Transcript Slide 1

Workshop
Climate Change Related Migration
14-15 May 2009
Statham Campus USP
Climate Change, Natural Disasters and Pacific
Cities: Floods in Urban Fiji
Dr. Manoranjan Mohanty
Development Studies
The University of the South Pacific
Suva, Fiji
Presentation Outline
1. Introduction
2. Climate Change and Natural Disasters
3. Hydro-meteorological Disasters (Floods) in PICs
4. Floods in Urban Fiji: Ba and Nadi town
5. Impacts of recent Floods in Fiji
6. Aftermath and Response
7. Mitigation Measures
8. Concluding Remarks
INTRODUCTION
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Climate change, a consequence of global bio-physical changes, is a
challenge to humankind .
It is a human-induced natural phenomenon. It finds expressions both
at global (macro) and local (micro) scales.
No reduction in emission of green house gases (GHGs) such as CO2
especially by the industrialized nations except few e.g. Switzerland,
Germany & Poland. Rather, it is increasing in most of the countries.
Consequently, global warming and gradual sea level rise & climatic
variability is likely to cause more hydro-meteorological disasters.
It is said, even a 1 metre sea level rise would make at least 56 million
people environmental refugees in the developing world.
The IOM estimated that by the turn of the century about 1 billion
people will be environmentally displaced from their original habitats.
Flooding is a global concern & increasing in its intensity. It is
forecasted that temp. increase of 3-4 degrees centigrade could result
in displacement of nearly 330 million people only through flooding.
Pacific Island Countries
 PICs are the most vulnerable nations to climate-related natural
disasters particularly, the small atoll states with low elevation above
the sea level (Tuvalu 1m., Kiribati 2m., & Marshall Islands 1-2m.) &
low lying areas of other countries.
 As Kofi Annan said: ‘the countries most vulnerable are least able to
protect themselves. They also contribute least to the global emissions of
green house gases. Without action they will pay a high price for the
actions of others.’ (UNDP, 2008).
 These countries are doubly vulnerable to climate/ environmental
change. Apart from the global (macro) climate change and associated
natural disasters, they are affected by local (micro) climatic variability
that have serious socio-economic, environmental, health and
developmental implications.
 The impact is more on cities/ towns due to overconcentration/ high
population density and over crowding, rapid urban sprawl and
haphazard growth, poor/ inadequate drainage and growing
environmental degradation.
Cont……
• The effects of climate change can be direct and indirect.
• The direct effects are sea level rise (causing coastal
flooding, erosion, inundation and salinisation), increasing
rainfall intensity, and the occurrence of hydrometeorological disasters.
• The natural hazard -induced conditions are likely to cause
forced displacement of people and migration to secured
places and largely towards urban centers and across the
national borders.
• In the PICs, on an average, over 100,000 people are
affected and 300 people die annually due to natural
disasters.
Map of Fiji
Map of Suva
Hydro-meteorological Disasters in
Pacific countries
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Tropical Cyclone
Local storm surge
High intensity rain
Floods (river, estuarine and coastal)
Flash flood
Droughts
Land/ mud slide
Relative Intensity of Natural Disasters in
Selected Pacific Island Countries
Country Cyclone Flood Droughts Landslide Tsunami Earth-quake
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cook Is.
M
Fiji
S
PNG
L
Samoa
L
Solomon Is.
S
Tonga
S
L
S
S
S
S
M
S
S
L
M
L
M
S
S
M
M
S
S
S
L
S
S
M
L
S
S
S
M
L
S
L
Vanuatu
S
L
S
S
S
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Source: Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre. S: Severe; M: Medium; L : Low
Impacts of Natural Disasters in Pacific
Countries
Top 5 Pacific Island Countries affected by Natural Disasters 1996-2006
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Country
Affected People
Percent (%)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PNG
644,494
54. 0
Fiji
304, 719
25. 5
Vanuatu
84,812
7.1
Kiribati
84, 000
7.0
Tonga
23,071
1. 9
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total Melanesia
1, 035,930
86. 7
Other Countries (7)
158, 524
13. 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total Pacific
1, 194,454
100. 0
No. of Deaths in PICs Due to Natural
Disasters 1996-2006
Country
No. of Death
Percent (%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PNG
2, 646
82. 2
Fiji
79
2. 5
FSM
63
2. 0
Vanuatu
48
1. 5
Cook Island
19
0. 6
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total Melanesian
2, 773
86. 2
Other Countries (7)
445
13. 8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total Pacific
3218
100.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flooding in Pacific Countries/ Cities
1. PNG (Port Moresby)
2006: N. W part of central province, 10, 000 people homeless, 1 death,
population displacement, starvation as local food gardens destroyed.
2007: Oro Province, caused by tropical cyclone Guba, 163 people were
killed, state of emergency declared.
2008: Northern coast, caused by high tide, 10,000 of people displaced,
50,000-80,000 people were affected .
2. Solomon Islands (Honiara)
2008: Torrential rain in Honiara caused floods in the main city . China
Town was worst affected.
2009: Flood due to heavy rain in Guadalcanal. 8 dead and 8 missing.
People affected: 3,000-5,000. Many evacuated to higher ground.
3. Vanuatu
2009: Caused by rainfall, in North Ambrym. 10 villages and 950 people
affected (239 households).
Cont……..
4. Samoa (Apia)
2001: River flooding affected nearly 30,000 people and cost WST$ 11
million. Heavy flash floods inundated the lowlands around the town
of Lepea and Moataa and rivers and streams also overflowed causing
flooding along the Upolu coast. Flooding inundated large part of
Apia urban area. The Samoa Water Authority estimated USD 1.5
million damages to water supply system.
2003: Heavy flooding occurred in Apia by heavy rain.
2006: Flooding in Apia by rivers Vaisigano, Vailima and Vaivase after
heavy rain.
Cont……..
5. Marshall Islands (Majuro)
2008: About 600 people were affected in Majuro by storm surge floods.
6. Kiribati (South Tarawa)
2006: Occurred in South Tarawa.
7. Fiji
2004: Damage estimated more than F$ 30 million.
2007: Affected Vanua Levu and the Western part of Viti Levu. Labasa,
Nadi town and Sigatoka valley affected. About 900 people were
evacuated to 11 shelters. Damages to houses, schools, and crops.
2009: Ba and Nadi town severely affected, 11 died and more than 10,000
people were forced in to evacuation centers.
Flooding in South Tarawa (Kiribati,
April 2006)
Flooding at the Lagoon Breeze Hotel,
South Tarawa (Kiribati)
Flooding in (Urban) Fiji
• Fiji witnesses twin climatic disasters almost annually: floods &
droughts. Floods occur in wet season (Nov. to April) & droughts in
May to October.
• Fiji has highest incidence of tropical cyclones in the region with an
average of one cyclone a year. Over last decade, damage caused by
cyclones in Fiji estimated at nearly F$ 500million.
• The rivers: Rewa, Nadi, Ba, Sigatoka are prone to frequent flooding
and Fiji has witnessed 8 major floods between 1983-2004.
• The economy suffers an average annual loss of F$ 20 m due to floods.
• The situation of poverty, food insecurity & diseases (diarrhoea,
typhoid, dengue fever) aggravates .
• The urban areas in Fiji: Suva, Nadi, Ba, Lautoka, Labasa, Tavua,
Rakiraki, & Sigatoka are prone to flooding .
• The recent devastating floods in Fiji that occurred in Jan. 2009 in
Central, Western and Northern Division displaced about 10, 500
people to 156 evacuation centres & killed 11 persons.
• Western Viti Levu: Ba, Nadi, & Sigatoka towns were worst affected.
Causes of Flooding
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Tropical cyclone/ disturbances
Storm surge
High intensity rainfall
Prolonged rainfall
High tide
Sea waves
Factors for Vulnerability to
Flooding
• Poor/ inadequate and constricted drainage system.
• Blockage of drains by solid wastes in urban areas.
• Uncontrolled logging, deforestation, soil erosion & silting
of river beds.
• Removal of sand, gravel and boulders from river beds for
supporting construction industry.
• Small river catchment area.
• Steep terrain conditions.
• Low lying coastal areas.
Flooding in Ba Town (Jan.
2009)
Flooding in main street, Ba
town (Fiji, Jan. 2009)
Flooding in Ba Town (Jan. 2009)
Flooding in Nadi Town (Jan.13 2009)
Flooding at Namotomoto village, Nadi
(Jan. 13 2009)
Road condition after flooding, Nadi town
Nadi Town after Flooding (Jan. 2009)
Damage Costs of 2009 Floods in Fiji
by Sector and Division
Sector
Costs
Share
Central
Western
Northern
(million F$)
%
%
%
%
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sugar
30.00
37.55
100.0
Roads
16. 60
20.78
33.9
44. 6
21.6
Crops
15.75
19.71
19.2
77. 6
3. 2
Water& Sewer. 10.14
12.70
5.3
66. 5
28.1
Electricity
3.00
3.76
Education
1.37
1.71
16.1
48.5
35.4
Telecomm.
1.30
1.62
Drainage
0.76
0.95
98.0
2.9
Livestock
0.71
0. 89
79.7
19.4
0.8
Health
0.25
0. 31
12. 0
86. 0
2. 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total
79. 89
100.00
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Aftermath and Response
• Fiji received massive response from Governments and NGOs.
• Financial relief assistance was received from various Governments:
Australia, the EU, New Zealand, USA, the UK, China, India, France,
Korea and Pacific countries such as : PNG, New Caledonia, Kiribati,
Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and others.
• Response received from many national and international NGOs such
as Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, the Rotary Club, Save the
Children Fiji, Fiji Water Foundation and others.
Mitigation Measures
• Intensification of Flood management measures needed:
- structural (river bed dredging, deepening and widening,
construction of river dams and reservoirs)
- non-structural measures (controlled development, early warning and
forecasting, prevention of extraction of gravels, boulders, sands
from river bank).
• Hazard mapping and integrated land & water management needed.
• Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in river basin
catchment areas.
National Action Programmes:
• A National Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Fund with F$ 2. 6 million
in 2004.
• A National Disaster Committee was established.
• A National Disaster Management Plan, 1995
• A National Disaster Management Act, 1998
• Establishment of a national Disaster Management Council (NDMC).
Concluding Remarks
• With increasing global warming, the sea level is expected to rise.
• Climate change, the largest environmental change in this century is
likely to intensify hydro-meteorological hazards: storms, tidal surges,
floods and droughts and will lead to environmentally-induced
population movements/ eco-migration in the coming years.
• Climate change is a human–induced phenomenon. Much of issues are
intricately linked to social and human dimensions and the solution to
these problems therefore lie in the social and human dynamics/ action.
• A massive environmental exodus and relocation from low lying and
climatically hazardous areas to relatively secured ground and
especially towards the urban centers are expected to happen in the
future. The environmental change and exodus likely to cause rapid
urbanisation.
• No single set of approach can provide solution to the ill effects of
climate change. A mixed technical, behavioral and policy approaches is
needed in minimising the effects of natural hazards.
Cont…….
• Sound policy measures relating to mitigation and adaptation need to be
in place.
• Integrated policies and planning linking energy, transport,
environment, health policies are most needed.
• Intensification of environmental education and awareness campaigns is
called for and NGOs have a greater role to play in this regard.
• Changes in human attitude and behaviour towards environment;
greater community participation, and sound development policies &
planning is called for reversing the meteorological events and building
a sustainable society.
Thank You