UN calls for preventive measures as heavy rains threaten Fiji

UN calls for preventive measures as heavy rains threaten Fiji

2012-02-06 08:48:30 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations on Sunday called for preventive measures to assist Fiji as heavy rains and severe floods have been ravaging the archipelago nation over the past week.

The United Nations disaster risk reduction agency said at least eight people have died and there have been 51 reported cases of water-borne diseases, including diarrhea and typhoid, as a result of the floods. A 15-day state of emergency has been declared in Fiji's west coast areas as more rain is expected to hit the country.

Some 1,300 people have been evacuated from their homes and the damage caused by flooding is estimated to be about $30 million. Population in vulnerable areas have been advised to evacuate, the agency said in a statement.

"These types of events are likely to continue to occur," said Angelika Planitz, sub-regional coordinator for the Pacific for the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).

"Scientists are exploring the evidence that climate change and developments in low-lying flood-prone areas such as Nadi and Ba are contributing factors," she added. "In the interim, improved preparedness and early warning, two important elements of disaster risk reduction, will have to remain important and urgent priorities."

A recent publication by UNISDR and the UN Development Programme warned that high-intensity floods would become more frequent in western Fiji. In the Nadi area, for example, these type of floods used to occur every 190 years, but by 2100 it is projected that they will occur every 25 years.

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