Mr Mihir Bhatt’s Perspective on Avoidable Deaths
Mr Mihir Bhatt’s Interview Transcript
- Do you believe it is possible to achieve the Sendai Framework’s first two global targets? The first target is to substantially reduce disaster mortality by 2030, and the second target is to substantially reduce the number of affected people by 2030.
Yes, it is possible to achieve the two global targets and we must achieve them before the due date of 2030 as it is possible to achieve the targets with available resources and capabilities. All that we need to achieve is with us. There is no need to wait or delay. If we as humanity can find billion dollars a month to fight wars and kill our brothers and sisters for more than a year, we can certainly find similar resources to save our brothers and sisters from extreme heat, coastal sea level rise or floods. The All India Disaster Mitigations Institute’s (AIDMI) work on addressing avoidable deaths due to extreme heat has found that the targets are achievable and realistic if our pace, intentions, and motives are keen to achieve these two targets.
- In no more than two sentences, what is the most effective way to achieve the Sendai Framework’s first two targets?
Focus all DRR and development actions to reduce disaster-related mortality before 2030 and at least reduce the extreme heat-affected people to half by 2030.
- In your opinion, which organisation should take the lead in achieving Sendai’s first two targets?
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) at the global level is leading and must continue to lead in achieving Sendai’s first two targets. All CSOs, universities, associations, authorities, and others must complement UNDRR to generate synergy at the local level. UNDRR must reach out to more individuals and organisations at all levels, especially to focus on avoidable extreme heat deaths.
- Are you aware of any good practices in reducing the number of avoidable disaster deaths and affected people?
So many good practices are coming up at all levels in all locations across all communities. This is so promising. In India, deaths due to cyclones are reduced to almost none and so are deaths related to floods. This is so important to note for a country like India that is so disaster-prone. The Gender Responsive Resilience and Intersectionality in Policy and Practice (GRRIPP) project by Dhaka University also clearly showed that women have a key role to play in avoiding death, in South Asia, be it COVID-19 deaths or repeat floods deaths. Recently AIDMI with Asian Development Bank held an event titled, “Gender-Responsive Solutions for Heat Stress: Safeguarding Women’s Livelihoods” on October 16, 2024, at Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2024, Manila where it was clear to the panel and the participants that extreme heat-related deaths are avoidable not only in India, but also in Asia Pacific. The goal of this result is via what AIDMI calls Green Humanitarian Response, a response that both has nature-based adaptation and mitigation measures. Beyond these efforts within civil society organisations such as Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), Mahila Housing Trust (MHT), Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Sphere, and many local organisations in India are joining hands with national and sub-national authorities to avoid extreme heat-related deaths.
- Why should we reduce avoidable disaster deaths and the number of people affected by disasters?
Not only to save human life but to save all lives on the planet because all lives are important to maintain the ecosystem and our planet in balance. Needless to say, all lives are connected, AIDMI has found in its work with extreme heat-affected people. As a result, all extreme heat deaths are connected, may it be a construction worker or a tree or a bird. Avoidable death, in the end, is for all deaths, human and non-human deaths.