After the powerful volcanic eruption in the Tonga Islands, the first images reaching us via satellite photos or taken by plane are impressive. The ash linked to the eruption covers a large part of this archipelago of 170 islands, located in the heart of the Pacific east of New Caledonia and south of Wallis and Futuna. Islands located really at the other end of the world compared to metropolitan France: 12 hours of time difference.
>> Tonga: three questions about the eruption of the volcano whose shock wave was recorded as far away as France
The authorities of this country of 100,000 inhabitants, known for its rugby players, finally succeeded, on Tuesday January 18, in sending some news. The archipelago is devastated and the damage is considerable. The human toll remains relatively low for the moment with three deaths. The inhabitants, for the most part, managed to flee the coastal areas before the arrival of the tsunami. But this assessment is provisional. The capital, Nuku’alofa (meaning “homeland of love”) is covered in volcanic ash and dust.
On the main island, a lot of debris was thrown inland. Several seaside residences were destroyed. But the concern especially concerns the most isolated small islands, and those closest to the underwater volcano whose eruption caused the tsunami: the islets of Mango, Fonoi, Atata, Nomuka. Each of them has only a few tens or hundreds of inhabitants. But there is no news of the situation on the spot.
The country therefore remains inaccessible, in every sense of the word. The local telephone network has been restored, and there are now a few hours of electricity per day on the main island, but that’s it. No international communication is possible, no telephony, no Internet. The essential submarine cable for these connections was destroyed. It will take several weeks to repair it or install another, from Papua New Guinea, located more than 4,000 km to the northwest.
Nor is it possible to land by plane on the archipelago. The only airstrip remains impassable because it is covered with ash and residue. We will therefore have to wait for the arrival of relief by boat, in two to three days, boats from Australia and especially from New Zealand, to the south, Tonga’s main economic partner.
NGOs are already expressing two concerns. The first concerns access to drinking water. The probability of pollution of running water by volcanic residues is indeed very high. The second is the risk, with the end of relief, of seeing the Covid-19 pandemic spread on the archipelago. Tonga, in fact, has completely escaped the coronavirus for two years: a single and unique case, the result of an extremely strict control policy upon entry into the territory.
And then the risk is high to see this very particular volcano erupt again in the next few days. The Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai is an underwater volcano that barely emerges from the water. The contact between the salty sea water and the magma of the eruption accentuates the overheating and the magnitude of the explosions. Saturday’s tremor was spotted thousands of miles away, all around the Pacific, from Japan to South America. And the fungus that emerged during the explosion was very visible from space.