06 opINIoN The tender, that is the children are one of the worst victims of the impact of climate change. According to WHO, more than 88% of the existing global burden of disease due to climate change occurs in children less than 5 years of age. Nearly half a million children die before the age of 5 years. tikender panwar Shimla C limate change impacts all. The vulnerable sections in the society face the larger wrath. Vulnerability may be in terms of class, social, gender or even ‘tender’. The tender, that is the children are one of the worst victims of the impact of climate change. Even the disasters have a greater impact on the children than the adults. According to WHO, more than 88% of the existing global burden of disease due to climate change occurs in children less than 5 years of age. Nearly half a million children die before the age of 5 years. In the low socio-economic status, the vulnerability is high. The poor are affected the worst not just because of their economic impediment which definitely is, but also because they are dependent largely on natural resources for their livelihood. Once these natural resources gethit, the impact is greatest on the poverty-stricken families. It is in this background that the Gorakhpur environment action group Photo used for indicative purpose only. so, what needs to be done in the cities is to make them child resilient and adaptive for the shocks? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Preparation of DRR plans of the cities and not to be left only at the district level. Creation of the city disaster management authority with statutory powers. Integrating the Sustainable development goals in the overall planning strategy. Focus has to be made on poverty, education. Mainstreaming the DRRs and integrating the children within the ambit. While preparation of the DRR plans involving the children in doing so. Also discussing the action plan with them. Specific risks to children within each city should be identified and ways to seek adequate redressal. The mitigation strategy should spell out explicitly the way in which children will be dealt. Mapping of schools within the city and discussing with the children the DRR strategies. In the smart city paradigm bringing in a clause of children vulnerability and making cities smarter for the children by engaging with them during the preparation of plans and actions. While preparing these plans use of spatially mapping technologies to point out the vulnerabilities of Fire, Flood, Earthquake. Doing the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the cities preparation for the risks and disasters and integrating the component of children in it. The plan for night shelters in the cities. Turning the school into a laboratory of experiments with the formation of eco clubs, eco-crusaders etc for awareness and awakening. Monitoring of the nutritional surveillance system. 15. Proper enrolment of migrant children and counselling while enrolling them. in the city. Empowering the urban local bodies and strengthening of the CDMA. Ensuring land tenements rights to the slums with proper water and sanitation coverage. Development of the master plan for blue and green infrastructure. Relook at the pedagogy and andragogy methods of teaching with focus on adaptability. Through the various stakeholders bringing back the development deficit or the role of the state with pro-active intervention. Preparation of city resilience index of the cities with clear mention and focus on children vulnerability. Resilience of the children to be strengthened continuously and not just waiting for the disasters to happen. Relooking at the matrix of relationship in between children development and its linkage to children environment. A soft combination of technology and economy for better governance of cities has to be thought of and implemented. But, the moot point is who will ensure that these important lessons drawn are implemented effectively in the preparation of plans and even reflected in the actions. And for that who is a big question mark. The city government? some other structure of multistakeholders? It is difficult to answer both these questions. As in the given circumstances and the objective factors the cities in India hardly represent the true spirit of governance which lies in some other power quarters. Nevertheless, the importance of the city governments cannot be hooked aside. Hence what is required is a combination of multi- stakeholders within the city at the initiative of the city government (building their capacities) to bridge this gap so that the cities are safe for us and safer for our children. Adding the component of health building in urban planning Capacity building of the functionaries and the community dealing with the city. Continuous information sharing between various stakeholders. (GEAG) has taken the initiative to map the vulnerabilities of the children living in cities and the draw an action plan to mitigate and adapt to the impending disasters. The strategic directions are to build child care and child friendly cities. Probably which rests on the five pillars of essentialities. Namely: - 1. Health 2. Education 3. 4. Nutrition 5. WaSH (water, sanitation & hygiene) Child protection. All of these remain strong elements of planning in the cities to ensure that the cities become child friendly and resilient to the climate change vulnerabilities. If the present period is termed as a state of emergency; it would not be a hyped statement. This also means that something has to be done promptly but also with affirmative actions so that the visibility is clear. The questions arise who will do this. Is this the job of some NGOs to really set the ball rolling? Or is it the state that has to play a pivotal role in mitigating the crisis? It seems both. And many more have to be brought in for assessing, mapping, action and monitoring of the tasks undertaken to ensure that the cities become safe for children especially in extreme weather conditions and disasters. For this, the disaster risk reduction plans according to the Sendai framework have to be prepared emphasising the importance of children. Even a child friendly version of the Sendai Framework needs to be developed especially for the 10-14 age group akin to many other cities of the world. Saturday, January 13, 2018 Bridging the gap for toddlers
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