Volcano

Ambae Island is home to 11,000 people, and for the second time in six months Manaro volcano on top of Mount Lombenben has started rumbling, spewing torrents of ash, gas and rocks from its crater. The debris is causing breathing and health problems, and threatening livelihoods by burying vegetable plots and crops.

The government has declared a three-month state of emergency while it works with non-governmental organisations to safely evacuate the island and secure new homes for displaced islanders who may never be able to return.

The layer of ash in William Bice's village is some 20 to 30 centimetres thick. It's smothered plant life, it's weight has collapsed some roofs, and the stream that supplies their water has turned into a thick ash-laden sludge.

"It looks like a desert," he said.

Father Bice, a local Anglican priest, said the village in the north of Ambae lived off the crops it grew, which are now dead, and its only income came from a small stash of kava, which has also been smothered.

Chief Garae made the statement today and confirmed that traditional houses have fallen due to heavy ash, water sources are contaminated and the air is no longer safe to breathe.

He said food gardens were covered with ash from the Lopenpen volcano.

The chief also confirmed that all coconut trees had been destroyed.

Chief Garae said he was speaking out because everything on the island had changed and ash continues to fall.

He said concerns had been raised with the Provincial government, the national government and other NGO's as the island is no longer safe.

The geohazards department had raised the island's alert level last week, with the volcano again belching ash and acid rain across parts of Ambae.

The islands 13,000 residents only returned at the end of last year, after the entire population was moved off island when the eruption first intensified.

The director general of Climate Change and Natural Disaster, Jesse Benjamin, said the relocation of some 1,000 households in the western and southern parts of Ambae was being considered.

The Vanuatu Geohazards Department raised the alert level for the volcano last week after increased activity at Lombenben's Manaro Voui crater.

Communities in the northwestern and southern parts of Ambae have been worst affected with reports of buildings and trees collapsing under the weight of the ash.

Water supplies have also been contaminated and food gardens smothered.

The operations manager of the National Disaster Management Office, Peter Korisa, said assessments were still be done and affected communities might be relocated.

The call came after the government had sent an official assessment team to Ambae to report on the damage that had been caused by the constant ashfall from Manaro Volcano.

The south and west of Ambae have been particularly affected by the volcanic ashfall.

MPs Alickson Vira and Jay Ngwele said it has threatened the survival of 3,000 people in the south and 6,000 people in the west of the island, as well as their animals.

The evacuations followed a volcanic eruption on the island which has covered it in ash.

The newspaper The National reported the minister responsible for National Disaster Management, Kevin Isifu, saying previous reports of the island having only 700 people was based on eligible voters in the electoral roll.

Kadovar's population was moved to neighbouring islands, but Mr Isifu said there was a plan to permanently resettle them on the mainland in East Sepik.

More than 11,000 villagers were repatriated back to their villages after the volcano stabilized and a state of emergency was lifted fortnight ago.

According to the Vanuatu Daily Post, the volcanic ash was now showering the north side of the island spoiling cabbages, taro and water as the volcanic alert dropped to level 3.

Despite the size of the ash and fear among the people, the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geo-Hazards Managing Director Esline Garaebiti said that the alert level remained the same.

Some of the evacuees who fled the Manaro volcano are now being sheltered on the two islands, while the vast majority are on the big island, Santo.

UNICEF's country representative, Andrew Parker, said supplies are still being distributed to the islands and the evacuees are doing alright.

"Students that are relocating from Ambae into Maewo are certainly being supported with personal hygiene kits, and blankets, mosquito nets, and lights and so on," he said.

The Salwai Government is likely to impose income tax after the Council of Ministers adopted a controversial report from its Revenue Review Committee.

World Bank economist Kim Edwards says it's hard to predict exactly what effect the Ambae Island crisis will have on Vanuatu's economy and the government's grand plans.

“It’s a bit difficult to tell at this stage. I know the government has its own people on the ground monitoring the effect of the evacuation and what responses might be needed,” Edwards told Pacific Beat.