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TRANSCRIPT
Natural Disaster Risks and Impact of Climate Change in Maldives
Abdul Muhsin Ramiz
Director Meteorology
Maldives Meteorological Service
Training Workshop on Addressing Disaster Risks Specific to South
and South-West Asia
30 – 31 October 2017, Kathmandu, Nepal
Outline
• Introduction: Maldives
• Climate of Maldives
• Natural hazards in Maldives
• Vulnerabilities of Maldives
• Impact of Natural Disasters and Climate Change
• Adaptation and protection measures
Maldives These double chain islands (1192 islands)
form 26 natural atolls
Length: North to South, about 840km
Stretches around 80km in width and 130km at its widest point.
99% of Maldives is sea area and 1 % land area.
5% of land area is beach
Total land area of Maldives is about 235 sq.km, which makes Maldives 6th smallest state
80% of the land area is less than 1 m above mean sea level-which makes Maldives one of the most low-lying nation in the world
The highest land area is about 3m above mean sea level
• The population of 402,071 people are widely dispersed across over about 199 inhabited small islands
MaldivesPopulation Distribution (excluding
Male')
less than 100059%118 islands
between 1000 & 500039% (77 islands)
above 50002%4 islands
Maldives• Male’, the capital city, is
only 2km in length and 1km in width
• More than one-third of Maldives entire population lives there
Climate of MaldivesMaldives has two seasons:• Wet season (southwest monsoon extending from
mid-May to November). • Dry season (northeast monsoon extending from
January to March/April)
General Climate of Maldives
Rainfall
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Climate of Maldives…
• In these two seasons the temperature variations are very small as they are moderated by the sea
• Hence Maldives experience a maritime climate.
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Major Economic Sectors Tourism industry
• Over 1 million tourists visit every year
• About 110 islands are leased for tourist resorts
• Used to be “One island-One resort” concept
• Provides job opportunities for the communities
• Pole and line fishing (Nets are not allowed to use)
• Fish export to various countries
Fisheries industry
Natural hazards in the Maldives:
•Cyclones
•Tornadoes (waterspouts)
•Storms (thunderstorms)
•Flash Floods
•Tidal Waves
•Dry spells
•Strong winds
•Tsunami
•Earthquakes
Storms (thunderstorms)
Impact of natural hazards
Tornado / WaterspoutSwell & Tidal Waves
Flash Flood
Strong winds
Tsunami
Vulnerabilities of Maldives
Saltwater intrusion
Flooding
Change in rainfall patterns
Groundwater pollution Degraded water
qualityWaterborne
diseases
Loss of vegetation
Food security
Infrastructure damage
Loss of wetlands & waterbodies
More than 44% of human settlement and more than 80% of critical infrastructure in Maldives is within 100m of coast
Impact of Natural Disasters and Climate Change
• In the past, the vulnerability of Maldives to natural disasters or extreme events were thought to be moderate
• It was believed that the Maldives is safer from natural disasters, as it did not have a history of frequent and destructive events in the past
• But the 26 December 2004 Tsunami that hit the Maldives dramatically altered that perception.
– Maldives was the only country where the effects of the tsunami was felt across the entire country; lost 106 people
Cyclone
• The islands of Maldives are less prone to tropical cyclones compared to the other Asian countries
• 30th May 1991: One of the most strong cyclone crossed over the Maldives.
• This cyclone disrupted transport (sea transported halted for about two weeks) and damaged properties.
• October/November 2012 cyclone Nilam: Disrupted sea transport and damaged household items due to flooding
• Floods are among the most frequent natural disasters in the country.
Floods
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High waves
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Due to high waves, Male’ was flooded 3 times in 2012 alone
• Water Resources Sector• Agricultural Sector• Energy Sector• Health Sector• Tourism Sector• Fisheries Sector• Infrastructure
Potential impacts due climate change on:
• Maldives agricultural sector is based on rain and ground water…• Changes in rainfall patterns can impact
• Extreme high rainfall events can cause flooding >> damage crops
• Increase in salinity of groundwater • Due to sea level rise and high waves• Over extraction of groundwater
Potential impacts: Agricultural Sector
Entirely dependent on imported fuel
Oil imports - USD 555M (20% of GDP ) in 2014.
Increase in temperature will put extra pressure on energy sector
Potential impacts: Energy Sector
Separate power house for each island (powered by diesel)
• Expected to increase:• Water borne diseases• Respiratory diseases• Heat related illness
Potential impacts on Health Sector
Mean temperature over central Maldives has increased by almost 1 °c over the past 38 years.
• Increase in salinity problem due to sea level rise and inundation due to high waves
• Increase in dry spells
Potential impacts: Water Resources Sector
Potential impacts on Tourism sector The coral bleaching associated with increase
in SST can effect the tourism industry as most of tourists come for diving to explore the corals.
Beach erosion
97%• Islands report erosion problem
64%• Islands reports severe erosion
45%• Resorts report severe erosion
Frequent inundation due to high waves: Male’ was flooded 3 times in 2012 alone
• Integration of Climate Change risks into the Maldives Safer Island Development Program: A priority need identified in Maldives’ NAPA
Adaptation and protection measuresAdaptation projects
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• Project on increasing Climate Change Resilience of Maldives through Adaptation in the Tourism Sector• aims to strengthen the adaptive capacity of the
tourism sector to reduce risks to climate-induced economic losses
• Integrating Climate Change Risks into Resilient Island Planning in the Maldives• Assess the costs and benefits of different adaptation
options in the fields of land use planning and coastal protection and helps in well-informed decision-making
Adaptation projects
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• Integrated water resources management system to provide safe water for the island communities
Adaptation projects through national policies:
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10 Islands Water Supply Network completed in 2015
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Coastal protection measures
Coastal protection measures stated long time ago in the Maldives
• Different engineering methods were used:
• Geobag revetment
Coastal protection measures
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Rock revetment
Sea wall
Coastal protection measures
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Groyne