00:00The country's approach to disaster management must move from reaction to prevention.
00:05That's the message from Works and Infrastructure Minister Jolene John,
00:10who says disasters are often the results of poor decisions,
00:14neglected maintenance and harmful public habits.
00:17Addressing the Disaster Risk Management Conference and Expo 2026,
00:22the minister said flooding and infrastructure failures are not simply caused by extreme weather,
00:28but by vulnerabilities created over time.
00:31She said, quote, disaster does not begin when the rain falls.
00:35It begins the day we make the wrong decision about where to build, what to clear and what to ignore,
00:41end quote.
00:42John pointed to littering illegal dumping, unauthorized construction in waterways
00:47and poor adherence to risk building standards as major contributors to disaster risk.
00:53She highlighted the Grand Bazaar Interchange as one example,
00:57saying drainage systems are frequently clogged by garbage, discarded by motorists, vendors and businesses.
01:04John argued that the country needs what she described as civilization recalibration,
01:10a shift in how citizens view their responsibility to shared infrastructure and the environment.
01:16The minister also defended her hands-on approach to monitoring projects,
01:20saying site visits and inspections are necessary to ensure contractors deliver value for money
01:26and maintenance work is carried out properly.
01:29She said the ministry is introducing greater accountability and moving away from a culture of emergency repairs
01:36to what a system of planned maintenance and resilience-focused infrastructure development.
01:42John outlined 10 guiding principles now shaping major projects,
01:46including climate resilience, nature-based solutions, environmental safeguards,
01:52gender-inclusive design, durability, inter-agency coordination and international best practices.
01:59She cited projects under the government's revitalization blueprint,
02:03including the proposed Invaders Bay Marina development,
02:07as examples of a new approach that integrates climate adaptation
02:11and disaster risk reduction from the design stage.
02:15John said, quote,
02:17resilience is not achieved by saying the word.
02:19It is achieved by writing performance requirements into tender documents,
02:24rejecting designs that cannot demonstrate resilience
02:27and linking payment to actual performance, end quote.
02:31She concluded by urging government agencies, businesses and citizens
02:35to examine how their actions may be contributing to future disasters,
02:39insisting that resilience is a shared responsibility.
02:43Arviji Tiwari Rupnarain, TV6 News.
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