We supported a one-year pilot project run by Karuna Trust in West Bengal, India, that helps communities that are vulnerable to natural disasters like flooding.
Parganas is a coastal district in eastern India where villages are severely affected by extreme weather events that damage their lives and livelihoods. This project supported a local non-governmental organisation called Pragya to develop a community response to disaster that works with the government’s existing plan.
Early warning systems
The project trained young people to develop early warning and evacuation systems; helped village councils identify how they can improve infrastructure; trained local builders to use appropriate design methods and materials for future construction projects; encouraged communities to increase flood defences such as embankments, and provided volunteer equipment like jackets, gloves, ropes and boats.
Ray of hope
Overall, 366 households were protected from monsoon rains, and 180 people and 76 construction workers were trained to adapt their work in flood prone areas. The pilot project directly benefitted 900 people and has potential to be upscaled in the future, potentially benefiting more than 500,000 inhabitants of 100 target flood-prone villages.
Community leader Kanhailal Dinda said, “We used to think that it is our fate to suffer floods and losses to our crops and our houses year on year.” However this project is a “ray of hope” that they are now in a better position to deal with extreme weather events.
