Pacific governments to prepare for worst El Nino emergency

Transcript

The United Nations is calling on governments around the Pacific to prepare for what could be the worst El Nino emergency to impact the region.

UN resident coordinator in Fiji, Osnat Lubrani, says it is expected to rival the the 1997 El Nino which is historically the most severe on record.

She told Indira Moala, governments need to start raising awareness in communities and preparing national emergency plans.

OSNAT LUBRANI: The Climatologists tell us that it's likely to be severe and could be the most severe when you compare it to the past El Nino. It could be as strong, or it could rival the 1997/1998 El Nino which was the most severe on record so far.

INDIRA MOALA: PNG right now is reportedly experiencing the worst drought ever and also severe frost. Do you think this might be a foreshadow of the kind of impact it might have across the region?

OL: Unfortunately, yes. I think that what we see already in PNG, and there are already official drought warnings in Fiji and worries about water problems, or water delivery problems in Solomon Islands - there could be more problems to come. And it's not just drought, it's also cyclones that are associated with this phenomenon.

IM: And what do you think communities can do to prepare for what might be the worst impact of an El Nino emergency?

OL: Well firstly, in terms of preserving water, but also ensuring that there are receptacles ready if water is brought in. So tanks and storage facilities for water, that's one important thing to do. There is a list of certain crops that are more drought resistant that are recommended to be prioritized over others. And it's also important, for example, for communities to think about what happens if a drought hits. How do you make special arrangements for schools to be kept open - if there are water shortages. At the National level, there's also the importance of preparing drought plans and certainly governments are already working on that - in the Marshall Islands, in Fiji and in other places.

IM: In terms of National Emergency plans, do you think governments are aware that this El Nino emergency coming up might have the worst impact? And do you think they're prepared to handle that?

OL: I think it is important to continually send the message to prioritize such planning and I can tell you from our part, the Pacific Humanitarian Team for example, the government in Fiji is quite advanced in it's drought plan. We're having a meeting with the Fiji government to sort of understand how that is progressing and we'll be sharing that information with the other governments. There's also an attempt to bring them all together and to discuss that and devote time to this issue in the annual meeting of Humanitarian partners that will happen in October. So, certainly actions are being taken but I think there's always more that can be done.