Making coastal roads climate-proof still a big challenge

By LUKE KAMA
ONE of the key outputs of building resilience to climate change (BRCC) projects in Papua New Guinea is improving coastal transport infrastructures to be climate-resilient, an official says.
BRCC country project coordinator Joseph Kunda said impacts of climate change brought a lot of challenges, one of which was the threat to the country’s existing transport infrastructures such as bridges, roads, wharves and jetties that provided very important links for access to basic services.
“These vital infrastructures are under extreme threat of destruction and that’s why under the BRCC project, we have three key outputs or components,” Kunda said.
He said improvement of transport infrastructures in coastal communities were underway.
“Three key components were climate change vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans, sustainable fishery ecosystems and food security and climate-resilient coastal infrastructures and early warning communications systems,” Kunda said.
“Our existing transport infrastructures are built to standards that does not cater for the impacts of climate change.
“Now that we are being faced with the full brunt of the impacts of climate change, our existing transport infrastructures are under extreme threat of destruction.
“We need to assess their vulnerability and the threats they are facing and develop adaptations plans so that future infrastructures are built to climate-resilient standards.”
The BRCC project is a US$27.29 million (K90.44m) pilot programme that the Climate Change and Development Authority is implementing over a six-year period from 2016 to 2021. The project was to mainstream climate resilience into development plans to address priorities that focus on vulnerable communities and is funded by the Climate Investment Fund.
It covers 21 vulnerable island or atoll communities in the provinces of Bougainville, Milne Bay, East New Britain, Manus and Morobe.
The islands and atolls were selected through an initial climate-change risk assessment.