Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Aid agency sounds alarm over Pacific islands' drought

Space Daily: Aid agency the International Organization for Migration sounded the alarm Tuesday over a drought in the Marshall Islands, one of the world's remotest ocean communities, warning that thousands of people were at risk.

"Officials have found some families living on a gallon, or 3.8 litres, of water per day -- barely half of the international standard for emergency water requirements, and often the precursor to serious health conditions," IOM spokesman Jumbe Omari Jumbe told reporters.

Lying in the northern Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia, the republic formed by more than 1,000 islands has faced unusually low rainfall since February.

The crisis has led the government to declare a state of emergency in the northern atolls which are home to around 3,200 of the Marshall Islands' 52,558 people. "Food security is a major concern, as crops, plants and trees have been damaged," Jumbe said....

NASA image of Kili Island, in the Marshall Islands

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