Kanichar panchayat in Kannur, a small village situated adjacent to the Western Ghats and surrounded by mountains and dense forests at an altitude of 1,000 ft above sea level, will be the first local body in the country to house a resilience centre at grama panchayat-level. The State government has accorded permission for implementing a ‘Living Lab’ approach in Kanichar by supporting the local community to evolve into a resilient community.
The local body was selected by the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) for executing the project after multiple landslips in August and September 2022 resulted in the loss of lives and extensive damage to agriculture and infrastructure. Also, around 8.86 square km of the Panchayat falls under the moderate landslip susceptible zone, while 2.10 square km falls under the high landsliip susceptible zone.
The programme titled ‘living labs’ intends to help vulnerable grama panchayats evolve into resilient communities. As part of the approach, various interventions will be made. The existing governance framework in the local body will be optimised for ensuring resilient development. A local action plan on climate change will be prepared. Further, risk-informed spatial development plan will be developed and adopted, along with ensuring climate change adaptation and long-term risk transfer.
The project will also ensure the overall resilience of the community, including financial, social, and environmental resilience, said Amrutha Kolangad, hazard analyst (environment), KSDMA. A resilience centre will be set up for the smooth implementation of the ‘living lab’ approach with a dedicated resilience officer who will have to work closely with the panchayat, District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), KSDMA and Kerala Climate Change Adaptation Mission. Within five years, the project aims to create a disaster-resilient community capable of adapting to future threats, added Ms. Kolangad.
Published - July 25, 2024 09:45 pm IST
