Mihir R. Bhatt is director of the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI). He works on reducing risk-related action and learning: Experience Learning Series on Learning and Risk Mitigation; Southasiadisasters.net; Afat Nivaran (Gujarati Newsletter) and Vipada Nivaran (Hindi Newsletter). He has published widely on issues of vulnerability and disasters, and has been part of key evaluations of disaster response in Asia. He is a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative since 2007 and was a member of the panel that selects the Humanitarian Coordinators for the United Nations. He advises Climate Development Knowledge Network’s work on climate compatible development in nine states of India with focus on urban resilience, green finance, and renewable energy at subnational level. He is recently invited to join independent panel of INGO Accountability Charter to review accountability of international civil society.
He chairs Duryog Nivaran, a South Asian network on alternative thinking on disaster risk reduction. He has recently published “The Interplay of Women, Work and Disasters: Missing Women’s View” and “Gender, disasters and development: opportunities for South-South cooperation” in a book titled Women and Disasters in South Asia: Survival, Security and Development; and “Using Disaster Insurance to Build Urban Resilience: Lessons from Micro-enterprise” in a book titled Urban Disaster Resilience: New Dimensions from International Practice in the Built Environment.
Dark Clouds, Silver Lining: Kerala Floods, Gulf Responses, and More Lessons
The unprecedented flooding witnessed in the Indian state of Kerala in August 2018 has been heart wrenching. Climate experts and meteorologists have dubbed it the worst flooding observed in the state in over a century. As the floodwaters recede in Kerala, leaving behind lost lives and damaged houses and wiped out livelihoods, it is important to imbibe the lessons that this disaster has offered for effective relief and sustainable reconstruction.
India and the Middle East: Building Joint Knowledge on Managing Sand and Dust Storms
Over the past 25 years, the world has seen a rise in the frequency of natural disasters in rich and poor countries alike. Today, there are more people at risk from natural hazards than ever, with those in developing countries particularly at risk. This essay series explores measures that have been taken, and could be taken, in order to improve responses to the threat or occurrence of natural disasters in the MENA and Indo-Pacific regions.
India and the Middle East: Common Areas of Action on the Sendai Framework
Over the past 25 years, the world has seen a rise in the frequency of natural disasters in rich and poor countries alike. Today, there are more people at risk from natural hazards than ever, with those in developing countries particularly at risk. This essay series explores measures that have been taken, and could be taken, in order to improve responses to the threat or occurrence of natural disasters in the MENA and Indo-Pacific regions.
Science and Technology for DRR: Asian Policy Dialogue Agenda
The science and technology sectors possess the knowledge and capabilities to reduce risk and build resilience in the Asia Pacific region. In fact, science and technology can play a key role in shaping the upcoming Asia Regional Plan as well as the political declaration at the Asia Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR), which will be held this November in Delhi. This essay proposes several agenda items for these dialogues.
