|
TSUNAMI IMPACTS ON THAILAND'S COASTAL |
|
| Sonjai Havanond | |
|
Department
of Marine and Coastal Resources, Bangkok, Thailand |
|
| The 26 December 2004 Tsunami at 7.59 a.m. hit many countries surrounding the Indian Ocean and East Africa. Caused by the 9.2 Richter-scale earthquake centered near the north-west coast of Sumatra, it left more than 285,000 people dead. Millions more lost their homes and livelihoods. The countries hardest hit were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia. In Thailand at 9.55 a.m., the waves struck provinces on the Andaman seacoast, Ranong, Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun. The dead and the missing numbered 8,386, while 58,550 were homeless. Fortunately, more than 60% of the Andaman coastline is covered with mangroves (i.e. some 176,486 ha). They proved essential in shielding coasts from the tsunami devastation with only 34 of the 418 communities on the coast severely affected by the waves. Many lives were saved when people held on to mangrove tree trunks and branches during the tsunami onslaught. Mangroves also trapped broken material and rubbish which helped mitigate water pollution and damage to coral and seagrass. Mangroves at Ban Tup La Mu, Ban Nam Khem and Koh Prathong in Pang-nga Province, and Ban Suksamrarn and Ban Leam Son in Ranong Province were severely degraded by the waves. Altogether 350 ha (0.17% of Thailand's Andaman sea mangroves)some 20-100 m away from the mangrove margins, were affected. Other impacts on Andaman's coast were (1) the change of beach profile including channel, submerged ridge, sand dune, sediment deposit and erosion of beach front approximately 10-50 m wide and 0.5-2.0 m deep, and (2) the intrusion of saltwater into coastal lands 2 km from the shoreline. Some 11.8 km2 (15%) of coral reefs, 5.5 km2 (7.5%) of seagrass, 948.96 ha (12.10%) of agricultural lands and 5,879.04 ha (74.97%) of other forest and idle land were damaged. Further, communities living in 924.32 ha were affected and water supply to 89.12 ha was disrupted. To date, the recommendations and recovery programmes are (1) cleaning up areas such as beaches, coral reefs, seagrass and mangroves, (2) monitoring sediment deposit and salinity along the shoreline which had contaminated inland areas, (3) maintaining the remaining beach trees growing on more salty soils, (4) increasing "green zones" and replanting in degraded coastal forests, (5) developing residential areas further away from sea shores, and (6) setting up warning systems in all communities and tourist areas. | |
|
|
|
| Copyright 2006 ISME. All rights reserved. | |