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Tsunami: long-term rural recovery needed

January 19, 2005

Nigel.thumb.jpgLong-term contamination of groundwater reserves could have a more profound impact on agriculture and village life in some tsunami-affected countries than damage to the topsoil.

Dr Nigel Warwick, a University of New England plant ecophysiologist who studies the way plants cope with stress, made this prediction based on his understanding of the relationship between coastal vegetation and “lenses” of fresh water below the ground.

Dr Warwick said this long-term effect would probably be most serious on low-lying coral islands such as the Maldives. “They’ll have to keep an eye on groundwater supplies,” he said, “as it may take some time for the salt to leach down into them. Local people use groundwater for drinking as well as for irrigation.”

“Groundwater may also be contaminated by nitrates percolating down with the seawater,” he continued. “Nitrates would make the water undrinkable because of the serious effects they have on human (and particularly infant) metabolism.”

He explained that these “lenses” of fresh water are “the major source of water for deeper-rooting trees”. “Some of these trees may now be slowly destroyed as their roots are exposed to salty water, leading to deforestation in some affected areas, particularly on coral-based islands,” he said.

“The tsunami will have both short-term effects on agriculture (related to the stripping of the topsoil, the dumping of mud and debris, and the saltwater flooding of fields) and long-term effects,” Dr Warwick said. “Longer-term plans will need to be formed to assist in the recovery process.”

Dr Warwick and his colleague Dr Steve Griffith are planning a study of the importance of “lenses” of groundwater for coastal dune fields in Australia. This study will be in collaboration with a local water authority, which is proposing to tap into some of these reserves and needs to be sure there would be no negative impact on vegetation.


Media contact: Dr Nigel Warwick, Botany, UNE (02) 6773 2575 or Jim Scanlan, Public Relations, UNE (02) 6773 3049.


The photograph of Dr Nigel Warwick published here is available from Jim Scanlan on (02) 6773 3049.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at January 19, 2005 10:16 AM