Tonga can learn from Fiji’s rehabilitation efforts

Tongans are still recovering from the devastation from the January 15 underground volcanic eruption. Nova reports that 84% of the nation’s residents are affected by the 300-mile ash cloud from the explosion and the tsunami (Noron, 2022).

Residents find it hard to access safe drinking water and groundwater. The agricultural sectors consisting of crops, livestock, and fisheries suffered significantly, and 60-70% of households have lost animals, their land damaged, and contaminated their water sources.

On Nomuka island, volcanic ash blanketed all their structures, many of which were damaged and destroyed.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction advocates for a “The substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods, and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of persons, businesses, communities, and countries.”

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