Department of

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Department of Cooperative Governance National
Disaster Management Centre
PUBLIC HEARINGS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WHITE
PAPER ON CLIMATE CHANGE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
ON WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
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Outline

• Introduction and Background
• NDMC Mandate
• Challenges faced by the NDMC, PDMCs and
  Municipalities in terms of
• Climate Change Impacts
• Existing policy and legislation
• National Disaster Management Framework
• Institutional Arrangements The IGCCC
• Institutional Arrangements The NDMAF
• Institutional Arrangements Regional Structures
• Disaster Risk Assessment
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
• Training, Education and Management
• Disaster Response and Recovery
• Conclusion

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Introduction and Background

• The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC)
  currently resides with the Department of
  Cooperative Governance.
• NDMCs objective is to promote an integrated and
  coordinated system of disaster management, with
  special emphasis on prevention and mitigation, by
  national, provincial and municipal organs of
  state, statutory functionaries, NGOs, other
  relevant role-players and communities.
• In addition, it also focuses on emergency
  preparedness, early warning systems, rapid and
  effective response to disasters, and
  post-disaster recovery.
• NDMC in terms of NCCRWP advocating the link
  between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate
  change adaption. Making provision in Review of
  Disaster Management Act for climate change
  adaption.

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Introduction and Background (continued)  

• The frequency of disaster incidents have
  drastically changed in recent years. The country
  has been experiencing major disasters more
  frequently in each season, due to climate change.
• Since 2002, the country has been frequently hit
  by disasters, more especially floods and fires
  and droughts in a few provinces. In January 2011,
  the country had for the first time, experienced a
  national flood disaster that affected 8
  provinces except the Western Cape.
• Major damages affected mostly Human Settlements,
  Schools, Roads and Agriculture. In 2011, major
  veld fires were experienced in Western Cape, and
  some parts of Limpopo and North West.

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NDMC Mandate 

• The mandate of the NDMC is to improve
  coordination across the spheres of
• government and to ensure that provinces and
  municipalities, in collaboration
• with other relevant stakeholders, carry out their
  service delivery and
• development functions effectively In support of
  the developmental state and
• in the context of the National Climate Change
  Response White Paper, the
• department will
• Facilitate mainstreaming of climate change into
  municipal development planning and programmes.
• Improve mechanisms on Disaster Risk Reduction and
  Management into planning and strategies of the
  three spheres of government.

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Challenges faced by the NDMC, PDMCs and
Municipalities in terms of Climate Change Impacts

• Lack of in-depth understanding of the subject of
  disaster management generally.
• Lack of mainstreaming and integration of climate
  change into disaster management planning process.
• Inadequate disaster management capacity to deal
  with the increase in frequency and intensity of
  weather-related events associated with climate
  change.
• Lack of political will when it comes to disaster
  management risk reduction matters.

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Existing policy and legislation

• The Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act no 57 of
  2002) and the National Disaster Management
  Framework sets out a comprehensive approach to
  DRR identify the roles and responsibilities of
  organs of state and key institutions.
• Resilience to climate change-related extreme
  events, such as heat waves, floods, droughts,
  wildfires and storm surges, will be an important
  focus for the approach to DRR and management in
  South Africa.

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National Disaster Management Framework

• 4 Key Performance Areas
• - Institutional Arrangements
• Risk Assessment
• Risk Reduction
• Response and Recovery
• 3 Enablers
• - Information Management and Communication
• - Training, Education, Public Awareness and
  Research
• - Funding

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Institutional Arrangements The IGCCC

• The NDMC will actively participate in the IGCCC
  to ensure that DRR and management issues are
  adequately addressed in Climate Change policy and
  its implementation. It will also support
  mainstreaming DRR.
• The NDMC will provide guidance and advice on the
  various sectoral adaptation responses to ensure
  that DRR and management issues are addressed and
  included in adaptation strategies of the various
  sectors.

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Institutional Arrangements The NDMAF

• The National Disaster Management Advisory Forum
  (NDMAF) is a legislated structure which serves as
  a multi-stakeholder platform where issues of CCA
  and DRR are part of the agenda.
• It will facilitate a coalition for action for
  Disaster Risk Reduction, especially as climate
  change and increasing weather-related hazards add
  an even greater sense of urgency.
• The NDMAF with its technical task teams will
  provide clear guidance across all spheres and
  sectors of government for managing climate
  change-related risk and for ensuring that an
  effective communications strategy is in place for
  early warnings to vulnerable communities with
  respect to extreme weather events such as
  flooding and droughts.
• Structures are duplicated on the various spheres
  of government and provide an ideal institutional
  platform to discuss issues of climate change
  adaptation and DRR

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Institutional Arrangements Regional Structures

• Extreme weather events often cross country
  borders and impact on the region as a whole. As
  such, a region-wide approach to disaster risk
  reduction and management is often needed.
• The NDMC will seek to collaborate and strengthen
  relations with neighbouring states to build
  regional capacity and share early warning systems
  with regional applications and benefits.

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Disaster Risk Assessment

• Disaster risk and vulnerability assessments in
  key sectors and across the spheres of government
  should be undertaken, taking into consideration
  the effects of climate change.
• This will inform the national disaster risk
  profile and disaster risk reduction planning
  priorities.

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Disaster Risk Reduction

• The NDMC will put measures in place to strengthen
  preparedness for response and promote the
  development of Disaster Risk Management plans
  across the spheres and sectors of government to
  build climate resilience and improve the
  countrys ability to respond to climate linked
  disasters. It should take into account the
  potential consequences of climate change along
  the coast, in vulnerable rural and urban
  communities, particularly the increased incidence
  of extreme weather events.
• The NDMC will promote mechanisms and partnerships
  to mainstream DRR CCA into integrated
  development planning and strategies of government
  and municipalities.

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Disaster Risk Reduction (continued)

• Continue advocating for risk reduction to be a
  priority and pro-actively build the knowledge
  base and our capacity to adapt to the inevitable
  impacts of climate change, most importantly by
  enhancing early warning, monitoring and disaster
  risk management systems.
• This needs to be reinforced by research, capacity
  development, and technology development, and to
  respond to the needs of disaster risk reduction
  in the short-term, and integrated resource and
  development planning in the medium- and
  long-term.

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Management

• Disaster Risk Response Measures ...
• The NDMC has strengthened its relationship with
  the South African Weather Services with regard to
  monitoring of weather patterns. It also receiving
  the Indian Ocean National Tsunami Warning through
  South African Weather Services.
• A local task team on early warnings is
  functional to update and provide information to
  NDMC on potential disasters.
• The NDMC has had bilateral discussions with
  sector departments to encourage development of
  disaster management plans to strengthen response
  preparedness across the spheres and sectors of
  government.

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
(continued)

• Disaster Risk Response Measures
• The NDMC facilitates increased use of seasonal
  climate forecasts among the stakeholders and
  dissemination of information to provinces and
  municipalities.
• Aerial support resources was provided and is
  still been provided to areas in need.
• The NDMC is currently supporting provinces and
  municipalities with winter awareness campaigns to
  promote fire safety, reduction and prevention.

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Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
(continued)

• Policy and Legislative Review
• The NDMC will strengthen the institutional and
  legal basis of disaster risk reduction and make
  strong linkages between climate change adaptation
  and DRR through the development and review of its
  policies and legislation.
• Resilience to climate change-related extreme
  events, such as heat waves, floods, droughts,
  wildfires and storm surges, will be an important
  focus for the approach to Disaster Risk Reduction
  and Management.

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Training, Education and Awareness

• The NDMC is in the process of increasing its
  efforts in building a culture of safety and
  resilience through awareness programmes and
  strengthening capacity to support provinces and
  municipalities.
• Developing strategies to involve different
  stakeholders, and to raise awareness to reduce
  disaster risk and to make our communities safer
  and more resilient.
• Support adaptation programmes to build resilience
  among the most vulnerable sections of the rural
  population and ensure that disaster management
  architecture includes the provision of safety
  nets for rural communities most vulnerable to the
  impacts of climate change.

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Disaster Response and Recovery

• Effective planning and coordination of an
  integrated adaptation response will also require
  early warning and forecasting of emergencies and
  disasters.
• The NDMC will foster closer collaboration with
  key partners such as the Weather Services, the
  Department of Environmental Affairs and other
  sectors such as water, agriculture and forestry,
  health, and human settlements.

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Conclusion

• Climate change impacts and responses are cross
  cutting in nature and the NDMC will work in
  colaboration with other relevant stakeholders to
  mainstream climate change in disaster management
  planning and programmes as guided by the
• National Climate Change Response White Paper.
• Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change
  (IGCCC) -Programme of Action.
• Durban Climate Change Adaptation Charter for
  Local Governments as adopted at COP17 in Durban.
• Understanding Risk Forum (international
  conference) in partnership with the Global
  Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery
  (GFDRR) of the World Bank (2 6 July in Cape
  Town).

2020