Lasting impacts of the HTHH on the environment and society

15 Dec Lasting impacts of the HTHH on the environment and society

Since the eruption the immediate threat witnessed upon the land from the ash cover and acid rain was the wasteland that ensued. As the dust blew around and the vegetation shrunk and died  away, water availability was a growing concern combined with price mongering of stocks in stores; it was hard not to imagine Tonga as Western Hollywood movie. However, in those Western Hollywood movies Dodge had a gunslinging hero that brought back peace and prosperity. The savior for Tonga during the aftermath came from foreign aid and the Tongan diaspora desperately doing their best to send assistance.

MORDI Tonga had been involved in delivering fresh water in 2×5,000 litre water tanks to affected target rural communities working around the clock with what little resources it had at hand. It was allowed to continue its activities during the initial lockdown. A great aid and relief was the fresh water transported on the HMNZ Aotearoa and with contactless operations unloaded freshwater aboard the craft to the rainwater tanks docked up next to the ship. Other resources distributed included several Non-Food Items (NFI) in packages from several donors including Rotary New Zealand, CARE Australia and many more that were part of the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) aid resources.

Meanwhile it was also recognized by the organization that recovery activities must address food security and re-energizing livelihoods for rural communities. The staff were already in the plantations carrying out land clearance and prepartion and replanting root crops that included short cycle crops such as the Peruvian cassava that takes 3 months until it is ready to harvest.

The lockdown and the heavy rainfall periods pose some setback to these activities as rainfall will encourage rapid weed growth that can choke out the newly planted crops. These issues have been brought about by media during press conferences with the Prime Minister and has assured the public that those whose food security depend on fisheries and agriculture are allowed to travel to plantations for maintenance. These directives should continue to observe social protocols at all times warns the Prime Minister.

The fisheries officials continue to caution coastal zone communities and fishers to refrain from consuming seafood as volcanic emissions are still a concern in polluting and poisoning marine life.