(ANSA) – ROME, JANUARY 25 – FAO says it is strongly concerned about the impact on agriculture of the ash layer that covered crops after the eruption of the volcano in Tonga and the damage caused by the tsunami to fishing. “The stakes could not be higher for the farmers and fishermen of this South Pacific island nation,” the FAO said.
Initial estimates indicate that about 12,000 families, 85 percent of the total number of people living off agriculture, have been affected by this disaster, FAO Pacific Island Coordinator Xiangjun Yao said.
In fact, fallen ash can have serious effects on crops and livestock, depending on the thickness of the dust layer and the intensity of subsequent rainfall and the availability of non-contaminated feed and water. The flood of salt water following the tsunami also affected agricultural land, and the possibility of acid rain is a further concern. Preliminary FAO estimates indicate that 60 to 70 percent of households that raise livestock, especially pigs and poultry, have had the animals affected in some way by the volcano’s eruption. The expected impact on fisheries is also a cause for concern. Damage to the ramps and boats is already evident, and many of the coastal reefs and lagoons that fisheries in the region insist on have been damaged or polluted by ash and debris, as well as tsunami debris.
Even before this latest eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano, FAO points out that about 23 percent of Tonga’s population was affected by moderate to severe food insecurity. The country is one of the 14 Small Pacific Island States. in fact, among the most subject to disasters in the world, including cyclones, droughts (including El Niño) and volcanic eruptions. (HANDLE).
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Source From: Ansa
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