India: 10 Bandipora flood prone villages formulate disaster preparedness plan

By Inam Ul Haq

As the Jammu Kashmir Government is still lingering over a proposal for a disaster management plan, residents of 10 highly flood-prone villages in district Bandipora, which have received maximum damage of life and property in 2014-Floods, have made their own plan for dealing with natural calamities.

Shirkat – as it has been named – is a first community-based initiative in Kashmir for disaster risk assessment and preparedness plan for mitigation and minimizing losses. It aims for enhancing community preparedness, response for disaster mitigation and promoting livelihood opportunities of these disaster prone villages. It has been developed with the help of J&K Association of Social Workers, a valley based NGO supported by Caritas India.

The ten villages that have come together under Shirkat Project belong to three blocks Hajin, Aloosa and Bandipora of this north Kashmir district. The communities where the assessment was done included Banyari Sharki, Banyari Garbi, Mukdamyari, Batagund from Hajin Block, Kulhama, Lankreshipora, Laharwalpora from Bandipora block and Zurimanz, Kenusa Ghat, Astahgu Ghat from Aloosa Block, based on the severity of impact in September 2014 Floods- that hit these villages.

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