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Showing posts with label Flood risk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Flood risk. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Monday, November 14, 2011
Climate change to bring more floods: World Bank
November 14, 2011
AFP
AFP
Climate change will bring more floods and extreme weather to Southeast Asia, a World Bank official said on November 10 on a visit to the region, where hundreds have died in severe inundation.
"What we are seeing is there are more floods, more extreme weather events, higher temperature, more variable rainfalls and we believe that is caused by climate change.
And we should expect this to increase, sadly," Andrew Steer, the World Bank's special envoy for climate change, told reporters in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
Thailand's worst floods in half a century have killed 533 people and damaged the homes and livelihoods of millions around the country.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Southeast Asia Faces Rising Risks From Severe Weather
Photo: VOA ImageIn Southeast Asia, people know well the risks that extreme weather can bring, and they worry that a warmer climate will increase those risks.
Bangkok 19 December 2009
Daniel Schearf
VOA News
When Typhoon Ketsana hit Manila this year, the crowded city's planners were stunned at the amount of rain that poured down in a short time. Houses here sit close to the ground, even though the land is lower than a lake nearby.
"The most concerned extreme events in Southeast Asia is probably storm - typhoon and tropical storm," said climate scientist Anond Snidvongs.
Dr. Anond Snidvongs, who has studied climate change for more than a decade, has analyzed storm data over the past 60 years. Storm frequency, he says, comes in cycles of 30 years. But, he warns, warmer global temperatures could bring more, and bigger, storms.
"We are going on the rise again, but that's due to normal cycles," he added. "But if you look into the Mekong delta, for example in Vietnam, it has shown the 30-year cycle, but the phase and amplitude is going up and then going up like that."
This means, he says, that the Philippines, the southern part of Vietnam and Cambodia will be hit with more storms than experienced in recent decades.
Here in Can Tho, in southern Vietnam, boats carrying goods converge on the Mekong River to trade.
Cuong is a trader from the nearby coastal province of Ben Tre. His job, he says, is vulnerable to weather changes.
"In the past, everything was fine, but in the last 10 years, there were so many storms," he said.
A storm destroyed his house in 2007, he says. And worse, storm surges have tainted the water supply with salt.
"We already have water shortage before. Now the water shortage is worse," he added.
In Southeast Asia, where millions of people are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as drought or unusually heavy rains, there are growing concerns for the future.
Hassan Moinuddin of the Asian Development Bank's Mekong Sub-Region Program says a warmer climate could cut almost seven percent off the region's gross domestic product by the end of this century, by reducing crops or forcing the relocation of communities.
"It not only will affect the growth and the economic development, but it will have a severe consequence especially on the disaster emergency relief funding that will be required," he explained.
As governments debate who is to shoulder greater responsibility for slowing climate change and paying for the damage, profound change, says Dr. Anond, should come from individuals.
"We need to live in harmony with climate," noted Dr. Anond.
For instance, houses should be built, taking into account their environment.
"Houses in our region used to have stilts a few meters above the ground in order to allow flood to stay there," he explained.
He hopes people will adapt their lifestyles according to the nature of their environment, and help them lessen the effects of climate change.
Bangkok 19 December 2009
Daniel Schearf
VOA News
When Typhoon Ketsana hit Manila this year, the crowded city's planners were stunned at the amount of rain that poured down in a short time. Houses here sit close to the ground, even though the land is lower than a lake nearby.
"The most concerned extreme events in Southeast Asia is probably storm - typhoon and tropical storm," said climate scientist Anond Snidvongs.
Dr. Anond Snidvongs, who has studied climate change for more than a decade, has analyzed storm data over the past 60 years. Storm frequency, he says, comes in cycles of 30 years. But, he warns, warmer global temperatures could bring more, and bigger, storms.
"We are going on the rise again, but that's due to normal cycles," he added. "But if you look into the Mekong delta, for example in Vietnam, it has shown the 30-year cycle, but the phase and amplitude is going up and then going up like that."
This means, he says, that the Philippines, the southern part of Vietnam and Cambodia will be hit with more storms than experienced in recent decades.
Here in Can Tho, in southern Vietnam, boats carrying goods converge on the Mekong River to trade.
Cuong is a trader from the nearby coastal province of Ben Tre. His job, he says, is vulnerable to weather changes.
"In the past, everything was fine, but in the last 10 years, there were so many storms," he said.
A storm destroyed his house in 2007, he says. And worse, storm surges have tainted the water supply with salt.
"We already have water shortage before. Now the water shortage is worse," he added.
In Southeast Asia, where millions of people are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as drought or unusually heavy rains, there are growing concerns for the future.
Hassan Moinuddin of the Asian Development Bank's Mekong Sub-Region Program says a warmer climate could cut almost seven percent off the region's gross domestic product by the end of this century, by reducing crops or forcing the relocation of communities.
"It not only will affect the growth and the economic development, but it will have a severe consequence especially on the disaster emergency relief funding that will be required," he explained.
As governments debate who is to shoulder greater responsibility for slowing climate change and paying for the damage, profound change, says Dr. Anond, should come from individuals.
"We need to live in harmony with climate," noted Dr. Anond.
For instance, houses should be built, taking into account their environment.
"Houses in our region used to have stilts a few meters above the ground in order to allow flood to stay there," he explained.
He hopes people will adapt their lifestyles according to the nature of their environment, and help them lessen the effects of climate change.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Typhoon Mirinae likely to worsen Cambodia's flood problems: Oxfam
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- International aid agency Oxfam has cautioned that a new wave of rain from Typhoon Mirinae is expected to reach Cambodia on Nov. 2.
In a statement received Saturday, Oxfam said situations in communities already affected by Typhoon Ketsana and prolonged annual floods in central and northern Cambodia are likely to worsen with the effects of the new typhoon, putting already affected people further at risk.
"Typhoon Mirinae is currently on track to hit the northern Philippines island of Luzon . Although Cambodia may not be hit with the full strength of the typhoon, the country remains vulnerable due to its limited resources for preparation and response, and while the country is just beginning to recover from recent flooding," the statement said.
"Typhoon Mirinae could set back on-going emergency work and planned recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Cambodia ," said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam in Cambodia .
"The effects of the new typhoon could increase hazards in still flooded areas and cause further damage to crops and livelihoods. It may also displace communities or prolong the return of those already displaced by Typhoon Ketsana," he added.
Fearing a new threat of another typhoon, Oxfam is alerting humanitarian agencies and government authorities to help communities living in areas susceptible to flooding to be prepared by stocking on clean water and food and securing important documents.
The damage from Typhoon Ketsana runs to around 40 million U.S. dollars in Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The storm, which killed at least 30 people, affected about 6,000 families and destroyed thousands of hectares of rice fields, and local infrastructure such as irrigation systems, roads, schools and houses.
In a statement received Saturday, Oxfam said situations in communities already affected by Typhoon Ketsana and prolonged annual floods in central and northern Cambodia are likely to worsen with the effects of the new typhoon, putting already affected people further at risk.
"Typhoon Mirinae is currently on track to hit the northern Philippines island of Luzon . Although Cambodia may not be hit with the full strength of the typhoon, the country remains vulnerable due to its limited resources for preparation and response, and while the country is just beginning to recover from recent flooding," the statement said.
"Typhoon Mirinae could set back on-going emergency work and planned recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Cambodia ," said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam in Cambodia .
"The effects of the new typhoon could increase hazards in still flooded areas and cause further damage to crops and livelihoods. It may also displace communities or prolong the return of those already displaced by Typhoon Ketsana," he added.
Fearing a new threat of another typhoon, Oxfam is alerting humanitarian agencies and government authorities to help communities living in areas susceptible to flooding to be prepared by stocking on clean water and food and securing important documents.
The damage from Typhoon Ketsana runs to around 40 million U.S. dollars in Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The storm, which killed at least 30 people, affected about 6,000 families and destroyed thousands of hectares of rice fields, and local infrastructure such as irrigation systems, roads, schools and houses.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Destructive flooding puts Southeast Asia at risk
Sunday, August 17, 2008
By Seth Mydans
International Herald Tribune (Paris, France)
By Seth Mydans
International Herald Tribune (Paris, France)
HANOI: Torrential rains and overflowing rivers have brought some of the worst flooding in decades to Vietnam and its neighbors, flooding cities and farmlands in five nations.
At least 130 people were killed, dozens were missing and thousands were driven from their homes in northern Vietnam and hundreds of tourists were evacuated near the hill tribe resort area of Sapa.
Flooding has also hit parts of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as well as Myanmar, where waters rose in the Irrawaddy Delta, which is still recovering from a cyclone that left 38,000 people dead or missing in May.
According to the official press in Myanmar, the floods affected much of the country, including the main city, Yangon, as well as Mandalay in the center and the Karen and Mon states in the southeast.
In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, officials said the Mekong River had brought the worst flooding in memory, rising to nearly 14 meters, or 45 feet, above its lowest level in the dry season. The high water in Vientiane broke a record set in 1966 and overflowed a levee that was built after that flood.
Mudslides also cut the main road from Vientiane to the ancient capital of Luang Prabang, a city of temples and monasteries where the Mekong waters also rose.
In parts of northeastern Thailand, officials said the Mekong had reached its highest level in 30 years, inundating farmlands and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in three provinces along the river, which divides Thailand from Laos.
Officials said the high water was caused by heavy downpours in southern China, Laos and Thailand.
As the high waters of the Mekong moved downstream, Cambodia and eastern Thailand prepared for major floods and officials warned residents in some areas to move to higher ground along with their livestock.
In Vietnam's southern Mekong delta, where the 4,345-kilometer, or 2,700-mile, river flows into the sea, forecasters said that rising waters had reached a critical level two weeks earlier than last year and that worse flooding lay ahead.
In northern Vietnam, the government said floodwaters peaked at close to their record levels of 1968. Military helicopters brought instant noodles and other supplies to stranded residents and airlifted hundreds of Vietamese and foreign tourists from Lao Cai, on the border with China.
Several hundred train passengers en route to the popular tourist area, including about 50 foreign tourists, took refuge in hotels before being airlifted out, according to the Vietnamese press.
In the neighboring province of Yen Bai, according to official reports, at least 35 people were killed, many of them buried under landslides that hit at night as they slept.
The government's Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control said in May that over the past three years, floods and storms had become stronger and more destructive. Last year's floods were followed by a rare prolonged cold spell at the end of 2007. That was followed in turn by unexpected scorching weather and early storms in the first months of 2008, the committee said.
The most destructive flooding in recent years came in late 1999 in the country's central provinces, leaving 750 people dead or missing.
At least 130 people were killed, dozens were missing and thousands were driven from their homes in northern Vietnam and hundreds of tourists were evacuated near the hill tribe resort area of Sapa.
Flooding has also hit parts of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as well as Myanmar, where waters rose in the Irrawaddy Delta, which is still recovering from a cyclone that left 38,000 people dead or missing in May.
According to the official press in Myanmar, the floods affected much of the country, including the main city, Yangon, as well as Mandalay in the center and the Karen and Mon states in the southeast.
In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, officials said the Mekong River had brought the worst flooding in memory, rising to nearly 14 meters, or 45 feet, above its lowest level in the dry season. The high water in Vientiane broke a record set in 1966 and overflowed a levee that was built after that flood.
Mudslides also cut the main road from Vientiane to the ancient capital of Luang Prabang, a city of temples and monasteries where the Mekong waters also rose.
In parts of northeastern Thailand, officials said the Mekong had reached its highest level in 30 years, inundating farmlands and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in three provinces along the river, which divides Thailand from Laos.
Officials said the high water was caused by heavy downpours in southern China, Laos and Thailand.
As the high waters of the Mekong moved downstream, Cambodia and eastern Thailand prepared for major floods and officials warned residents in some areas to move to higher ground along with their livestock.
In Vietnam's southern Mekong delta, where the 4,345-kilometer, or 2,700-mile, river flows into the sea, forecasters said that rising waters had reached a critical level two weeks earlier than last year and that worse flooding lay ahead.
In northern Vietnam, the government said floodwaters peaked at close to their record levels of 1968. Military helicopters brought instant noodles and other supplies to stranded residents and airlifted hundreds of Vietamese and foreign tourists from Lao Cai, on the border with China.
Several hundred train passengers en route to the popular tourist area, including about 50 foreign tourists, took refuge in hotels before being airlifted out, according to the Vietnamese press.
In the neighboring province of Yen Bai, according to official reports, at least 35 people were killed, many of them buried under landslides that hit at night as they slept.
The government's Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control said in May that over the past three years, floods and storms had become stronger and more destructive. Last year's floods were followed by a rare prolonged cold spell at the end of 2007. That was followed in turn by unexpected scorching weather and early storms in the first months of 2008, the committee said.
The most destructive flooding in recent years came in late 1999 in the country's central provinces, leaving 750 people dead or missing.
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