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

8

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.

10

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

17

High waves

18

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

27

• 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

28

• Integrated water resources management system to provide safe water for the island communities

Adaptation projects through national policies:

29

10 Islands Water Supply Network completed in 2015

30

Coastal protection measures

Coastal protection measures stated long time ago in the Maldives

• Different engineering methods were used:

• Geobag revetment

Coastal protection measures

31

Rock revetment

Sea wall

Coastal protection measures

32

Groyne

Thank You