Update: 3:13PM AN early warning tool designed to forecast the potential of flooding in low coastal communities of the Pacific is being tested on the Coral Coast.
Initiated by the Pacific Community (SPC)’s Geoscience division, the Coastal Inundation Forecasting Demonstration Project (CIFPD) began at the request of the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) and is funded by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) in 2017.
According to information from the SPC, the tool which was developed in Europe and has been used successfully in Bangladesh and Indonesia has never been used in the Pacific before.
Cyprien Bosserelle, a Coastal Oceanographer with the SPC said the technology was new for the Pacific and project members would meet in July at the behest of the Fiji Meteorological Service.
“We are using tools, which were developed more in Europe and never before tested in the region. So we have to adapt it to the Pacific – we are testing a few different methodologies to see what will work for the region.”
The goal of the CIFDP is to build an early warning system to provide flood forecasts for areas which face flooding from both the ocean and river.
The Coral Coast, particularly Korolevu is one such area, Bosserelle explained.
‘We are working on the coral coast to find something that will work for the rest of Fiji at least. This is the first type of project like this in the Pacific so we want to make sure this will work in other countries in the Pacific by using data that will work in the Pacific.”
Fiji Meteorology Service director Ravind Kumar said they wanted to ensure resilience and sustainability for coastal communities.
“This tool will contribute towards saving lives, coastal infrastructure and assist with decision and policy making, especially with regards to infrastructure in coastal areas.”
