Proactive management

IT is good that the Land Transport Authority is calling for heightened awareness and preparedness among residents and commuters in light of the adverse weather we are experiencing right now.

Acting CEO Irimaia Rokosawa is right in saying that flooding could pose significant risks to personal safety and property and people should take proactive measures to mitigate risks.

It is common sense that bad weather, accompanied by flash flooding and overflowing waterways can be bad news.

Common sense dictates that we should be vigilant. We should be on the lookout for danger zones.

He said: “One of the most crucial precautions during periods of heavy rain and flooding is to avoid unnecessary travel into flooded areas.”

“It only takes a moment for a seemingly harmless situation to escalate into a life-threatening emergency.”

Now in the face of that, we wonder how the powers that be are going to answer some nagging questions.

Floodwaters have not just popped out of the woodworks so to speak.

It is the norm in places like Labasa in the northern division, and in Sigatoka, Nadi, Ba and Rakiraki in the western division.

It’s a fact of life in these areas.

Rivers will burst their banks, and the floodwaters enter towns, destroying goods and other items that have not been cleared to safety on time. Families are impacted, and many homes are damaged. Farms are impacted as well.

We have been reading about this happening over the years, watching the devastation on television and videos on the internet, and listening to reports on the radio.

We ask: Are we able to effectively fight this, and ensure people do not go through this every time it rains heavily, or during cyclones?

In it’s ‘Guidelines for reducing flood losses’, the United Nations writes: ‘Throughout the history of mankind, floods have brought untold wealth and prosperity to civilizations, and yet at the same time, they have caused tremendous losses and resulted in untold suffering for millions of people. Even today, floods lead all natural disasters in the number of people affected and in resultant economic losses, with these numbers rising at alarming rates.

‘Floods have the greatest damage potential of all natural disasters worldwide and affect the greatest number of people.

‘Society must move from the current paradigm of postdisaster response.

‘Plans and efforts must be undertaken to break the current event-disaster cycle. More than ever, there is the need for decision makers to adopt holistic approaches for flood disaster management.

‘Societies have much to learn from new approaches such as better forecasting techniques and applying experience gained from flood events and mitigation efforts employed elsewhere. Implementation will only be sustainable if solutions are suitable for the community at risk over the long term. As storms will continue to occur, risk assessment and planning followed by actions are needed to help reduce the overall risk to society, the economy, and the environment.’

In the face of all that is happening, and the rains, and floodwaters, we look up to the powers that be to be vigilant. If there are drainage issues, and a need for dredging of our waterways, then we look forward to some urgent action.

Heavy rains and floods are a reality here. We urge our leaders to prioritize long-term solutions and invest in a safer future for all. We highlight the line taken by the UN: We should be shifting from a reactive response to proactive management!