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Natural Hazards in Brunei Darussalam

La Nina Floods

Introduction La Niña is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, compared to El Niño, which is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. It is formed by cooler-than-normal subsurface waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific. On average, it occurs every three to six years, but atmospheric changes, effects of industrialised nations and many other factors are gradually changing the frequency and length of La Nina.

Brunei Darussalam has received heavy rainfall in two consecutive days. According to meteorological unit at the Department of Civil Aviation, rainfall in the country was at 66.7mm and 167mm on January 19 and January 20 respectively which had caused several landslides and flash floods around the country. As a result, Brunei was stunned by this phenomenon.

Brunei Times (January 22) reported that the long-term average rainfall in the month of January in Brunei-Muara District was 277mm from 1966-2008. But it has been recorded that since 1st January 2009, the total rainfall received in the country until 20th January was 543.7mm and the amount was doubled than normal.

File:10 hm flood-area-06.jpg Sultan of Brunei is visiting an area that caused with flood

Causes

The continuous rainfall in the country was the major causes flooding in Brunei. It was recoded 66.7mm and 167mm on January 19 and January 20 respectively. It had caused the occurrence of several landslides and flash floods around the country. During that respectively day, the tides also recorded at high level which was about two to three meters. The most affected areas were along the riverbanks and in low-lying areas.

Another factor which had contributed to the flooding in January 2009 was the rapid development with improper planning, especially on the drainage system, for example around the Gadong areas.

Damages

The flooding in Brunei this year has caused damages to the infrastructures, economy and also loss of live.

Over 200 houses were damaged and about 420 house owners in the Brunei-Muara district flood victims have been reported. People living in the JKR (Jabatan Kerja Raya) and Electrical Services barracks in Jalan Gadong were suffered hundreds of thousands dollars worth of property damages and most of their belongings and vehicles.

Main power station in Gadong 1 and 2 had been submerged in water, knocking out power and phone equipment, tripping the turbine generator. As a result, there were three-day mass blackouts, leaving hundreds of people in uncertainty and homes, businesses and schools in disarray.

In Seria and Kuala Belait, several schools in the low-lying areas have to be called off classes, as continuous inundated the affected schools with flood waters. The heavy downpour had also caused the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital jetty to collapse and was found dangling at its end while the other half was submerged under water.

A 19 year old victim was drowned at Kampung Katok, Bandar Seri Begawan. She was on her way home with her father from work after midnight where she was trapped in a drain with fast flowing floodwater.

Hundred of shops have also closed temporarily due to the flooding as well as the Fishmongers’ business in Jerudong being affected by the floods.

Report from Brunei Meteorological Service

In January 26, 2009, the Brunei International Airport had recorded a total of 708.0mm of rainfall which is thrice of the long term average of 277.0mm for January in past years. On January 20, 2009, a thunderstorm and a rainfall with a measurement of 167.6mm was recorded in a single day.

The La-Nina effect is expected to occur up to February and March this year and rainfall is expected to be above normal levels, says the department. La-Nina phenomenon, a transverse effect of the El-Nino, is an important temperature fluctuation in surface waters of the tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The low level easterly winds over the Pacific Ocean were strengthened, bringing more moisture to the Western Pacific regions leads to more rain. Brunei also lies in the Western Pacific region therefore it also experienced a heavy rainfall.

Both the El-Nino and La Nina bring out irregular weather patterns and varies yearly making it quite unpredictable. Brunei had experienced a prolonged dry period during last year due to the El-Nino Effect, also known as the El-Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and now experiencing turbulent thunderstorm caused by La-Nina.

Both effects, although natural, have been associated with global warming due to its rising volatility patterns and have caused devastation across many countries.

According to the Meteorological Service, the Northeast Monsoon which the country is currently facing starts from December and ends in March. But due to abnormality in the weather pattern, the rainfall has increased in volume and extends for longer periods compared to the past.

Mitigation

His Majesty, on his Titah, during the 25th National Day, urged authorities to get to the root cause of the severe flooding and landslides, which hit the nation recently and asked them to seek solutions on how to overcome them.

The ruler said Brunei was heavily hit by the floods, landslides, disruption of electrical supply and communication system recently.

The monarch said the natural disaster is without a doubt a challenge which serves as a reminder and lesson on what measures and early preparations should be taken to reduce the effects of the disaster.

Bruneians who have suffered losses as a result of the recent catastrophic storm, floods and landslides can apply for surplus of Zakat or tithe funds that stand at over $230 million from the Islamic Religious Council of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MUIB).

233 flood-affected house owners received financial aid from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports' Community Development Department. The Department of Community Development (JAPEM) has been distributing food to flood victims through village leaders. Each recipient received a bag of rice, cooking oil, canned food and other related daily necessities.

In order to minimize the occurrence of flash flooding in Kg. Kapok, along Jalan Muara, the relevant authorities have planned to construct a proper monsoon drain.

A video of flooding in Brunei Darussalam.

(2) Mass Movement: Landslides

Introduction

A landslide (or landslip) is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments.

Although the action of gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing factors affecting the original slope stability. Typically, pre-conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the area/slope prone to failure, whereas the actual landslide often requires a trigger before being released.

The cases of 2009 landslides are not an extraordinary event that happened in Brunei but in terms of the resultant disaster effects are very uncommon. The meteorological unit said the current wet season was expected to prolong until March 2009 due to the La Nina phenomenon.

La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon similar to El Niño. During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 0.5 °C. The La-Nina phenomenon is causing the high amount of rainfall. This phenomenon only occurs once in six to seven years, but preparation is needed to start now as landslides will happen again explained by Mr. Gabriel, UBD.

According to the meteorological unit from 1966-2008, the long-term average rainfall in the month of January in Brunei-Muara District is 277mm but it has been recorded that since January 1, the total rainfall received in the country until January 20 was 543.7mm which was unusually high.

"The figure is more than double than the average rainfall for January," said a duty weather forecaster, who refused to be named, at the Meteorological Unit at the Department of Civil Aviation, adding that the phenomenon is "abnormal".Therefore, one has to be alert to the rainfall according to one's area, i.e. if the area is susceptible to heavy rainfall and the surroundings have slopes, it will be prone to landslides.

A National Disaster Management Centre update stated that a total of 16 landslides were reported where Tutong was the worst hit with nine landslides reported and Belait District reported four cases. Among the places that were severely affected were Kampung Burok and Kg Penanjong, Tutong and Lumut.

Landslides at Jalan Pasir Berakas

Causes

A number of causes have been identified which led to one of the major environmental hazard event to the sultanate. One of them is due to the night's heavy downpour and thunderstorms that brought on a sudden barrage of flash floods and landslides that left the population and the government off-guard.

According to the meteorological department, the event was caused by the 167.6mm of rainfall that drenched the nation.

Note: It coined as some of the worst to hit the Sultanate since the turn of the new millennium.

Damages

In terms of the damages, since the hazard has left the country off guard, it caused major losses to both the country and the population. One of them is the lost of two unfortunate lives on the evening of the event. The country's commercial hub was also left in darkness for days due to the disturbance at the main electrical supply, causing many businesses to close with thousands of dollars in damages. Without a doubt, there is also loss of millions in property including houses and cars, livestock and crops in all the four districts in the country.

A case also has been reported that a house collapsed due to landslides in Lumut in the Belait district. Therefore, as communication and transportation are affected by floods, homes and offices are also very fragile especially in the landslide prone area.

Due to a power outage, flash floods and landslides, many of the rural areas have been cut off due to rising flood waters and landslide at Sungai Liang, nearly cut off the main highway linking the capital with Kuala Belait, the western part of the country.

Mitigation

One of the mitigation that has been done after the incident is rescue and recovery. Rescue and recovery services were dispatched following the incident, with relief efforts spearheaded and coordinated by the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC).

Then, police, firemen and other government agencies worked tirelessly round the clock to bring Brunei back to normal. One of the examples is when His Majesty, His Royal Highness and the convoy of senior officials visited Gadong Power Stations One and Two to assess the restoration of electrical supply to affected areas.

Another example is when a press statement was released by JKR (public works department), reminding the general public to be extra cautious and remain alert. The statement further explained that the expected heavy rainfall may also cause soil erosion, the main cause of landslides; hence drivers should be on the lookout for debris or trees uprooted by the strong winds that are detrimental to road users.

Moreover, the public is advised to exercise caution especially near storm drains, Drivers and road users should also reduce speed during the heavy weather and be extra careful when driving in wet and slippery conditions. Drivers are also warned on poor visibility on the roads and should practise caution along accident-prone areas such as the Muara-Tutong Highway, Tungku Link Highway and the Hassanal Bolkiah Highway.

The National Disaster Management Centre has also set up office to assist in rescue as well as clean up operations. Their emergency numbers are the Fire and Rescue hotline which is 995.The Public Works Department (PWD) Constant monitoring operations are being conducted by both departments and forces as meteorological department predicts more heavy rains and thunderstorms in the days to come.

The fund for Brunei's flood and landslide victims passed the $1.5-million-dollar mark. This involved various associations and companies’ generous contributions to support the victims. The public fund is set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs as well as the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Lastly, further research and contribution idea by UBD lecturer, the Geo-textiles could use for construction projects to strengthen soil foundations such as hillsides and it usually placed at the tension surface of an area such as slopes, as it will strengthen the soil structure and merge with the formations, hence reducing chances of erosion, he told The Brunei Times.

A video showing the aftermath effect of a landslide in Brunei Darussalam.

(3) Forest Fires

Introduction

Forest fires are one of the greatest natural destroyers of our forests. The current environmental issue in Brunei is seasonal smoke or haze due to the forest fires. The forest fires and haze episode between January and May 1998 was considered as the worst haze episode experienced by Brunei Darussalam. The total land area burnt between February to May 1998 was estimated to be around 7,000 hectares. The forest fires and haze incident

imposed a very high price tag to the economy and resulted in considerable health impact to the people of Brunei Darussalam. Daily socio-economic activities like the following were disrupted, for example; Poor visibility had even at times led to closure of the airport, working or school hours were adjusted and shortened, and school holidays were also brought forward.

Forest fire occured at UBD, Brunei in 2009

Forest fire in Rimba, 2009

Causes

The causes for forest fires in Brunei are majority due to human factors. By natural, during this period, Brunei experiences dry and hot weather. The main cause may be the dry air because dry air has very low moisture content. When the moisture content goes down it will become dry in daily life if we take out water form anything it will dry, hard and break. When dry air interacts with dry leaves in forest because of friction it will make fire. This happens to be in Brunei forests fire 2009.

Due to hot and dry weather, fires have easily erupted and just a burning cigarette butt can cause a massive forest fire to break out. Brunei's swamps, which include the best preserved peat domes with their vast stores of carbon, are vital to absorbing and regulating water flows and avoiding floods and potential dry season issues such as saline intrusion into rivers. However, when these waterlogged peat areas are drained, they become very susceptible to fire, as well as releasing huge quantities of their stored CO2 into the atmosphere.

Natural factor is one that people cannot prevent. However, people can trigger forest fire and this worsened the situation in Brunei. The most significance of human activities is open burning. Bushfires were spotted in the housing area of Kampong Pandan in June 2009, which was triggered by open burning in the area. Dry weather and soils, means that any burning have high chances of fire in Brunei. Fishing enthusiasts have led an open burning of wastes from their jungle clearing and for drivers not to throw burning cigarette stubs out of their vehicles.

Surveillance carried out by the Department of Environment, Park and Recreation (JASTRE) since June 10 has shown that open burning activities were carried out in several locations in the country, especially during evening hours. According to the Operations Supervisor, Tuan Ranee Hj Osman, the cause of the fire was believed that the fire started due to open burning in the area.

Besides open burning, another factor that is possible to trigger forest fires is that a disposed cigarette butt. Smokers may start a forest fire by carelessly dropping lighted matches and cigarettes in a forest. This came into the importance human-made disaster.

There are; stupidity, neglecting and avarice. Realizing the worst condition of the weather in Brunei, people tend to neglect to understand the impact of disposing cigarettes butt or tend to in place with their stupidity. If studies are to be made 90% of the causes of forest fires in Brunei would be off human activities.

Fires are avoidable and preventable, but with people’s stupidity, negelecting and avarice, forests fire became common in Brunei especially during dry period. This is witnessed in the case of forests fire broke out near the University Brunei Darussalam (UBD) area on August 9th, 2009. It was supposedly that the fire should be under control that any fire were prepared to be under the fire brigade control, however, due to human activities, the it became vulnerable to hazard.

Some of the factors that have hindered the operation to put out the fire are low water pressure, strong winds, and thick smoke obscuring the firefighters’ visibility.

Effects

The effects of forest fires in 2009 luckily did not affect the people however it damages private properties as well as the environments. There were no deaths reported. Fire personnel estimated some 70 hectares of forest have been affected. Official records from the Department of Fire and Rescue Services showed that a total of 193.71 hectares of greenery had been consumed by fire between June 1 and June 14, mostly in the Brunei-Muara District. Statistics showed that the Fire and Rescue Services received 134 calls on forest fires and 52 for bush fires. Brunei-Muara District received the highest number of calls at 186 followed by Kuala Belait (30) and Tutong (12) within the two-week period.

One of the implications of the fire is haze. This in turn causes air pollution to the environment. On August 4, 2009. At 6pm yesterday afternoon, the air quality in Brunei-Muara and Temburong was moderate with PSI readings of 92 and 64 respectively. In Tutong and Kuala Belait, the air quality was unhealthy as the PSI readings exceeded 100.1 A PSI reading below 50 is good, between 50 and 100 is moderate and above 100 is considered unhealthy. On normal days, the PSI reading is below 30. Toxic will lead to health esp. Respiratory. Obscure visibility of drivers and motorists: disrupt normal activities.

The worsening haze condition on Sunday in Belait District reduced visibility and the Lumut-Seria bypass were shut for three hours. People who drive were advised to reduce their speed and switch on their headlights if smog reduces their visibility along the roads. Destroys/ damage Forests.

Destroys a large part of Brunei’s forest reserves Since early May up until June 16, the Fire and Rescue Department has attended to 287 forest fire reports and 218 bush fire reports recording almost a total of 665.38 hectares of burnt state owned lands.2 Forest areas destroyed by the blazes included the Norada industrial area, Anduki airfield, Anduki Park, Kampong Marangking and Kampong Agis-Agis. RAGING fires for the past two days burned about 40 hectares of forest in Belait District and aggravated the haze caused by forest fires in neighbouring countries. Increase risks of landslides & soil erosion during rainfall. Triggers renewal of forest fire elsewhere. Strong wind and drought fanned the fire. Peat soil Wikipedia Peat has a high carbon content and can burn under low moisture conditions. Once ignited by the presence of a heat source (e.g. a wildfire penetrating the subsurface), it smoulders. These smouldering fires can burn undetected for very long periods of time (months, years and even centuries) propagating in a creeping fashion through the underground peat layer. It may also ignite new forest fires.

Mitigation

Forest fire mitigation in Brunei: (1) Government give financial and technical support to combat forest fires and mitigate the impact of haze

(2) Government has implemented preventive and mitigation measure to control the situations, i.e. by implementing ‘Zero Burning Policy’ (3) New legislation was introduced and enforcement of legislation that prohibits open burning was intensified, strict enforcement of zero burning regulation (4) Constant surveillance on open burning (5) Effective public awareness campaign (6) Effective communication and information network (7) Coordinated and integrated fire fighting teams (8) Adequate fire fighting resource

The government even introduced policies in order to control growing forest fires for environmental concern. For example the Zero Burning Policy. Below shows the function of this policy.

Objectives: (a) Zero smoke emission – prevent activities that could produce smoke in the atmosphere.

(b) Clear view – prevent activities that could affect visibility level.

Measures taken

(a) Introduction of Presumptive Laws

- The new law is contained in the Emergency (Penal Code) Amendment Order 1998. A new section 277A provides for offences relating to open burning to be punishable with a fine of up to $100,000. Where such offence causes pollution to the atmosphere or endangers human life or property the punishment is of unlimited amount and or imprisonment for a term of up to 5 years

- The Minister may, by order publish in the gazette, declare any period beginning with such date to be the commencement date and ending with such date to be the termination of the prescribed period during which open burning is prohibited throughout the country

- An important feature of the new offence under section 277A is that the registered owner and the occupier can be made responsible for fires on their land unless they can proved otherwise

- Also, under the Emergency (Public Order Act)(Amendment) Order 1998, a new Section 29A, provides for offences relating to any person who carries or has in possession or under his control any device known as ‘Molotov Cocktail’ or any other incendiary device used to start or keep any fire, the punishment is imprisonment for life if the place is in the vicinity of a petroleum pipeline, gas pipeline, water supply pipeline, electrical supply installation

(b) Banned on Open Burning

- A public awareness campaign was also initiated (through television and radio programmes / documentary, leaflets, newspapers and exhibitions). Community leaders at village level were also informed about the ill effects of open burning and about the imposed ban on open burning. This was made to secure public support and cooperation

(c) Early Detection and Warning

- Monitoring activities through ground patrols and aerial surveillance were conducted to Detect the occurrence of new fires, Detect / apprehend violators of the ban on open burning, Locate and assess the extent of existing fires

- Aerial surveillance is conducted by the Royal Brunei Air Force at least twice daily. When the haze situation is at its height, frequent and constant surveillance on open burning is undertaken. Ground patrols complement the aerial surveillance activities. Ground patrols are conducted by the fire services, police and forest rangers.

For this purpose a Haze Information Center was established to perform amongst others the following tasks:

Provides hourly visibility and PSI readings; Receive complaints on open burning; Press and media release; Feedback from Public; Hourly information and advice to public; Promote awareness through electronic and print media; Relay report on open burning to relevant enforcement agencies; Compile report from relevant agency

(d) Quick and Effective Fire Fighting Response - Ground Fire Fighting Operation Centers codes named X-rays were established in nine locations throughout the country. An on-scene commander mans each X-ray together with a support team with the necessary resources and other logistical support. The centers operate on a 24-hour basis. The centers are responsible for executing monitoring, preventive and fire suppression activities within the area of their jurisdiction. This operation was led by the Fire Services Department with the assistance from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Force, Public Works Department, Forestry Department, Electrical Department and many others including the private sectors and volunteers.

- Fire in remote locations are mainly suppressed by using aerial fire fighting means. Aerial fire fighting operations are handled and coordinated by The Royal Brunei Air Force.

- To ensure a coordinated fire fighting operation, an effective air to ground and ground to ground communication network is essential. A ground fire fighting command center and an aerial fire fighting command center were set up for coordination and communication purposes.

A video of forest fires in Brunei Darussalam.

References

Agenda 21 - Brunei Darussalam. Retrieved on 3rd September 2010, from http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/brunei/news.htm Brunei Environment - current issues - Geography. Retrieved on 1th September 2010, from, http://www.indexmundi.com/brunei/environment_current_isues.html Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation - Negara Brunei Darussalam. Retrieved on 30th August 2010, from, http://www.env.gov.bn/news/20090809c.htm

Fires ravage 40 hectares of Belait forest | Brunei NEWS from Brunei fm. Retrieved on 30th August 2010, from, http://news.brunei.fm/2009/08/04/fires-ravage-40-hectares-05/ Forest fire impact is ‘catastrophic’ | borneopedia.com. Retrieved on 30th August 2010, from, http://borneopedia.com/?p=698

Government of Brunei, (2010). Brunei Darussalam's experiences in implementing 'Zero burning policy'. Retrieved at 8th September 2010 from http://www.env.gov.bn/link/domestic/case%20studies/brunei%20darussalams%20experiences%20in%20implementing%20zero%20burning%20ploicy.htm

Heavy rainfall effect of La Nina Phenomenon: BDMS. Retrieved on 12the October 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.bt.com.bn/

Ministers visit KB to monitor haze situation | The Brunei Times. Retrieved on 30th August 2010, from, http://bt.com.bn/en/home_news/2009/08/09/ Science Centric | News | Royal visit puts focus on Brunei peat forests. Retrieved on 31st August 2010, from, http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/article.php?q=08103166 Understanding La Nina. Retrieved on 12the October 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/understanding/la_nina What is La Nina? Retrieved on 12the October 2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/ Wetter weather caused by La Nina say Meteorologist. Retrieved on 12the October 2009 from the World Wide Web:http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Jan09/13/nite05.htm