PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 5:08 PM by Tevita

Water plan helps sinking Kiribati stay afloat

From : PACNEWS 1: Tues 03 March 2009

Water plan helps sinking Kiribati stay afloat

03 MARCH 2009 CANBERRA (Pacnews) ---- A group of Australian scientists is helping to save a tiny central Pacific island nation from a dangerous byproduct of rising sea levels.

Kiribati is slowly being swamped by salt water, shrinking the land mass and threatening the islanders' precious supply of fresh water stored in underground reservoirs.

A team of experts from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra has devised a plan to help the small nation of 100,000 secure its water supply against seawater and other contamination.

“They're living in a precarious situation in terms of their water resources,” said project leader and environmental expert Professor Ian White.

“They don't know how much they've got, and what they do have is in danger of mixing with salt water as the sea level intrudes and making people very sick.. “In that sense, it was vital to come up with a plan to help protect it and therefore the population who rely on it.”

Kiribati is made up of 33 atolls, almost all of which sit just six metres or less above sea level.

The nation, which has strong ties to Australia and uses the Australian dollar, is considered one of the most vulnerable to climate change in the world, along with Tuvalu and the Maldives.

It was one of the first countries selected by the Global Environment Facility to trial new strategies to adapt to climate change, but a recent survey showed water supply was the biggest and most pressing concern.

Prof White said investigations revealed the underground water supply was in danger of being tainted with salt water or becoming polluted as reservoir areas became more built up.

This was particularly true in urban areas with a density of 12,000 people per square kilometre, significantly more than in Sydney's Kings Cross.

“They have very limited land areas and they're all living over the fresh water reserves and because these atolls are very porous, things get in the water very quickly,” Prof White said.

“As a result, the health issues they face are among the worst in the world in terms of infant mortality to water-borne diseases.”

The new water policy, developed in partnership with Fiji and France, aims to conserve water through sustainable use and efficient management.
Climate change experts have warned that countries like Kiribati have just 50 to 100 years before they lose large areas of land to the sea and salt water renders other land useless for living and farming ….PNS (ENDS)



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DIVA-GIS	Monday, March 02, 2009 Posted 5:08 PM by Tevita Water plan helps sinking Kiribati stay afloat From : PACNEWS 1: Tues 03 March 2009 Water plan helps sinking Kiribati stay afloat 03 MARCH 2009 CANBERRA (Pacnews) ---- A group of Australian scientists is helping to save a tiny central Pacific island nation from a dangerous byproduct of rising sea levels. Kiribati is slowly being swamped by salt water, shrinking the land mass and threatening the islanders' precious supply of fresh water stored in underground reservoirs. A team of experts from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra has devised a plan to help the small nation of 100,000 secure its water supply against seawater and other contamination. “They're living in a precarious situation in terms of their water resources,” said project leader and environmental expert Professor Ian White. “They don't know how much they've got, and what they do have is in danger of mixing with salt water as the sea level intrudes and making people very sick.. “In that sense, it was vital to come up with a plan to help protect it and therefore the population who rely on it.” Kiribati is made up of 33 atolls, almost all of which sit just six metres or less above sea level. The nation, which has strong ties to Australia and uses the Australian dollar, is considered one of the most vulnerable to climate change in the world, along with Tuvalu and the Maldives. It was one of the first countries selected by the Global Environment Facility to trial new strategies to adapt to climate change, but a recent survey showed water supply was the biggest and most pressing concern. Prof White said investigations revealed the underground water supply was in danger of being tainted with salt water or becoming polluted as reservoir areas became more built up. This was particularly true in urban areas with a density of 12,000 people per square kilometre, significantly more than in Sydney's Kings Cross. “They have very limited land areas and they're all living over the fresh water reserves and because these atolls are very porous, things get in the water very quickly,” Prof White said. “As a result, the health issues they face are among the worst in the world in terms of infant mortality to water-borne diseases.” The new water policy, developed in partnership with Fiji and France, aims to conserve water through sustainable use and efficient management. Climate change experts have warned that countries like Kiribati have just 50 to 100 years before they lose large areas of land to the sea and salt water renders other land useless for living and farming ….PNS (ENDS) * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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