Resilience. The go-to word these days to make you feel smart.
Of course, you have to know what it means, and it means many things in many
different contexts. We’ve been working our way through what it means for a
community to be resilient, and in part three of our series, we look at
infrastructure and services.
Why is infrastructure so important? It underpins service
delivery. And so, the more resilient your community’s infrastructure, the more
resilient your services are. For example: are roads in danger of being washed
out during times of flooding? Are electrical sources protected during storms -
and can electricity be generated in times of emergency? What is the backup
electricity source? Are schools and other public buildings built back from the
shoreline and rivers? Have gas stations been raised so that they can still be
accessed during flooding? Are health centres reinforced so that they can be
operational in times of crisis? Is there proper storage for potable water? What
about communications? Will the community be cut off during times of crisis? And
transport? Are there plans and is there capacity to stick to them?
All of this is important because resilient infrastructure helps
communities bounce back after shocks such as cyclones and flooding. The impacts
of climate change are similar. Strong infrastructure means the local economy
can bounce back, and that emergency services can be provided and that children
can get back to school without too much interruption.
The SDGs help guide us on what is means to have resilient
services. For example, Goal 3 on health looks at ending preventable deaths of
newborns and children under 5. Quality public healthcare in the community is
important to ensure the best medical assistance can be provided, whether on site
or in a larger centre. Diagnosis of important diseases such as AIDS, TB,
malaria and dengue need to happen early on. If local health providers have the
capacity to diagnose and have necessary treatment options available, the
stronger and more resilient the community will be. If they don’t have treatment
options locally, can patients be quickly transferred to larger centres?
Goal 4 looks at education - keeping boys AND girls in school
through secondary school builds and stronger and more resilient community.
People are literate and numerate, and can contribute more effectively to the
local economy and help to develop the community - including problem solving for
climate change adaptation. More education in the community means less reliance
on outside knowledge for community growth and resilience. Ensuring education
facilities meet basic needs - including, where possible, internet connections
for increased distance learning - can also mean facilities for adult education
in the evenings.
Goal 6 looks at water and sanitation. Good water quality and
equitable access to good water means that community health will be stronger. A
focus on reducing local water pollution, including illegal dumping, is very
important and within the capacity and authority of community leaders to take the
lead on. Even better: community water management plans, including the clearing
of debris in the water, storage of potable water, distribution and emergency
water management. The more communities are aware of how they can take the lead
and prepare for emergencies on issues like water and sanitation, the more
resilient they will be in the long term.
Resilience sometimes feels like an ‘out there’ topic that we
can’t quite get a hold of. But when we break it down, and focus on its
tangible, practical parts, we can see that it is not unachievable, and in fact
achievable with local resources: whether they be human, knowledge, material or
geographic.
Next time: Economic opportunity and managing natural assets.
No comments:
Post a Comment