New phase of disaster resilience program to strengthen community safety in PNG

Australia has extended its Technical Disaster Risk Reduction Program by a further three years to support the Government of Papua New Guinea to monitor, detect and respond to natural hazards and keep communities safe.

Geoscience Australia will deliver the next phase of the program, which has received $2.96 million in additional funding.

Geoscience Australia Director of Natural Hazards and Impacts, Dylan Kendall, said it will include new partnerships with Papua New Guinea’s provincial governments and universities, and a broader scope.

“While earthquakes have been the program’s primary focus, it will now include a wider range of natural hazards, including volcanoes,” Mr Kendall said.

“Being able to provide the community with improved, advanced warnings of volcanic eruptions is one of our primary goals”.

New sensors will be installed at 29 volcano monitoring stations. The recordings will be used as the basis for community awareness activities.

The community-based earthquake monitoring network will also be expanded and upgraded.

Papua New Guinea is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. It has 42 active volcanoes with a high risk of eruption.

Geoscience Australia has been providing Papua New Guinea with disaster resilience support since 1995, following the devastating volcano eruption that largely destroyed Rabaul.

Visit Geoscience Australia’s Community Safety website to learn more about natural hazard management and response projects.