Beach erosion, disaster plan top priorities in tsunami aftermath

Seychelles Nation - 17.02.2005
Tackling the problems of beach erosion and establishing an early warning system and disaster management plan should be Seychelles’ main environmental priorities following the December 26 tsunami, scientists have said.

A team from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), in Seychelles to study the environmental impacts of the disaster, highlighted problematic erosion at Anse Kerlan on Praslin and 25 other hotspots of beach erosion around Seychelles that were worsened by the tidal waves.

The Unep team, led by biodiversity specialist Mark Collins, studied the effects of the tsunami on coral reefs, beaches and other aspects of the environment during the past week. The mission was drawn up after discussions between Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Ronny Jumeau and Unep director Klaus Toepfer at last month’s small islands meeting in Mauritius.

Presenting the preliminary findings recently to a panel of environment officials including the minister, Mr Collins said that in addition to some coastlines needing to be stabilised, increased capacity within some of the country’s scientific bodies would be required to improve monitoring and put in place an early warning system.

The Unep team also confirmed that reefs in Seychelles had been affected, this on top of the 1998 bleaching event that had killed most of the corals in the first place.

Mr Collins stressed the importance of “integrated management across all ecosystems,” saying that activities in mountains, forests and wetlands could eventually be felt on the coasts and even on the reefs.

December’s tsunami, he added, also showed the importance of beach vegetation and reefs in absorbing the impact of rising waters. This is especially important in places like Anse Kerlan, where beachside properties and homes have been at risk, Mr Collins said.

Unep estimates the initial stabilisation of Anse Kerlan, as well as setting up the early warning system and capacity building programmes for staff, would amount to some R23,100,000. Another 20-40 million Euros might be needed to stabilise the remaining 25 erosion hotspots, but Mr Collins said an alternative but much more patient route would be “to let nature take its course.”

He did say, however, that proposals for assistance from Seychelles, given that its current environmental capacity was ahead of many countries, would most likely be well received by Unep and the international scientific community.

After the presentation, environment principal secretary Rolph Payet indicated that the ministry would be working with Unep and potential funding bodies like the Indian Ocean Commission and the Global Environment Facility to help implement the plan.

Bilateral talks are also being held for more assistance, as both the Netherlands and Australia have expressed interest in future environment initiatives in Seychelles.

The erosion problems at Anse Kerlan are expected to be a priority, but despite public pressure for a quick fix Mr Payet said that the ministry would be looking for a long-term solution with overseas assistance.

“We need to get it right,” he said, adding that some temporary measures may worsen the situation in the long run.

An early warning system, which Unep said should involve tidal gauge stations and sea buoys, is also in the cards along with measures to strengthen the Seychelles Centre for Marine Research and Technology – Marine Parks Authority and the National Meteorological Services.

Mr Payet suggested that Seychelles would not wait for a regional early warning system to be put in place before developing its own, although the country would gladly participate in any such system as soon as it is established. “We’re not waiting for anyone. We can’t bank on any one's initiative.”

Another recommendation from the Unep team – raising awareness about some of the issues brought up by the tsunami, like clearing coastal vegetation and the importance of wetlands – would also be emphasised by the ministry this year, he added.

After tsunami, Seychelles develops disaster alert system

afrol News, 19 January 2005

The tsunami hitting Seychelles on 26 December was the first major disaster in the island nation since 1868. While only one life was lost, the tsunami caused large material damages and new disaster awareness in Seychelles. The islands state, which has now seen its debts frozen, will now develop an up-to-date disaster alert system.

According to the Seychellois government, the country is now working on the development of a national disaster warning system by which the authorities would advise residents on the possibility of a disaster striking. The principal secretary for Environment, Rolph Payet, said this on Tuesday during an interview.
The alert system "will entail thorough education of the public to understand how such a system works and probably use colour coding as in some countries to indicate severity of the potential danger and what specific evasive action people should take," the government explained.
Mr Payet said such a system would take an estimated two years to put in place and may be another five to ensure people understand it well. "We are developing such a system, which is not easy because it will require baseline data and information," he said.
The government representative added that the system in use in Mauritius is mainly for cyclones, which do not occur in Seychelles, but the island of Réunion has a more elaborate system that covers flooding. "We are in discussion with Réunion, which already has a warning system which progressively uses different colours to develop ours," he said.
Mr Payet said that Seychelles would also not want to rely merely on word of mouth, for example passed on by telephone from neighbouring countries because such a system could also raise false alarm. He recalled that even a few days after the 26 December tsunami, false warning followed saying that similar occurrences were imminent causing people to panic.
He noted Seychelles has not had any major disaster since 1868 with lesser ones occurring about seven years ago. Excessive rains in August 1997 caused heavy floods on the archipelago. A study by the UN's Disaster Assessment Coordination (UNDAC) later that year revealed that Seychelles had little experience in handling disasters, and had not developed any comprehensive disaster management structure, legislation or plan.
Seychelles President James Michel on Thursday last week had called improved disaster preparedness. "This unprecedented calamity in our region has taught us, in the most compelling terms, that there is an urgent need for an early warning system in the Indian Ocean region, similar to that which exists in the Pacific," President Michel said.
The Seychellois President further said there was a need for the a special disaster fund in Seychelles to help long-term recovery in view of the widespread damage to infrastructure, public utilities and private property. "Many people have lost their homes and livelihood in Seychelles," President Michel said.
According to the Seychellois government, the tsunami had caused damages worth more than US$ 30 million to the archipelago. "This may seem small compared to the damage inflicted to our neighbours, but it is nonetheless considerable for a small economy like ours," President Michel noted. He called for aid from the international community to set up a relief fund.
Seychelles last week received the first substantial international aid needed for reconstruction by a freezing of the country's debts by the so-called Paris Club of creditor nations. "The suspension takes effect immediately," Paris Club President Jean-Pierre Jouyet told a news conference after talks in Paris on Wednesday. The Seychelles owes some five million dollars in debt payments this year.

Officials trace tidal wave path through Seychelles

Seychelles Nation - 29.12.04

Sunday’s (December 26) tidal waves bent around the edges of both Mahe and Praslin to swing inland toward the southern and western areas of the islands at an even greater force than that of its original impact.

Environment principal secretary Rolph Payet said this Tuesday December 28 when describing to reporters at the Botanical Gardens how the tidal waves originated and spread on Sunday, and why much of the coasts on Seychelles’ two biggest islands sustained severe damage.

The tidal waves on Sunday resulted from an earthquake off the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which caused the sea floor to shift 10 metres upwards along a 1,000 km rift.

While 10 metres may not seem like much, Mr Payet said that across such a distance an enormous amount of water was displaced, causing sea water to whip out across the ocean.

And it was only ocean that stood between Sunday’s massive Indonesian earthquake and Seychelles – with no barriers to slow it down the tidal waves spanned more than 4,200 kilometres to cause havoc on Mahe and Praslin in ways few, if any, could have predicted.

The waves moved rapidly from the epicentre, first through Sri Lanka where thousands were killed, then on to the Maldives just a few hours later before hitting Seychelles from the Northeast shortly after mid-day.

Mr Payet said officials were still calculating the force at which the tidal wave hit the local islands, but indicated that an estimate would be released later.

Officials at Tuesday’s press briefing also detailed how the tidal waves “refracted” around Mahe’s southern and western peninsulas – around Takamaka and Port Glaud, respectively.

Acting director of the National Meteorological Services (NMS) Denis Chang-Seng said when the tidal waves refracted around the island, more and more water began to accumulate and rush towards West and South Mahe.

He said this was why areas like Port Glaud, Grand Anse, Anse Boileau and others in the Southwest were severely affected while Anse aux Pins, situated on the east coast but lying parallel to the direction of the tidal wave, was spared from the worst of the disaster.

A similar phenomenon was observed on Praslin, where the tidal wave swept inland at Grand Anse and other areas in the island’s Southwest despite the fact that it was sheltered from any direct impact the wave would have had coming from the Northeast.

“The nature of a wave is determined by the coastline and any barriers there may be,” he said. He noted that large bays like Anse a la Mouche and Anse Boileau are especially vulnerable since more water is able to accumulate and gather strength.

The impact of barriers, however, were more noticeable in Northeast Mahe, where it was confirmed by Mr Payet that the reclaimed islands sitting just off the coast saved much of Ma Constance, Pointe Conan and Ma Joie from major flooding.

Mr Payet said this was especially important because as the wave travelled in between Mahe and Ste Anne it began to change – as the passage narrowed the wave grew higher and thus more dangerous, he explained.

This is the same reason that Victoria was hit as hard as it was, Mr Payet added, noting that the ship channel into the port made for a stronger wave as it pushed through the harbour and into town.

As for North Mahe – which was the first to feel the effects of the tidal wave – it is believed that the large rock formations around Glacis and Northeast Point helped to absorb much of the wave’s impact.

Mr Payet said the outer islands were not as affected because unlike the inner islands, they lie beyond the continental shelf where the impact of the tidal waves were not as severe.