Pacific islands run out of water
Pastor Dale Morgan
Pacific islands run out of water*
From correspondents in Majuro
March 21, 2007 01:16pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse
THE Government of the Marshall Islands has sent a ship to supply
drinking water to outlying islands after declaring a state of emergency
amid prolonged drought.
Many islands in the western Pacific island nation of 60,000 people have
had little rain since January and earlier this week the former US
territory declared an emergency for six islands and appealed for
international help.
The Government's patrol vessel left the capital Majuro on Monday to
provide water tanks and a reverse osmosis water purifier to provide
clean drinking water for three outlying atolls.
The reverse osmosis purifiers will convert brackish well water - the
only available supply since earlier this month - into clean drinking water.
Another ship left Majuro for three other remote outer atolls today,
carrying water and large tanks to another three atolls, said Bob
Jericho, spokesman for President Kessai Note.
Secretary of Health Justina Langidrik said a further two reverse osmosis
purifiers would be used in Majuro, where about 30,000 people live.
The water supply in Majuro's reservoir has fallen to less than six
million gallons of water - less than a five-day supply at current levels
of use. The water supply is now turned on just two days a week.
"If we get to five million gallons, then we'll reduce water hours to one
day a week," said Majuro Water and Sewer Company manager Terry Mellan.
Fresh water supplies have dwindled since January with the El Nino
weather phenomenon causing an extended drought for a country that
depends on rain for about 95 per cent of its fresh water.
Reginald White, director of the Majuro Weather Station, said the
Marshall Islands was going through a transition from the El Nino weather
pattern to La Nina, which could mean little rain until May.
El Nino warms the ocean in the Western Pacific, causing droughts as rain
clouds evaporate, while La Nina swings the temperature the other
direction, bringing heavy rains.