The 2022
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
floods were a series of floods that occurred in March 2022. They primarily affected
Indigenous and
Maroon
Maroon ( US/ UK , Australia ) is a brownish crimson color that takes its name from the French word ''marron'', or chestnut. "Marron" is also one of the French translations for "brown".
According to multiple dictionaries, there are var ...
settlement areas in the eastern part of Suriname. The floods were caused by the
La Niña
La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...
weather phenomenon, which replaced the short dry season (beginning of February to beginning of April
[Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek]
Milieustatistieken
december 2018) in 2022.
Background
In the first two months of 2022, there was persistent heavy rainfall. This was unusual for Suriname, since February and March are part of the short dry season. However, due to the weather phenomenon
La Niña
La Niña (; ) is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of as part of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate pattern. The name ''La Niña'' originates from Spanish for "the girl", by an ...
, the dry season was not observed, and the rains have continued to fall.
To prevent the water level of the
Brokopondo Reservoir
The Brokopondo Reservoir, officially named Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. van Blommestein Meer, and also called the Brokopondostuwmeer, is a large reservoir in Suriname. It is named after the Surakarta-born Dutch hydrological engineer Willem ...
from rising further, the Staatsolie Power Company Suriname N.V. (SPCS) opened the outlet valves of the
Afobaka Dam
The Afobaka Dam is an embankment dam with a main gravity dam section on the Suriname River near Afobaka in Brokopondo District of Suriname. The primary purpose of the dam is to generate hydroelectric power and it supports a 180 MW power stati ...
on 28 February. The releases were carried out at intervals to prevent disruption in the villages at the lower end of the
Suriname River
The Suriname River (Dutch: ''Surinamerivier'') is 480 km long and flows through the country Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains (where it i ...
.
The
previous major flood was in 2006, which affected more than 170 villages. Displaced residents moved to areas of higher elevation, or to
French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Ronald Venetiaan
Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan (born 18 June 1936) is a former politician who served as the 6th President of Suriname.
Biography
Venetiaan was born in Paramaribo. In 1955, Venetiaan left Suriname to study mathematics and physics at the University of Lei ...
had to request help from foreign countries. A flood of such magnitude had not occurred for a century prior.
Details
Flooding onset
On 9 March 2022, the
Tapanahoni
The Tapanahony River (sometimes called Tapanahoni) is a major river in the south eastern part of Suriname, South America. The river originates in the Southern part of the Eilerts de Haan Mountains, near the border with Brazil. It joins the Marowijn ...
,
Lawa
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is the airport authority that owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) for the city of Los Angeles, California. LAWA also owns and manages aviation-related property n ...
and
Marowijne rivers began to overflow their banks. Goejaba and
Pikin Slee
Pikin Slee (also Pikienslee) is a village on the Suriname River in the resort Boven Suriname of the Sipaliwini District. It is home to about 3,000 people, and the second largest village of the Saramaka Maroons, after Aurora.
Overview
Pikin Slee h ...
were among the first villages that were affected. At the offices of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Tourism (TCT) in
Pokigron
Pokigron is a town in Suriname located on Brokopondo Reservoir. It is located in the Boven Suriname municipality (resort) in the Sipaliwini District. It has a population of approximately 400 people in 2018. Pokigron is located at the end of a pave ...
, located at the mouth of the Upper Suriname in the Brokopondo reservoir, water started to flow in. The Ministry of Regional Development and Sport (ROS) decided that day to evacuate all teachers from
Sipaliwini District
Sipaliwini is the largest district of Suriname, located in the south. Sipaliwini is the only district that does not have a regional capital, as it is directly administered by the national government in Paramaribo.
History
Sipaliwini was created i ...
back to
Paramaribo
Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...
.
[Starnieuws]
Ernstige wateroverlast binnenland; leerkrachten naar de stad
9 March 2022
On March 10, more villages were affected. Outposts of
Medische Zending
Medische Zending Primary Health Care Suriname, commonly known as Medische Zending (Dutch for "medical mission") or MZ is a Surinamese charitable organization offering primary healthcare to remote villages in the interior of Suriname.
History
The ...
became more difficult to access: the clinics in Pokigron,
Drietabbetje, Djoewee,
Poesoegroenoe and Gonini had already been flooded. The
police force
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
of Gonini was moved to
Stoelmanseiland
Stoelmanseiland (or Stoelie) is an island, and a village in the Paramacca resort of the Sipaliwini District. It is located at the confluence of the Tapanahony River with the Lawa River which forms the Marowijne River, and is also the border with ...
with the help of the
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. Landing strips and schools were also flooded.
[Waterkant]
Wateroverlast binnenland bemoeilijkt adequate medische dienstverlening
10 March 2022
By 13 March, medical posts had been lost in many places in the country. The floods had caused major economic damage.
[Starnieuws]
Brunswijk stuurt hulpgoederen naar diverse delen land
13 March 2022 All schools in the affected areas were closed.
By 15 March 2022, after nearly a week of flooding, the affected area extended from
Para District
Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Surin ...
and
Moengo
Moengo () is a town in Suriname, located in the Marowijne district, between Paramaribo and the border town Albina on the Cottica River. Moengo is also a resort (municipality) in the district of Marowijne. Moengo was the capital of Marowijne Distr ...
in the north to the
catchment basins of the Upper
Saramacca, Upper Suriname, Tapanahoni, Lawa and Marowijne in the south.
[Starnieuws]
Eerste tranche van SRD 6 miljoen voor getroffen gebieden
15 March 2022
Subsiding water levels
After 15 March, there were several dry days in a row, lowering the water level of the Upper Suriname. On the other hand, the excess water flowing downstream caused flooding in the coastal areas, partly worsened by high tides. The districts most affected were Nickerie and Saramacca in the north-west.
[Starnieuws]
Ook wateroverlast in Saramacca en Nickerie
18 March 2022
Public health
Health facilities were mostly closed in the affected areas, and an increase in
diarrhea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...
cases was initially reported. President
Chan Santokhi
Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi ( Sarnami: चान संतोखी; ; born 3 February 1959) is a Surinamese politician and former police officer who is the 9th president of Suriname, since 2020. After winning the 2020 elections, Santokhi ...
had medicines delivered within a few days to combat this. Two weeks after the floods began, Medische Zending reported no additional diarrhea cases, as opposed to 2006. According to the vice-director of medical affairs, Maureen Wijngaarde-van Dijk, residents are now better informed of the dangers of flooded latrines and temporary toilets, and know to boil water before drinking.
Response
On 15 March, the Surinamese government released a first tranche of 6 million
Surinamese dollars (equivalent to 265,000
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
) for emergency aid to the population. This would cover one week of assistance.
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
Ronnie Brunswijk
Ronnie Brunswijk (; born 7 March 1961) is a Surinamese politician, businessman, footballer, convicted drug trafficker, former rebel leader, and the current Vice President of Suriname. Brunswijk served in the early 1980s as the personal bodyguard ...
observed the situation in flooded areas on 13 March from a helicopter, and showed his video recordings in the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
.
President Chan Santokhi visited Poesoegroenoe on 20 March; he wanted to visit more villages, but had to turn back due to bad weather conditions.
The Ministry of ROS has since the early days identified the need for aid packages in the affected areas.
The National Coordination Centre for Disaster Control (NCCR) and the Surinamese
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
(SRK) monitored the situation on a daily basis.
The NCCR distributed food, water and
tarpaulins to the affected inhabitants. 1100 emergency aid packages were provided in the country through 18 March.
According to President Santokhi, flooding will be a recurring problem. He wants plans to set up higher-lying areas in a way that could provide emergency relief in the event of flooding. The Falawatra plan, introduced during the 2006 floods, was also brought back for consideration in 2022.
The
Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency
The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is an inter-regional supportive network of independent emergency units throughout the Caribbean region. Formed on September 1, 2005, as the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (C ...
(CDEMA) dispatched a two-member team on 31 May to assess flooding damage. Its partner donors had pledged to assist Suriname a week prior after a declaration from President Santokhi.
Gallery
The following
film stills
A film still (sometimes called a publicity still or a production still) is a photograph, taken on or off the set of a movie or television program during production. These photographs are also taken in formal studio settings and venues of opportun ...
are from footage taken by the Vice President's crew on 13 March 2022.
See also
*
Weather of 2022
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suriname floods
Floods
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
2022 floods in South America
Natural disasters in Suriname
Water in Suriname
March 2022 events in Suriname