DILI, 22 june 2021 (TATOLI) – The Secretary of State for Civil Protection (SEPC), together with partners, including the European Union (EU), the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Similie and Mercy Corps are working on the installation of the Early Warning Systems in capital Dili to strengthen Timor-Leste’s resilience to flood risks.
The Early Warning System installation is a disaster response mechanism pilot project implemented by Mercy Corps and Similie, with financial support from the European Union and KOICA.
Mercy Corps’ Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Program Manager, Kirsten Mandala informed that the investment for the installation of the flood Early Warning Systems was part of larger KOICA and EU-funded programs aimed to increase dili’s resilience.
“Mercy Corps’ US$ 3 million KOICA-funded PREAPARDU program has components related to plastic recycling, disaster risk reduction, including capacity building for first responders, early warning systems, awareness raising related to floods, as well as a focus on climate change and access to international climate financing,” Mandala made the comments during a workshop on Early Warning Systems at Jl. Villa Hall, in Dili, today.
“The EU has also provided €2.1 million for the Maloa Urban Resilience Initiative, a broader urban resilience program that focuses on multiple components, including increasing awareness of climate change, working on improving landscape management in the Maloa watershed, engaging community members and private sector actors in ecosystem management, and focus on economic recovery and livelihood generation”.
Mandala said the Mercy Corp’s KOICA Funded PREPARADU Program was currently working in Dili to improve flood and tsunami response preparedness and first responders’ capacity, both community-level disaster risk reduction work as well as closed collaboration with civil protection at the national level.
She said the Mercy Corps’ work on climate and disaster in Dili in key watersheds had highlighted a need for the prioritization of the development of the flood early warnings system to help households in Dili protect their lives and assets in the event of a disaster.
“Advance warnings and preparations can provide communities the information they need to evacuate earlier and protect their belongings. As we have seen from the devastating floods in april, the consequences of disaster without strong early warning systems are significant,” Mandala said.
Mandala added fully functional early warning systems that provide information that the community needs in the time they need are difficult to construct and require collaboration and the work of many stakeholders across sectors, agencies, and ministries.
The installation of the Early Warning Systems will help protect households in Dili from future floods and impacts, she said.
At the same place, the Secretary of State for Civil Protection (SEPC), Joaquim José Gusmão dos Reis Martins said the installation of the Early Warning System in the identified four rivers in Dili was important to protect the communities from the impacts before a disaster takes place.
“The Early Warning System project is crucial to protect our communities from losing their assets, houses, and particularly their life,” Martins said.
Martins appreciated the work of the Mercy Corps and Similie of the implementation of the Early Warning System project and thanked the EU and KOICA for the financial support to the implementation of the project.
The Early Warning Systems to be installed in four rivers that pose threats to communities in capital Dili, including Becora River, Maloa, Becuse and Kuluhun river.
Journalist:Filomeno Martins
Editor: Rafy Belo
