What was the environmental impact?
THAILAND
Fast Facts on the Environmental impacts of Thailand:
INDONESIA
Indonesian coral reefs, mangroves, coastal areas, wetlands, agricultural fields and forests and aquaculture areas were all badly damaged from this tsunami. Their BAPPENAs (State Ministry of National Development Planning) ‘damage assessment’ came back showing that:
The tsunami debris (dragged back into the ocean after hitting the land) has left the most serious impact. Mangroves act as a filter to the water that flows into and out of the land, but an estimated damage to the mangroves and coastal forests of 90%, makes them unable to function. Fragile wetlands and estuaries have also been badly affected, with. Luckily, more than 70 streams and rivers are expected to be flushed clean over time, however ground water reservoirs ( due to sewage, saltwater intrusion sewage, debris and hazardous materials) will be much harder to fix.
As well, 8 million litres of oil escaped from oil plants in Indonesia, which left an awful impact to sea life, wildlife, humans and crops.
SRI LANKA
About 62,000 groundwater wells were infected by seawater, wastewater and sewage, making them useless. They tried to pump-out and clean the wells but it cannot be fixed as the ground water aquifers have been infected as well. This situation has affected: access to drinking water and the agriculture where soil salinity (from the tsunami) will make the fields unable to be farmed.
THAILAND
Fast Facts on the Environmental impacts of Thailand:
- 15 to 20% of the coral reefs were affected due to siltation and sand infiltration.
- Coral reefs have been damaged due to debris from inland areas
- Sea grass beds in the coastal provinces are apart of fishery production, and food.
- Based on surveys conducted by the Thai government, 3-10% of the sea grass beds were damaged, which needs around 6 months to get better.
- Large mangrove forests are found in the north and south of the Phang Nga Province, (the most affected province of Thailand), largely mitigated the impact of the Tsunami. They were damaged on the seaside fringe, but decreased the wave force and provided shelter to the inland population.
- Up to 3 kilometre inland where the tsunami hit (20,000 to 30,000 hectares of land), the majority of the farms became useless due to the seawater/saline infiltration.
- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment analysed water from wells, which has have presented seawater and debris contamination.
INDONESIA
Indonesian coral reefs, mangroves, coastal areas, wetlands, agricultural fields and forests and aquaculture areas were all badly damaged from this tsunami. Their BAPPENAs (State Ministry of National Development Planning) ‘damage assessment’ came back showing that:
- 20% of sea grass beds,
- 30% of coral reefs,
- 25-35% of wetlands,
- 50% of sandy beaches of the west coast, have been badly damaged.
- 30% of farmland has been affected in the north-east coast,
- 70% in the west coast
- With around 20% permanently damaged
The tsunami debris (dragged back into the ocean after hitting the land) has left the most serious impact. Mangroves act as a filter to the water that flows into and out of the land, but an estimated damage to the mangroves and coastal forests of 90%, makes them unable to function. Fragile wetlands and estuaries have also been badly affected, with. Luckily, more than 70 streams and rivers are expected to be flushed clean over time, however ground water reservoirs ( due to sewage, saltwater intrusion sewage, debris and hazardous materials) will be much harder to fix.
As well, 8 million litres of oil escaped from oil plants in Indonesia, which left an awful impact to sea life, wildlife, humans and crops.
SRI LANKA
About 62,000 groundwater wells were infected by seawater, wastewater and sewage, making them useless. They tried to pump-out and clean the wells but it cannot be fixed as the ground water aquifers have been infected as well. This situation has affected: access to drinking water and the agriculture where soil salinity (from the tsunami) will make the fields unable to be farmed.