El Niño causes water rationing in parts of west Pacific
HAGÅTÑA, Guam — Extreme drought in parts of the western Pacific has led to water rationing, emergency bottled water shipments and health concerns, according to a U.S. government report.
Public health concerns about islanders drinking dirty water have been raised because wells on some of remote islands in the Micronesia region are drying up, according to the National Weather Service’s recent drought situation report.
Ecotourism jobs and destinations, including globally known Jellyfish Lake and Rock Islands in Palau, may be at risk if the drought persists, according to people familiar with the issue.
Diminishing freshwater in Jellyfish Lake is an example of the effect of Palau’s ongoing drought, which is the most severe in the almost 80 years of the island nation’s recorded history, Mark Lander, a meteorologist with the Pacific El Niño Southern Oscillation Applications Climate Center, said Wednesday. Lander also mentioned the Jellyfish Lake problem at a regional water conference earlier this week in Guam.
El Niño was a bust for Colorado River Basin
El Niño caused the drought, according to the center.
Guam and the Northern Marianas also are experiencing below-normal rainfall levels, but the situation in Guam hasn’t risen to a level that called for emergency or disaster declarations — unlike what has occurred in Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands.
Davis Tevid, president of the Palau Community Association of Guam, has been readying 300 cases of bottled water for shipment to drought-stricken Palau. The water, set to sail April 22, follows a previous shipment of more than 1,000 cases.
El Niño falls short leaving California in drought
"The support from the Guam community has been tremendous," said Tevid, who has been soliciting donations for the effort.
In an April 1 drought situation report, the weather service warned that water production in southern villages on Guam “will become increasingly difficult.” Southern Guam villages are dependent on surface water, including the Fena Reservoir and Ugum River.
More of Guam’s water supply will be salty if the drought persists, according to the U.S. Geological Survey study.
Government officials in the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia already have declared states of disaster or emergency, according to a weather service drought report. Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are U.S. territories; the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau are independent but rely on the U.S. for security and other issues.
Follow Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno on Twitter: @Guamjournalist