2011 Tuvalu drought

Main article: Tuvalu

The 2011 Tuvalu drought is a severe period of drought afflicting Tuvalu, a South Pacific island country of approximately 10,500 people, throughout the latter half of 2011.[1][2] A state of emergency was declared on September 28, 2011;[3] with rationing of available fresh-water.[4]

Parts of the country were reportedly in danger running out of natural drinking water by Tuesday, October 4, 2011.[2][5]

Contents

Background

Tuvalu experiences the effects of El Niño & La Niña that flow from changes in ocean temperatures in equatorial and central Pacific. El Niño effects increase the chances of tropical cyclones; while La Niña effects increase the chances of drought conditions in Tuvalu.[6]

Tuvalu relies primarily on rainfall for the majority of its drinking water, which is collected and stored in storage tanks.[1][7] The country normally receives between 200–400 mm (7.87–15.75 in) of rain per month during an average year.[2]

Drought

The country has been hit by a prolonged period of dry weather in 2011, which has been attributed to the La Niña that results in the cooling of the temperature surface of the sea around Tuvalu and reduced rainfall.[1][8] In October 2011, the Tuvalu Red Cross reported that the country had not received normal rainfall in six months, leading to shortages.[2] The capital, Funafuti, and several of the outer atolls have been particularly affected by the drought.[2] Nukulaelae and Nanumaga are the most seriously affected outer islands.[3]

The government declared a state of emergency on September 28, 2011,[3] due to severe water shortages in the capital atoll, Funafuti.[1] The drought conditions resulted in water being rationed on the islands of Funafuti and Nukulaelae as water reserves ran low.[9] [10] [11] Households on Funafuti and Nukulaelae are rationed to two buckets of fresh-water a day (40 litres).[12] [13] A resident of Funafuti (in a household of 5 people) is quoted as saying that it is "hard, very hard" for her household to get by on the ration of two buckets of water a day.[13]

The secretary general of Tuvalu Red Cross, Tataua Pefe, said that lack of rain had caused the contamination of remaining ground water supplies, "It's not safe for consumption...Some animals have died recently and we think it's because of subterranean water."[2]

Lack of rainfall has affected other countries and territories in the region, including American Samoa, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga.[8][14]

International aid

New Zealand began airlifting supplies and fresh water to Tuvalu on Monday, October 3, 2011.[1] A New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane landed in the country carrying two desalination units and large containers of fresh water into Funafuti.[1][8] The New Zealand government had received reports during the prior weekend that parts of Tuvalu had just a two day supply of water left, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully.[8]

Officials from various aid agencies, including the International Red Cross and the Tuvalu Red Cross, worked with the New Zealand and Tuvaluan governments to alleviate the drought and shortages.[15]

The government of Korea funded the shipment of 60,000 bottles of water from Fiji to Tuvalu.[16] The governments of Australia and New Zealand have responded to the fresh-water crisis by supplying temporary desalination plants,[17] [18] [19] and assisting in the repair of the existing desalination unit that was donated by Japan in 2006.[20]

In response to the 2011 drought, Japan funded the purchase of a 100 m³/d desalination plant and two portable 10 m³/d plants as part of its Pacific Environment Community (PEC) program.[21] [22] Aid programs of the European Union;[23] [24] and Australia also provided water tanks as part of a longer term solution for the storage of available fresh water.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Tuvalu: state of emergency declared over water shortages". The Daily Telegraph. 2011-10-03. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/tuvalu/8803267/Tuvalu-state-of-emergency-declared-over-water-shortages.html. Retrieved 2011-10-02. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f Benns, Matthew (2011-10-03). "Tuvalu 'to run out of water by Tuesday'". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/tuvalu/8804093/Tuvalu-to-run-out-of-water-by-Tuesday.html. Retrieved 2011-10-03. 
  3. ^ a b c Vula, Timoci (2011-10-06). "Serious' on Tuvalu". Fiji Times. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=182536. Retrieved 2011-10-06. 
  4. ^ Boland, Steve (13 October 2011). "Tuvalu Water Crisis: Photos from Funafuti". http://www.tuvaluislands.com/news/archives/2011/2011-10-13.html. Retrieved 14 Oct. 2011. 
  5. ^ "Pacific nation may exhaust water supply by Tuesday". CNN. 2011-10-03. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/03/pacific-nation-may-exhaust-water-supply-by-tuesday/. Retrieved 2011-10-03. 
  6. ^ "El Niño and La Niña". Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/pi-cpp/training/nms/ENSO.ppt. Retrieved 9 Oct. 2011. 
  7. ^ P A Kingston, 2004. Surveillance of Drinking Water Quality in the Pacific Islands: Situation Analysis And Needs Assessment, Country Reports. WHO, Retrieved 25 Mar. 2010
  8. ^ a b c d "Tuvalu: state of emergency declared over water shortages". Radio New Zealand. 2011-10-03. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/87248/rnzaf-delivers-water-to-tuvalu. Retrieved 2011-10-03. 
  9. ^ "Drinking water rationed in Tuvalu". Radio New Zealand. 4 October 2011. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=63524. Retrieved 14 Oct. 2011. 
  10. ^ "Water rationing continues in Tuvalu". Radio New Zealand. 10 October 2011. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/87840/water-rationing-continues-in-tuvalu. Retrieved 14 Oct. 2011. 
  11. ^ Macrae, Alistair (11 October 2011). "Tuvalu in a fight for its life". The Drum – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3497128.html. Retrieved 12 Oct. 2011. 
  12. ^ "Information Bulletin - Tuvalu Drought". International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Organisations. 14 October 2011. http://www.ifrc.org/docs/appeals/rpts11/IBTV14101102.pdf. Retrieved 7 Nov. 2011. 
  13. ^ a b Manhire, Toby (17 October 2011). "Tuvalu drought could be dry run for dealing with climate change". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/17/tuvalu-drought-climate-change. Retrieved 21 Oct. 2011. 
  14. ^ "Forecaster sees little relief for drought hit areas in Pacific". Radio New Zealand International. 2011-10-02. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=63478. Retrieved 2011-10-03. 
  15. ^ Benns, Matthew (3 Oct. 2011). "Tuvalu 'to run out of water by Tuesday'". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/tuvalu/8804093/Tuvalu-to-run-out-of-water-by-Tuesday.html. 
  16. ^ Burese, Ioane (29 Oct. 2011). "Korea joins Tuvalu aid". The Fijian Times (Suva). http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=184465. 
  17. ^ Macrae, Alistair (11 October 2011). "Tuvalu in a fight for its life". The Drum – Australian Broadcasting Corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3497128.html. Retrieved 12 Oct. 2011. 
  18. ^ "Critical water shortage in Tuvalu eases, but more rationing needed". Radio New Zealand. 11 October 2011. http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=63673. Retrieved 14 Oct. 2011. 
  19. ^ APNZ, AP (3 October 2011). "NZ helps Tuvalu with fresh water emergency". New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10756294. Retrieved 13 Oct. 2011. 
  20. ^ "Japan Provides Desalination Plant to relieve Tuvalu’s water problems". Embassy of Japan in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. 2 June 2006. http://www.fj.emb-japan.go.jp/pr_Japan_Provides_Desalination_Plant_to_relieve_Tuvalus_water_problems.html. Retrieved 1 Dec. 2011. 
  21. ^ "Japan-New Zealand Aid Cooperation in response to severe water shortage in Tuvalu". Department of Foreign Affairs of Japan. 4 November 2011. http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2011/11/1104_01.html. Retrieved 1 Dec. 2011. 
  22. ^ "Japanese fund three desalination plants for Tuvalu". The International Desalination & Water Reuse Quarterly industry website. 17 Oct. 2011. http://www.desalination.biz/news/news_story.asp?id=6170&title=Japanese+fund+three+desalination+plants+for+Tuvalu. Retrieved 1 Dec. 2011. 
  23. ^ "Tuvalu - 10th European Development Fund". Delegation of the European Union. http://www.delfji.ec.europa.eu/en/achievements/tuvalu.htm. Retrieved 24 Oct. 2011. 
  24. ^ "Tuvalu / Water, Waste and Sanitation Project (TWWSP): CRIS FED/2009/021-195, ANNEX". European Union. http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/documents/aap/2009/af_aap_2009_tuv.pdf. Retrieved 24 Oct. 2011. 
  25. ^ Richard Marle, Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs (Australia) (12 October 2011). "Climate change poses a Pacific problem". The Punch - News Limited. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/climate-change-poses-a-pacific-problem/. Retrieved 12 Oct. 2011.