Tonga, Feb 17 (BNA): A month after an undersea volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami hit Tonga, a UN official said Wednesday that 80% of the Pacific island nation’s population of 105,000 has been affected and needs the country to more than 90 million dollars to start repairing the damages. and the restoration of the main agricultural and fishing sectors.
“The anxiety has not gone away as the tsunami waters recede,” Sanaka Samarasinha, the UN Resident Coordinator in Tonga, said during a virtual press conference from neighboring Fiji.
Hurricane season is still in full swing, and there are nearly weekly earthquakes in the area, the latest being a 5.0-magnitude earthquake just a few hours ago 47 kilometers (30 miles) from the capital, Nuku’alofa, Samarasinha said. He said no damage has been reported, according to the Associated Press.
The January 15 eruption left a thick layer of volcanic ash covering the main island of Tonga, contaminating much of its drinking water. Many small settlements on remote islands were wiped out, and the tsunami cut the only fibrous cable connecting Tonga to the rest of the world. Four people died.
Samarasinha said 14 UN agencies and the international community are supporting relief and recovery efforts in Tonga, providing nearly 40 tons of water supply and sanitation, reconnecting Tonga with the rest of the world through emergency telecommunications and logistics, and providing food, school materials and materials. Mental. the support.
He said the UN is also planning to provide cash to 5,000 of the most affected people in Tonga, including 2,000 who are still displaced from their homes and others who have lost their livelihoods.
Tonga has been free of COVID-19 for about two years, but the fallout from the volcano brought the coronavirus to the island, when two dock workers in Tonga tested positive. The country is closed until February 20, Samarsina said, and due to the high vaccination rate – 89% in double doses – those infected have shown mild symptoms.
He said the World Bank estimates the losses at $90.4 million, which represents 18.5% of Tonga’s gross domestic product.
More than 80% of the country’s population relies on agriculture, fisheries and small-scale livestock for consumption only, Samarcinha said. The World Bank estimated losses in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries at $20.9 million.
He said there are millions of dollars in losses for homes, schools, churches, community halls and other non-residential buildings and infrastructure including roads, bridges, and a torn sea cable.
He said nearly $30 million has come in or is about to come in relief aid, some of which will be used for early recovery programs.
Samarsinha emphasized that the estimated losses of $90.4 million did not take into account future losses from tourism, agriculture or trade.
“We know that a lot of the infrastructure that was destroyed or damaged outside people’s homes was tourism infrastructure,” he said.
“We must support the government’s efforts to quickly prepare and implement a comprehensive recovery plan, one that takes into account the economy and infrastructure as detailed in the World Bank report, but also focuses on the people most affected,” Samarasinha said.
MI