At least 23 individuals have tragically lost their lives as torrential rain and king tides wreak havoc, washing away roads, homes, and food gardens in Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) highland and coastal regions.
Among the casualties are a mother and her child, who perished in landslides in the highlands province of Chimbu, as reported by Lusete Man, the acting director for the National Disaster Centre, to the AFP news agency.
“The 23 were buried under tons of mud in three separate landslides,” Man stated on Monday.
“We are still experiencing heavy rains, landslips, flooded rivers, that have caused extensive damages in the highlands.”
In addition to the devastation witnessed in Chimbu, coastal communities in the Gulf province south also experienced severe flooding.
The coastal village of Lese Kavora, inundated by king tides, suffered significant damage to food gardens and water sources, according to reports from PNG’s National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) on Wednesday.
Community members have initiated discussions regarding potential relocation options for the village.
Heavy flooding has extended to the highlands province of Enga, with Aquila Kunzie, the community leader of Wapenamanda, informing that the community is now rationing its food supply.
“Continuous and heavy rainfall in Wapenamanda district has led to river flooding,” stated Kunzie.
He further mentioned that over 100 women and children sought refuge in his village due to ongoing tribal conflicts in the vicinity.
“We are eating only one meal per day, we can’t afford breakfast and lunch with all of them,” he said. “We have no way to call out for help.”
According to the 2022 World Risk Index, Papua New Guinea ranks as the world’s 16th most vulnerable country to climate change and natural disasters.
Notably, its mountainous highlands are renowned for harbouring the third largest rainforest on the planet, following The Amazon and the Congo Basin rainforests in size.
Large areas of Papua New Guinea’s rainforest have been cleared due to logging activities from palm oil plantations and foreign timber companies.
In 2022, Papua New Guinea emerged as the world’s fifth-largest exporter of palm oil, with major export destinations including India, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia.
While the clearing of rainforests contributes to climate change, it also exacerbates local environmental degradation, amplifying the severity of floods and landslides in the region.