Disaster resilience in SA depends on connecting institutions, resources and communities
To build true disaster resilience there needs to be genuine collaboration between existing institutions and grassroots communities, and the integration of local knowledge and shared responsibility into public safety systems.
Dr Haseena Majid, a Global Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity and Social Justice at the Atlantic Institute and Director of USAWA for Learning and Healing, emphasizes the importance of genuine collaboration between existing institutions and grassroots communities in building disaster resilience. The recent catastrophic flooding in Nepal, Nigeria, Texas, and South Africa highlights the need for integrated approaches that combine local knowledge, shared responsibility, and the integration of public safety systems.
While South Africa already has a substantial disaster management system with various responsibilities and frameworks in place, the pressing question remains about how effectively this collective capacity functions when responsibilities intersect. The key to improving disaster resilience lies in recognizing relationships, understanding responsibilities, and sustaining coordination among different institutions, while also addressing the role of individual behaviour, municipal services, infrastructure investment, and government decisions.
Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
