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Download fileIntegrating environmental sustainability into the water and sanitation sector: lessons from tsunami disaster response
conference contribution
posted on 2018-02-12, 15:09 authored by Jonathan J. Randall, Achala Navaratne, Emily Rand, Yohannes HagosDuring the recovery phase following a disaster, humanitarian aid organizations are uniquely positioned
to implement water and sanitation activities that go beyond disaster recovery to provide beneficiaries with
systems that are more environmentally sustainable than pre-disaster conditions. Oftentimes, however, the
pressure to rapidly restore post-disaster water and sanitation systems leads to a lack of coordinated planning
and missed opportunities to implement innovative technologies that can make communities more resilient to
future disasters and reduce long-term ecosystem impacts. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, several
humanitarian aid agencies recognized the importance of integrating environmental sustainability concepts
into their water and sanitation relief operations. This paper examines methods and strategies for addressing
environmental stewardship within the humanitarian aid water and sanitation sector through global partnerships
with environmental organizations, with case studies from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Lessons
learned from application of environmental stewardship approaches in this disaster response can be used to
remodel and improve future humanitarian aid relief operations.
History
School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Research Unit
- Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC)