanian population being expelled from their jobs. These facts combined with ethnic tensions created a decade of conflict and oppression affecting hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Thousands of Kosovars moved overseas to seek work to support families at home, altering the way of life of the population of Kosovo irredeemably. The loss of income had serious repercussions on food security throughout the 1990s; possibilities of purchasing food were diminished, control on goods in 1998 reduced availability of foodstuffs, conflict affected accessibility to markets and shops and consequently food intake and nutritional status was compromised. The most vulnerable were those who had no family members overseas. Mass displacement of population due to ethnic cleansing during the war of spring 1999, further jeopardised food security status. Destruction at this time rendered large parts of Kosovo useless and resulted in a shift in the determinant of vulnerability in the post-war period: destruction of houses, land, livestock and agricultural products as well as loss of family members, became a far more pertinent indicator of food insecurity. The strong and clear links between conflict, socio-economic issues and food security are highlighted and discussed in this paper.     

Coping and adaptation strategies and institutional perceptions of hydrological risk in an urban Amazonian city

This paper investigates coping and adaptation strategies and institutional perceptions of hydrological risk at the local scale in Santarém, an Amazonian city in the state of Pará, Brazil. Methods and tools of analysis encompassed secondary data, field observations, and qualitative techniques (focus-group discussions and in-depth interviews). Stakeholders from affected neighbourhoods describe their means of coping with and adapting to flooding, focusing on purposefulness, type of initiative and investment, risk timing, temporal and spatial scope, and performance. The results comprise an inventory of 16 mostly structural measures. The perceptions of six institutions of general responses to flooding are presented as opinions on actions that reduce the effects of such events, individual strategies and collective community endeavours in at-risk areas, and the activities of the public and private sectors to manage floods. Understanding of coping and adaptation strategies and knowledge of institutional flood risk perceptions can benefit the implementation of risk and disaster reduction policies and practices.     

黄河下游泥沙灾害与减灾对策(Ⅰ)——泥沙灾害分类与侵蚀型泥沙灾害

从泥沙研究的角度概述了与河流泥沙有关的灾害及其分类，将黄河下游的泥沙灾害分成侵蚀型泥沙灾害与堆积型泥沙灾害两种情况，讨论了侵蚀型泥沙灾害，包括滩岸坍塌、河道整治工程出险，初步提出了侵蚀型泥沙灾害的减灾方略。     

Vulnerability to tropical cyclones: evidence from the april 1991 cyclone in coastal bangladesh

In this article we report the results of a survey conducted in two coastal communities of Bangladesh less than two weeks after they were hit by the severe cyclone of April 29, 1991. It was found that almost all of the surveyed heads of households had received early warnings of the cyclone. Nevertheless, a majority of the respondents did not leave their homes to seek shelter. The two most common reasons given for this passive reaction were (i) fear of burglary and (ii) disbelief of the warnings. Thus, it appears that the existing system of early warnings is not having its intended effect and that it, and related disaster mitigation policies, need to be revised. Some suggestions are made as to what could be done.     

Coping with drought and food insecurity in ethiopia

In this article I examine the impact of drought on farm households in Ethiopia and their response to crisis conditions. I ask whether every household in a community is equally affected by drought and what households do to mitigate the effects of drought and associated food insecurity. Information on production, income and food consumption is disaggregated by agroecological zone (highland and lowland), and by socioeconomic strata (relatively wealthy versus poor). Such detailed analysis permits an improved understanding of why the poor are much more vulnerable than the wealthy to drought and associated famines and why they need to be more effectively targeted by relief and development interventions. In a world of limited public resources for crisis intervention, such understanding is crucial to the design of improved policies and projects for reaching people most at risk.     

论土壤侵蚀对山地致灾因子链的复合效应—在湖南四水流域中上游地区为例

土壤水力侵蚀兼重力侵蚀是本研究区的主要土壤侵蚀类型。通过对水力、重力侵蚀以及它们交替、复合侵蚀过程的分析表明：（1）土壤水力、重力侵蚀的直接表现形式即面蚀，沟浊，滑坡，崩塌，泥石流等侵蚀形态，对山区社会经济及资源环境具有不同程度的破坏能力，故称之为山地致灾因子；（2）水力侵蚀与重力侵蚀在时间上的交替混合，在空间上的重复叠加，即增强了诸种致灾因子自身的致灾能力，又助长了致灾因子彼此间的诱发或转化作用，进而形成与发展了山地致灾因子链；（3）土壤侵蚀是一综合性的山地致灾因子系列，各类致灾因子链对承灾体的连续性破坏，导致社会经济损失累积值增大。     

论土壤侵蚀对山地致灾因子链的复合效应——以湖南四水流域中上游地区为例

土壤水力侵蚀兼重力侵蚀是本研究区的主要土壤侵蚀类型。通过对水力、重力侵蚀以及它们交替、复合侵蚀过程的分析表明:(1)土壤水力、重力侵蚀的直接表现形式即面蚀、沟浊、滑坡、崩塌、泥石流等侵蚀形态,对山区社会经济及资源环境具有不同程度的破坏能力,故称之为山地致灾因子;(2)水力侵蚀与重力侵蚀在时间上的交替混合,在空间上的复合叠加,既增强了诸种致灾因子自身的致灾能力,又助长了致灾因子彼此间的诱发或转化作用,进而形成与发展了山地致灾因子链;(3)土壤侵蚀是一综合性的山地致灾因子系列,各类致灾因子链对承灾体的连续性破坏,导致社会经济损失累积值增大。     

Coping with seismic vulnerability: small manufacturing firms in western Athens

This paper attempts to contribute to international discourse on the responsibility of macro structures (economic and political) and private agencies for the production and distribution of vulnerability. It does so by focusing on an individual economic entity, small manufacturing firms (SMFs), in a specific location, western Athens, Greece. By evaluating the losses that SMFs sustained in the earthquake of 7 September 1999, the paper points to variations in vulnerability levels among such firms and highlights the 'sources' of vulnerability they confront. Furthermore, the SMF recovery cycle is systematically monitored in parallel with relevant public policies and state reactions to private recovery methods. The analysis illustrates processes that externalise recovery costs, alter the relationship between physical and socio-economic vulnerability and shift the vulnerability load from macro structures to individual agencies or vice versa. It is based on two methodological approaches: the division of vulnerability into three constituent components (exposure, resistance and resilience); and the conceptual split between producers and carriers of vulnerability.     

Effects of floods on the use and condition of pit latrines in rural bangladesh

The severe floods of 1987 in Bangladesh had devastating effects on many development activities. Here, the use and condition of improved sanitation facilities (double pit water sealed latrines) during the 1987 peak flood period are presented. Two surveys on the use and condition of the latrines were carried out in May (pre-flood) and September (post-flood) 1987 in a rural area 60 km north of Dhaka, with a population of about 4500. General usage of the latrines by the population aged five years or more decreased from 88% to 78% ( p < 0.001) after the flood. Only 40% of the 343 latrines which were in use and had no damaged component at the time of the pre-flood survey still had no damaged components after the floods. Fencing was the component which suffered the most damage. It was the only component which was installed and maintained by the users, project staff being responsible for all other components. The estimated post-flood repair cost was approximately US $4.0 per latrine. Development of an affordable and durable fencing is recommended.     

The impact of local elites on disaster preparedness planning: the location of flood shelters in northern bangladesh

Disaster relief and preparedness organisations are concerned with allocating scarce resources in unstable environments, such as those prone to flooding and river erosion. The need to understand the role of powerful elites in such disaster prone environments is illustrated through an analysis of the actual location decisions and biases involved in siting four flood shelters in four communities in northern Bangladesh. The previously unrecognised implications of the location biases for employment, shelter, access and the utilisation of the flood shelter by the powerless people in the target group demonstrate the need for disaster organisations to include an analysis of the local power structure in project preparation and appraisal.     

Communities and bushfire hazard in Australia: More questions than answers

The issue of communities and their exposure to bushfire hazard is highly topical internationally. There is a perceived trend of greater exposure to bushfire risk which is exacerbated by increased levels of building in fire-prone areas or peri-urban regions. There is a need to clarify what we understand to be peri-urban regions, and how we conceptualise and describe the communities that reside in them, in order that efficient and effective services are provided. However, more questions arise for us. For example: Where are these communities located? What do we know about the people who live there? What are the implications for bushfire mitigation? Despite being problematic, locality remains important to the understanding of communities, bushfire hazard and delivery of services.     

我国泥石流危险度评价研究:回顾与展望

综述了自20世纪80年代末我国开展泥石流危险度评价研究以来,4个主要不同时期所用的评价方法及其发展过程,介绍了最新的单沟泥石流危险度评价技术及其改进的评价因子转换函数赋值新方法。首次提出了泥石流危险度评价的理论公式及其数值解,同时也指出了泥石流危险度理论研究方面所面临的困难。目前,现有的泥石流危险度评价方法是有效的和实用的,进一步的工作宜放在评价方法的可靠性研究上,同时要大力开展泥石流规模和发生频率相互关系的研究,以期达到最终用理论公式来评价泥石流危险度的目的,并实现现状评价和预测评价能同时进行的目标。     

Development policy: a driving force of environmental hazard in Russia

Abstract

The scale and severity of environmental deterioration in Russia—and its accompanying hazards—constitute a true environmental crisis. Its characteristic features are a gradual continuing loss of environmental quality accompanied by acute environmental impacts associated with industrial accidents and related emergencies. The underlying causes are a mixture of political and social factors in association with the unbridled technological development. These were along the main driving forces of environmental hazard in the former Soviet Union and they continue to play that role in contemporary Russia. But the current environmental crisis is not only a time of adversity; it also has the potential to provide the necessary conditions for improvements in the economic wellbeing and environmental quality.