Earth Today | Trinidad’s vulnerable South Oropouche River Basin gets flood relief

TWO PIROGUE-STYLE fishing boats glide down the South Oropouche River over deep murky water, winding past twisted green mangrove trees looming out from the shallows along both banks.

Caimans sun amid trees, as birds follow the boats’ path. The majestic Scarlet Ibis unique to the Caribbean island’s rich biodiversity flies overhead as the river opens into larger water.

Several partners on a multi-sector adaptation project here in Trinidad and Tobago have boarded the boats to survey drainage channels, flood control stations and signs of saltwater surges across the South Oropouche River Basin (SORB) in the southwestern coast of Trinidad.

Sea level and floods are on the rise here.

Moderate to severe flooding from brief, high intensity rainstorms occurs regularly and is a perennial issue, but in the last several years larger, more devastating basin-wide floods combined with sweeping ocean surges have been happening more often. The time to subside can take several days, affecting farmlands, commercial activities and densely populated residential communities.

The US$10 million project funded by the Adaptation Fund and implemented by the Development Bank of Latin America with the University of the West Indies (UWI) carries hope to help stem the tide.

It aims to increase resilience of the SORB population and ecosystems to flooding, sea level rise and droughts by strengthening local planning and risk management, water infrastructure, ecosystem-based adaptation, and adaptive capacity of farmers and fishers.

At its core, the project brings together a network of experts and partners on the island from across government, agencies, universities, development banks, NGOs and the farming and fishing communities to thoroughly tackle the problem while taking a scientific approach.

“Stakeholder engagement is of paramount importance,” said Daren Sookoo, UWI project coordinator.

“Government institutions, first responders, residents, NGOs/CBOs and the use of subject matter experts when collaborating can have a huge and positive impact. All hands on deck are needed to ensure that the most vulnerable are included,” he added.

The Adaptation Fund has, since 2010, committed nearly US$1.4 billion for climate change adaptation and resilience projects and programmes across the developing world, including in the Caribbean where islands, including Jamaica, have benefited.

The Adaptation Fund is also known for having pioneered Direct Access, empowering country ownership in adaptation, and operationalising other novel programmes such as locally led adaptation and its Innovation Facility.

Contributed by the Adaptation Fund