"E a Ulu tafega, ae selefutia ai Vaisigano" - When the brook Ulu floods at the top, the Vaisigano river downstream will sustain the damage

The Vaisigano River empties out into the sea in the capital, Apia. Along the way, the Vaisigano River is joined by the mountain brook, Ulu, just above the village of Magiagi to the south of Apia. The latter is usually dry, but after heavy rains, it turns into a raging torrent and its waters often damage the banks of the Vaisigano floodplain downstream.

 

It’s a threat that has always existed, but has been made extremely difficult to cope with in the present day due to the impacts of climate change. With this, this river has been the focus of the Green Climate Fund’s first ever project in Samoa — the Vaisigano Catchment Project. The river is at the heart of this project to strengthen the country’s adaptive capacity and reduce exposure to climate risks faced by vulnerable communities and infrastructure in the Vaisigano River catchment.