Study on disaster related aid management in Tsunami reconstruction projects

Abstract

Every year, more than 200 million people are affected by droughts, floods, cyclones, earthquakes, wild-land fires and other disasters. Increased population densities, environmental degradation, and global warming adding to poverty make the impacts of natural disasters worsen According to The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, during the last decade disasters caused damage of an estimated US$67 billion per year on average, with a maximum of US$230 billion and a minimum of US$28 billion. The economic cost associated with natural disasters has increased 14-fold since the 1950s. Tsunami that occurred in 2004 December has had a greater impact on our economy, society and environment and it is not confined only to the coastal area, but affected the entire nation and to the whole country as well. The magnitude of the losses incurred to human lives, materials and assets are enormous. The foreign aid received by way of loans and grants for emergency relief, rehabilitation and reconstructions effort is more than $ mn 1000 for last five years. This study made an attempt to analyse the prevailing mechanism of aid utilization by using four foreign funded projects managed by government agencies. Although there is no way to avoid all negative impacts of a disaster, an effective mechanism could be able to manage or reduce the impact. In considering a frame work for the Disasters management, one has to identify the activities and strategies that are needed to implement them. It involves planning, organizing and implementing activities for emergency relief initially (short term) rehabilitation and reconstruction (midterm) and preparedness and mitigation activities (long term). Disaster Management can be identified as a branch of total management concept in the sphere of public management. It has so many similar characters of a "Project" and as most of the activities in disaster situation are handled by the government, it can be identified in "Public Project Management" perspective. The study emphasise on the management skills of the project staff who are handling the activities of reconstruction and rehabilitation work that are required in public project management, which include planning, organizing coordinating communicating, monitoring, controlling. Especially the project management skills and competencies such as procurement management, contract management, finance management, resource planning, scheduling of work, monitoring and supervision. It also emphasise on the integrated approach through coordinating activities from the National Provincial, and District level to the village level. Key Words: Disaster, Disaster Management, Public Project management, Aid utilisation.