UF-DRR – FPTPRB

UF-DRR Conference 2021

University Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction Conference 2021

"Disaster Risk Management for Climate-related Hazards in Tropical Countries: Progress and Challenges"

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With the increasing number of climate-related hazards and disasters in the tropical countries due to climate change, such as flood and landslide, flash flood, whirling wind, drought and land/forest/bush fire, and recently due to the changing pattern, tropical cyclones with severe impact have been observed in some parts of Indonesia. In 2015, 1,664 hydro-meteorological disaster events had been recorded, while in 2018 the number was doubled to 3,810 events. In 2021, hydro-meteorological disasters accounted for 99% of the total recorded 1425 disaster events.

The indications towards the trend of climate change are quite clear, climate change mitigation efforts are still facing various global economic and political challenges, while its impact is increasingly felt and for developing countries it interferes significantly with their welfare development. This is exacerbated by patterns of physical-social-economic development that do not pay attention to sustainability principles (environmental-socio-economic), land use patterns, both because of the pressure of economic needs on the grass-roots scale, and the MNC (Multi National Company) business scale, and currently being made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic situation which has changed our socio-economic-political and technological way of life.

Indonesia is also the largest archipelagic country in the world with 17,504 islands and 23% of them are found in West Papua. Climate related hazard and disaster impact adversely affects agriculture, fisheries, coastal zones, water resources, health, and ecosystems and thus threaten communities in the geographically remote areas in the outer and isolated regions of the country, especially in small islands, in terms of economy and degradation of natural resources.

The poorest populations, who live in small islands communities on remote outer-islands, often on lands which are prone to flooding due to heavy rainfall, abrasion, landslide, flash flood and tropical cyclones, are among the most vulnerable groups. They used to live on subsistence-

farming and fishing for their livelihoods, and have limited access to education and health facilities and lack the financial capacity (savings, insurance) to cope with the impact of climate related hazards and disaster. In eastern Indonesia, gender suffer more from climate extremes, because they tend to depend more on natural resources for livelihood and subsistence, and are vulnerable to gender-based violence in the aftermath of disasters.

In April 2021, Indonesia has experienced tropical cyclone Seroja with widespread rainfall and thunderstorms in the West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara provinces in Indonesia. In the immediate aftermath, 81 people were killed; 47 people were missing; 4951 people were displaced; 250 people were injured; damage to buildings amounted to 1,442 units in the District of East Sabu , 996 units in Sabu Liae and 2,419 units in Raijua. More than 600 residents of the village were left homeless by the cyclone. Total preliminary estimated losses in East Nusa Tenggara, according to the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management, amounted to at least 3.4 trillion rupiah (US$235.7 million) as of May 2021.

Learning from the impact of Seroja tropical cyclone in Nusa Tenggara, the West Papua province needs to build the capacity to cope with similar threats to its Northern Coast region and its 4,110 small islands. The area is directly facing the Pacific Ocean, regularly traversed by tropical cyclones. annually traverse.

Responding to the above need, the University of Papua, in collaboration with the National University Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction, is organizing an international seminar focusing on managing disaster risk due to climate-related hazards in the tropical countries. It is expected that national and international experts and practicians will participate in the seminar to share their knowledge and experience, thoughts and opinions on how to mitigate, adapt, prepare and build resilience to climate related hazards in line with sustainable development.