The Scope Of Cultural Heritage Ranges From Monuments - DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Internal code: MAS5733

DISASTER MANAGEMENT:

The scope of cultural heritage ranges from monuments, archaeological sites, historic cities, vernacular, cultural landscapes, museum collections, rituals, practices and crafts. These tangible and intangible, movable and immovable aspects of heritage are increasingly vulnerable to natural as well as human-induced hazards such as earthquakes, floods, fires, landslides, theft and vandalism. 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, 2011 floods in Thailand and armed conflict in Syria and Iraq are just a few of many examples that illustrate this issue. Urbanization and climate change have further exacerbated the vulnerability of cultural heritage.Integrated risk assessment of cultural heritage is aimed at identifying critical risks and their underlying causes with a multi-hazard perspective. Disaster risk management of cultural heritage will include various activities undertaken before, during and after disasters through mitigation/adaptation, preparedness, response and recovery that are aimed at safeguarding the lives of people, capital assets, livelihoods as well as heritage values. Last but not the least, cultural heritage is not merely seen as disaster victim but as a source of building the resilience of communities. while each cultural heritage site and museum deserves specific DRM plan to address its needs, cultural heritage also needs to be part of the larger disaster risk management systems at regional, urban or local levels. Several international initiatives have been undertaken over the last decade to mainstream cultural heritage within larger disaster risk management agenda. Recent Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction is a landmark achievement in this area. Questions:  Question-1:   Give an example of a cultural heritage site or museum that is at risk to natural and/or human-induced hazards and identify various vulnerability factors that expose the site to disaster risks. Question-2: How can heritage play a positive role in building the resilience of communities before or after disasters? Illustrate your answer through examples, preferably from your own experience Question-3: What are essential considerations for effective response towards movable and immovable cultural heritage during emergency situations?