Report finds Central prone to natural disasters

Papua

The Central provincial  disaster office will use a new disaster risk assessment report to focus their attention on communities vulnerable to disasters in the province.
The report which was released recently shows Central as highly prone to multiple hazards including floods, droughts and strong winds.
The province is among five others and regions featured in a disaster risk assessment report compiled by a experts from the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (Rimes) with the support of  technical specialists from Papua New Guinea.
Rimes is co-owned and operated by governments in Asia and Africa and helps its members generate and apply early warning disaster information.
Khusrav Sharifov, United National Development Programme (UNDP) technical specialist for disaster risk management said: “The province’s flood, drought and tropical cyclones including strong winds and king tides are assessed to be the most frequent hazards. These require serious attention in terms of disaster risk reduction measures to be implemented at the local level.”
The preliminary results of the assessment report indicate that:

  • Floods have a great potential to affect people and their livelihoods, including critical infrastructures such as roads, bridges, schools and health centres;
  • The province is subject to low, moderate and high levels of drought with more severe conditions between three and six months;
  • The coastal areas of Central are exposed to tropical cyclones and strong winds which cause storm surge hazards.

To prioritise the disaster risks that have been identified for the province, UNDP held a two-day disaster risk-reduction planning workshop in Port Moresby from Sept 13-14 with the provincial administration and other development and
NGO partners working in the province.
Tumai Ipou, Central’s disaster office adviser, said the workshop was useful.
“We are now more aware of these issues that our people are faced with, and have developed risk-reduction plans for
each specific hazard for the province.”
While UNDP and other partners are supporting the province with partial implementation of the risk reduction plans, the most important commitment is now required from relevant authorities
and communities to reduce the risks.
Ipou said the risk reduction plans include immediate, medium and longer-term measures which need to be addressed.