SPC Geoscience Division

From The Manager's Desk

It’s hard to believe that we’ve already turned the corner on the midpoint of 2011 and will shortly be participating in the first annual meeting of the SOPAC Division – the newest within the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

We will have some interesting feedback for you following that meeting but that is for next month’s edition.

This month we provide you with coverage on community level DRM training in Lau and Kadavu, Fiji, Pacific Disaster Net training in Samoa, support to Pitcairn Islands and initiatives.

There is an article on aviation safety training that SOPAC/SPC supported in collaboration with the Association of South Pacific Airlines. This particular initiative has been on the cards since 2005 and we’re pleased to be able to finally bring it to fruition.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Snapshots.

Mosese Sikivou
Deputy Director, Disaster Risk Programme

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Leaders and representatives of communities and stakeholder groups have gathered in Funafuti to direct Tuvalu’s policy response to a range of increasingly serious water and sanitation issues.  

Close to 100 people assembled for two days at the Nanutasi Fou Falekaupule on Funafuti atoll to participate in a lively but constructive debate on how to best secure Tuvalu’s water future.

In opening Tuvalu’s first Sustainable Water Forum, Minister for Public Utilities Mr Kausea Natano stressed the critical importance of water to the atoll country.

Mountainous Pacific countries are particularly susceptible to flood impacts.  Aside from the obvious humanitarian impact of flooding, flooding also has an economic dimension. Recent assessments of flooding in Fiji and Samoa put annual costs from floods about USD 10 million and USD 220,000, respectively. Despite the immense social and economic costs PICs have commonly been reactive rather than proactive and tactical rather than strategic in dealing with the issue.  The Nadi Integrated Flood Management (IFM) project aims to implement a mix of appropriate strategies and options which have been carefully evaluated based on technical feasibility, cost-effectiveness and socio-cultural viability/acceptability to reduce flood losses.

On 28 January 2011, SPC Director General Dr Jimmie Rodgers signed a grant agreement with the World Bank for Integrated Flood Management in the Pacific: Nadi Pilot. The project aims to develop integrated flood management for the Pacific using the Nadi catchment as a case study.

Special Assistant External Affairs, Ms Telo Taitague, said that she looked forward to stronger links between Guam and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community/Applied Geoscience and Technology (SPC/SOPAC) Division.

Ms Taitague, who represented Guam at the 3rd Session of the Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management, said that communication, education and the need to gather data are the key lessons she would take home from the high-level conference held in Auckland New Zealand in early August.