Doing the right thing to help reduce risks of flooding
We cannot control the weather, but what we can do is minimise its impact by strengthening our resilience through the building of stronger infrastructure and maintaining it.
The impact of inclement weather on poor or outdated infrastructure in increased urbanisation was on display recently when a deluge dumped 100mm of rain in the capital city in just two hours.
Most suburbs in Suva, especially areas where drains were blocked, were caught unaware by the freak floods.
For some, it was the first time they had seen severe flooding in decades. And we should not be surprised. Climate change is bringing us these wild weather events.
Low pressure bringing more rain to the country is becoming more frequent like the one we are facing right now.
We cannot control the weather, but what we can do is minimise its impact by strengthening our resilience through the building of stronger infrastructure and maintaining it.
In Suva, some of the infrastructure are very old and they need replacing.
They can no longer absorb the volume of waste water and run-offs from the many buildings that were not there when they were originally built.
To make matters worse we are our own worst enemy by trashing our environment.
We carelessly throw rubbish, not in designated bins. As a result the rubbish, plastics and non-biodegradables, sweep into drains and waterways, clogging and slowing the natural water flow.
When drains and waterways are blocked floodwaters overflow into homes, roads and properties.
The same thing happens when modern development fails to take into consideration proper drainage. Frequent rain can cause freak flooding, particularly if the ground is fully saturated.
That’s the price we pay when we cut trees and bush to make way for a housing sub-division, commercial development or even roads. The roots of trees and plants hold the soil together and retain water, preventing flooding and landslides.
When they disappear, the land is vulnerable and at the mercy of the weather.