Desalination Unit Arrives By Air In Tuvalu; Island Nation Running Dry After 6 Months w/o Rain

[hatrack]

Military airplanes from Australia and New Zealand are delivering a large desalination unit to the drought-stricken Pacific nation of Tuvalu, where water supplies have nearly run dry after six months without rain. The tiny island nation, which has a population of about 11,000 people, has declared a state of emergency, with officials predicting that drinking water could run out within days.

In addition to record drought conditions caused by the La Nina weather phenomenon, officials say rising seas have contaminated groundwater supplies. While New Zealand had already sent desalination equipment to the remote island nation, its foreign minister said more capacity is needed to meet the nation’s needs.

On the main island of Funafuti, where the majority of the population lives, water is already being rationed. “At present the two operating desalination plants at Funafuti are producing a combined volume of 43,000 liters a day,” said New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully. “The minimum requirement for the 5,300 residents is 79,500 liters a day.”

EDIT

http://e360.yale.edu/digest/desalination_equipment_rushed_to_drought-stricken_pacific_nation/3156/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

[FirstLight]

1. ...and yet nobody notices...

as the climate continues to change, more and more of these stories come forth. sadly it hits the small nations and peoples who have fewer resources to deal with this first... and not the nations who caused the problems in the first place :(

thanks once again for posting these notices...keeping us aware of the changes afoot...

[elleng]

2. See this:

Weather Warnings For A 'Climate Changed Planet'

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/25/138601271/weather-warnings-for-a-climate-changed-planet