Harnessing the Indigenous Knowledge base for preparedness development and management of natural disasters in hill ecosystem of West Bengal.

A. K. Bandyopadhyay; K. Pradhan; Soma Pradhan; Zigme Yolmo; Rema Das

Volume : V, Issue : III, March - 2015

Harnessing the Indigenous Knowledge base for preparedness development and management of natural disasters in hill ecosystem of West Bengal.

A. K. Bandyopadhyay, K. Pradhan, Soma Pradhan, Zigme Yolmo , Rema Das

Abstract :

In the changing climate scenario, the major victims of the disaster are the pro poor people of the society. Consequently, the traditional people had developed their own prediction and preparedness strategy to combat the disaster as a whole. The present paper was started its journey to explore the meander of local peoples’ knowledge in hill ecosystem on disaster prediction and preparedness which has immense implication in the present socio–cultural milieu to combat the ill effects of climate change. The study was conducted at three small villages of Darjeeling district in West Bengal. The information was collected with the help of semi structured interview schedule through participatory methods like key informant method and focus group discussion method. The identified disasters in hill ecosystem are landslide, heavy rain, heavy storm, earthquake, unwanted event in household and sudden rise in day temperature. The different insects and animals mobility implies the prediction of natural disasters like landslide, heavy rain, storm, incidents about to occur at home, rise of temperature etc. The management strategies like plantation of trees, use of old tin roofs, triangular shaped roofs etc. are the key indigenous management strategy to overcome the disasters.