Johannesburg, August (GYRP) – Every time a natural disaster hits, it can set back a country’s ‘development clock’ by up to 10 or more years.
This is why the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) is urging the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to give utmost importance to the reduction of vulnerability to natural hazards.
With floods in Asia and central Europe and droughts in central and southern Africa, the United States and Australia making international headlines, the WMO is putting particular focus on these natural disasters and the impact of El Nino around the world.
The WMO’s concerns are contained in a draft Plan of Implementation, which is being discussed at the WSSD.
In the words of Michael Jarraud, WMO Deputy Secretary General, a country's ‘clock of development’ can be set back by more than 5 to 10 years with each natural disaster it suffers.
But WMO believes that the human suffering and economic damage inflicted by natural disasters can be alleviated to a certain extent with "proactive measures to reduce vulnerability and strengthen capacity to reduce the impact of floods and droughts".
Floods and droughts around the world result from nature’s unequal distribution of rainfall, made worse by special factors such as the recurring weather phenomenon known as El Nino in the Pacific Ocean.
WMO says it is unclear whether the droughts in Africa and the floods in central Europe are linked to El Nino. However, the El Nino effect has exacerbated dry spells in Australia and Indonesia, as well as the unusual dry conditions across the Indian Subcontinent.
The WMO predicts that the current impact of El Nino will persist into early next year. And, although this time El Nino is not expected to be as intense as in 1997-1998, the consequences might be just as significant.
Floods have affected over 17 million people worldwide since the beginning of 2002, and resultant property damage has already come to over US$30 billion. Droughts in various parts of the world have cut crop yields, and in certain cases, have led to widespread famine. Some countries, namely Niger and India, have suffered the double burden of both floods and droughts, which have stretched their governments’ resources even further.
The WMO makes numerous suggestions for action to mitigate, or even avert, the negative impact of both floods and droughts. It underlines the importance of effective warning systems and emergency response measures.
For example, Michael Jarraud spoke at a news conference of the success of seasonal forecasting in averting a food crisis in some Latin American countries in 1997/1998. Using the forecasts, some governments managed to convince farmers to switch crops from their usual staples to ones that grow better in rainy conditions. As a result, the crop yield remained constant and scarce development funds were not diverted to importing food from abroad.
Ultimately, the governing principle is that prevention is better than cure. The WMO message is that loss of life and economic damage from natural disasters can be reduced by effective mitigation programmes – that it is indeed better to be safe than sorry.
© Global Youth Reporters Programme
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