Chennai Corporation trains members of women’s self-help groups as disaster champions

As part of efforts to train critical groups to be ‘disaster champions’ in the city during heavy rain, flood, or cyclone, members of women self-help groups attended a disaster risk reduction training session, organised by Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in the Ambattur Zone office, on Wednesday.

The disaster management programme was conducted by GCC’s Storm Water Drain (SWD) Department under the Integrated Urban Flood Management Project for the Chennai Kosasthalaiyar basin, with Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Institutional Strengthening and Reform Consultant (ISRC).

Self-help group federation members were instructed to keep essential documents, including Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and voter identity cards in safe and easily accessible places during emergencies.

Manohar, an expert from Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNSDMA), presented on basic first aid, rescue and relief measures to be followed during disasters, assisting the injured, supporting vulnerable persons, coordinating during evacuation and safeguarding essential documents, and raised awareness on TN-Alert mobile application. Later, they were handed a booklet with tips on how to handle situations during disasters.

Esther, a TNSDMA expert, said such groups must be part of disaster management planning committees. “They are also taught to tackle agenda-based and gender-based violence, post disaster, which generally happens due to frustration from loss of life and livelihood, mainly amidst men,” she added.

Three weeks earlier, a similar disaster risk reduction training session was conducted for transpersons. During that interaction, problems such as homelessness and lack of access to hormone injections were reported.