The Timor-Leste floods and the future of a Nation.

A significant amount of ink has flowed in recent days about the tragic floods in Timor-Leste over the Easter Weekend.

Unfortunately, what is missing from the discussion is a serious and objective analysis of why the level of destruction has been so great, and what can be done to avoid similar catastrophes in the future. There are various reasons for this, but chief amongst them are the lack of historical knowledge and/or interest from many sectors of Timor-Leste society and the expat community. To understand the damage caused by the flooding, one must first understand the origins of Díli, why it was built in its current location, how the city grew over the years (and to where), and the consequences of all those historical choices. History and geography go a long way in explaining the consequences of certain types of natural disasters. 

A reading of Bishop Dom Carlos Ximenes Belo’s book “Díli, a cidade que n?o era” (which roughly translates to Díli, the city that wasn’t) gives us a clear picture of the origins of Díli. The city we now know started off as a small fishing village in the area that is now the Farol neighborhood of Díli, belonging to the Motael Kingdom. Due to the sheltered natural harbor, the village became a stopping point for vessels of many origins that called at the harbor to trade in sandalwood. It then naturally evolved into trading post, fortification, and finally an official “city” of the Portuguese Empire.

As the population center grew, new land was reclaimed by draining swamps that, even centuries ago, did not flow into the sea. From its early days the city was prone to flooding, and it didn’t help that it lies practically at sea level. Things didn’t change much during the Indonesian occupation, with the city increasingly expanding sideways and towards the sea (as the hills behind Díli make expansion to the south more difficult), and the new airport being built practically on the water.

And in my humble view, herein lies the problem. No matter how much people prefer to discuss the lack of urban infrastructure development since independence, notably in drainage systems, sanitation, etc., one cannot escape the simple geographical reality: Díli is a city built on swamps, at sea level, and subject to torrential rains during the rainy season. As all that flew into Díli with me on 13 December 2016 will remember, all it takes is for persistent heavy rain coupled with a high tide for the airport to flood, and passengers to be asked to take off their shoes and roll up their pants when exiting the aircraft. And looking at this week’s tragedy, all it takes is a tropical cyclone or storm with persistent heavy rain, for the rivers that flow into Díli to swell and burst their margins. The water doesn’t flow to the sea easily for many reasons, one of them being that the city is built at sea level. Instead it flows into the city, coming from two sides: the mountains, and the sea itself. And in this type of situation there is no drainage or seaside road capable of withstanding the force of the water.

The true experts will have their views (which are highly anticipated), but it seems to me that to avoid similar situations in the future, a number of courageous measures need to be taken (or at least discussed) in the area of urban planning. First, the country needs a serious national debate around planning for the future. Does it make sense to continue to build (and allow building) in Díli, on the seafront? How can we continue to allow unregulated housing to pop up next to the riverbeds all over the country, and people and companies to extract gravel as they please from the riverbeds? Second, what major engineering projects would need to be implemented to protect the city from new floods, and at what cost? Is it worth it, or should we start studying and discussing the possibility of moving the capital as the Indonesians are starting to do with Jakarta (another city built during colonial times at sea level and on drained swamps and that is slowly sinking)? Finally, how can adequate urban planning throughout the country (and not only in Díli) contribute to a more developed, harmonious, and just society? In this respect, the adoption of a national housing policy would allow for planned communities to be built with the necessary infrastructure not only to avoid or mitigate the effects of freak disasters in the future, but also to significantly improve the day to day quality of life of the population in general, and foster economic development.

Fortunately, there are many examples of fishing villages, turned trading hubs, and modern cities in the region for comparative study. The obvious example that comes to mind is Singapore, and the vision and drive of its founding fathers to transform the city since its independence should serve as inspiration to all. All that is needed to take the country forward is an open, frank, informed and democratic debate amongst all Timorese about what the Nation wants and needs for its future to be brighter. And as a starting point, the Nation can start by looking inwards and promoting the study of it's history over the centuries.

One thing is certain, as we have seen this week from the average Timorese on the street: the people of Timor-Leste are strong, brave and resilient. They built their independent Nation when the World would have preferred to forget they existed. They conquered their territorial independence when no one believed it was possible. They will, once again, overcome and rebuild!

#timorleste #easttimor #floods #naturaldisasters #courage #urbanplanning #development