34
Flooding and Illegal Deforestation
in Marriaqua District
Districts such as Marriaqua are endowed with a
vibrant network of rivers and streams flowing
from the mountain, crisscrossing the rich fertile
valley. One of the main hazards faced by these
communities is flooding. During storms, rivers
would overflow their banks, causing severe
destruction to properties, infrastructure, housing,
crops and lives. Thirteen deaths and over US$350
million in damages to infrastructure and properties were officially recorded by the Government
of SVG in 2013 (Government of SVG 2015; IMF
2017). Participants accorded the problem of
flooding to the rapid deforestation in the mountainous interior of the country to grow illegal
marijuana, leaving tree logs lying on the mountainsides and along the waterways. During
storms, the logs would block the free flow of
water and create dams. When these dams burst,
they would drive the water and logs/branches
furiously downstream causing damages to homes
and infrastructure in the interior and coastal
communities.
Flooding from SLR/Tsunami and Storms
in Vermont Valley
Participants in the Vermont Valley view SLR as
having the most devastating impact on communities
in the lower coastal section of the valley. During
the December 2013 and November 2016 storms,
the Buccament community (Lower Vermont
Valley) was flooded by water flowing down from
the mountains and high tides coming in from the
sea. The floods in 2013 had three fatalities, flooded
out hundreds of houses and destroyed the five-star
Buccament Bay Resort. The participants attending
the community risk/hazard vulnerability mapping
exercise attributed the flooding upstream to the
rapid deforestation taking place in the mountainous interior of the island resulting mostly from
marijuana cultivation.
Participants recalled the moment that the river
overflowed its banks and people disappeared in
the swollen rivers. They credited their survival to
their local knowledge and enhanced capacity,
which developed their resilience to adapt to climate change (McNamara and Buggy 2016).
Communities such as Buccament, Layou and
Clare Valley, located on the coastal south-western
section of mainland SVG, are constantly flooded
by rivers and streams overflowing their banks due
to the factors highlighted above. These problems
are compounded by an increase in wave actions
resulting from SLR. The town of Layou has
wholly lost its shoreline, and the government has
had to build an expensive dyke system to stop the
sea from further encroaching the town.
Buccament, Clare Valley and Layou were once
thriving
artisanal
fishing
communities
20–30 years ago; the industry is now almost
destroyed due to the lack of fishing banks attributed to warmer temperatures and higher tides
caused by SLR. Based on information from
informants and GIS mapping, it is projected that
there would be increased tsunami activities triggered by the underwater volcanic activities of
“Kick-‘em Jenny” and “Kick-‘em Jim” in the
future, which would have a severe impact on
these communities.
Climate Change and Other Calamities
Impacting on the Island of Bequia
Although there are similarities regarding how climate change is impacting on mainland St.
Vincent, there are differences in how impacts are
prioritised as indicated by participants in the consultation. Although the islands of the Grenadines
are much drier than that of mainland SVG, flooding and diseases associated with mosquitoes
were listed as two of the leading climate changerelated problems facing the people on the island
of Bequia.
Participants highlighted two types of flooding
affecting the island: (1) flooding caused by heavy
rain runoffs affecting the capital, Port Elizabeth,
the airport and Paget Farm area, and (2) flooding
caused by high tides which affects the airport, the
capital and the main tourism infrastructure area.
Tourism is the main economic activity on the
island. Therefore, flooding is negatively impacting the economy of the island. The mangrove
swamps and coral reefs which over the years
formed the first line of defence against SLR/high
tides were destroyed to construct the airport and
to build the infrastructure which supports the
3 Implementation of the Conceptual Framework for Youth Adaption in Climate Change on SIDS
Flooding and Illegal Deforestation
in Marriaqua District
Districts such as Marriaqua are endowed with a
vibrant network of rivers and streams flowing
from the mountain, crisscrossing the rich fertile
valley. One of the main hazards faced by these
communities is flooding. During storms, rivers
would overflow their banks, causing severe
destruction to properties, infrastructure, housing,
crops and lives. Thirteen deaths and over US$350
million in damages to infrastructure and properties were officially recorded by the Government
of SVG in 2013 (Government of SVG 2015; IMF
2017). Participants accorded the problem of
flooding to the rapid deforestation in the mountainous interior of the country to grow illegal
marijuana, leaving tree logs lying on the mountainsides and along the waterways. During
storms, the logs would block the free flow of
water and create dams. When these dams burst,
they would drive the water and logs/branches
furiously downstream causing damages to homes
and infrastructure in the interior and coastal
communities.
Flooding from SLR/Tsunami and Storms
in Vermont Valley
Participants in the Vermont Valley view SLR as
having the most devastating impact on communities
in the lower coastal section of the valley. During
the December 2013 and November 2016 storms,
the Buccament community (Lower Vermont
Valley) was flooded by water flowing down from
the mountains and high tides coming in from the
sea. The floods in 2013 had three fatalities, flooded
out hundreds of houses and destroyed the five-star
Buccament Bay Resort. The participants attending
the community risk/hazard vulnerability mapping
exercise attributed the flooding upstream to the
rapid deforestation taking place in the mountainous interior of the island resulting mostly from
marijuana cultivation.
Participants recalled the moment that the river
overflowed its banks and people disappeared in
the swollen rivers. They credited their survival to
their local knowledge and enhanced capacity,
which developed their resilience to adapt to climate change (McNamara and Buggy 2016).
Communities such as Buccament, Layou and
Clare Valley, located on the coastal south-western
section of mainland SVG, are constantly flooded
by rivers and streams overflowing their banks due
to the factors highlighted above. These problems
are compounded by an increase in wave actions
resulting from SLR. The town of Layou has
wholly lost its shoreline, and the government has
had to build an expensive dyke system to stop the
sea from further encroaching the town.
Buccament, Clare Valley and Layou were once
thriving
artisanal
fishing
communities
20–30 years ago; the industry is now almost
destroyed due to the lack of fishing banks attributed to warmer temperatures and higher tides
caused by SLR. Based on information from
informants and GIS mapping, it is projected that
there would be increased tsunami activities triggered by the underwater volcanic activities of
“Kick-‘em Jenny” and “Kick-‘em Jim” in the
future, which would have a severe impact on
these communities.
Climate Change and Other Calamities
Impacting on the Island of Bequia
Although there are similarities regarding how climate change is impacting on mainland St.
Vincent, there are differences in how impacts are
prioritised as indicated by participants in the consultation. Although the islands of the Grenadines
are much drier than that of mainland SVG, flooding and diseases associated with mosquitoes
were listed as two of the leading climate changerelated problems facing the people on the island
of Bequia.
Participants highlighted two types of flooding
affecting the island: (1) flooding caused by heavy
rain runoffs affecting the capital, Port Elizabeth,
the airport and Paget Farm area, and (2) flooding
caused by high tides which affects the airport, the
capital and the main tourism infrastructure area.
Tourism is the main economic activity on the
island. Therefore, flooding is negatively impacting the economy of the island. The mangrove
swamps and coral reefs which over the years
formed the first line of defence against SLR/high
tides were destroyed to construct the airport and
to build the infrastructure which supports the
3 Implementation of the Conceptual Framework for Youth Adaption in Climate Change on SIDS