Page 20 - EngineerIT January 2022

CONSULTING: DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT

Pandemic, climate change raise

stakes for SA

n the face of Covid-19, climate change 2019 were fire, floods and drought, while human disease was ranked 14th,” said Stols. “The
and growing economic hardship in Covid-19 pandemic certainly would have changed this perception – but importantly it taught
ISouth Africa, disaster risk reduction us how different sectors are impacted during a disaster and how interdependent many
(DRR) should be a priority for government sectors are during a disaster.”
at all levels; the signs are, though, that In this sense, DRR is everybody’s business, so it is vital to avoid taking a ‘silo’ approach
there is still insufficient capacity and when planning for and responding to disaster risk.
commitment to carry through on this
mandate. Integrated approach
According to Martin Stols, “No single entity can ‘own’ or take sole responsibility for a hazard or disaster,” he
principal consultant in GIS and disaster emphasised. “There is sometimes a misconception that certain departments are responsible
management at SRK Consulting, the for a certain category of hazard – but there are always knock-on effects that extend well
Covid-19 pandemic has been a stark beyond the core impacts.”
reminder of the importance of being For example, he noted that the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
prepared for unexpected events. It also (DFFE) may have a programme like Working on Fire, but the effects of a fire may require
demonstrated that certain risks are often intervention by other departments such as Human Settlements and or Agriculture. Similarly,
underestimated, and that there is no room floods are not only the problem of the Department of Water and Sanitation.
for complacency. On different levels of government there could be different agencies involved in the
“The top priority hazards that we disaster continuum. For example, flood mitigation in a city environment will most likely be
identified in disaster management plans in the responsibility of the roads and stormwater department, but the response efforts, should

No single government entity can take sole responsibility for a hazard or disaster; the effects of a fire or flood may require intervention by more than one
governmental department (Picture: Shutterstock)

EngineerIT | January 2022 | 18