Dear Editor – I am reacting to the article in the Island Sun of August 7th about urban flooding in Honiara.
It looks as if most of the blame is being put on to changes in the climate, which means it is not the fault of Solomon Islanders and there is not much we can do about it except react to what happens, and perhaps prepare ourselves better.
There are some hints that one of the problems is the way we have used the land, but I believe one important factor left out altogether is the destruction of the forests above Honiara and above many other areas of Solomons through logging.
Logging destroys the trees whose leaves and roots trap the water.
The rain falls directly onto the soil and runs off immediately instead of being stored in the soil.
I believe this is a major factor in the increasing number of floods not only in Honiara but in many other areas of Solomons.
I remember in one of the first Honiara floods – I think it was 2012 0r 2013 – a reporter from Solomon Star had the perception to walk up the Mataniko river valley during and after the floods and found large areas on the upper Mataniko bare of trees and even a dam created by felled trees and roots which had obstructed the rainwater creating a big pond, so that when the dam burst there was a sudden flood down the river, and it was this which caused much of the damage.
It is alarming, therefore, to continue to read in another recent article of a logging company landing illegally in a place on Malaita and many other stories of logging companies still being given permission either legally or illegally to do logging.
Climate change may be to blame to some extent, but unless we put a complete moratorium on logging, the flooding which may be party caused by climate change will be much worse.
It is foolish to put all the blame on climate change which we cannot control, and ignore the issue of logging which we can control.
It would be interesting to look back at the rainfall figures and see whether the rainfall really has increased recently or whether, like many people in the world, we are blaming all disasters on climate change, when in fact it is also partly our own fault.
I congratulate the newly appointed Minister of the Environment and hope he will do something about this.
Julian Treadaway
Africa
