Mission to relieve drying islands
A DROUGHT-STRICKEN Pacific island nation is down to its last few days of water, prompting a relief operation by New Zealand and Australia with water-making equipment.
Tuvalu, the world's fourth-smallest nation sitting just below the equator, has declared a state of emergency and is rationing water.
Tuvalu has a collective land mass of just 25 square kilometers with its highest point five meters above sea level. It is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels.
Air force planes from New Zealand and Australia were combining yesterday to transport a desalination plant to Tuvalu, a group of small islands about 3,200km northeast of New Zealand.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said: "The large army desalination equipment will help ease the critical shortage and should provide a sufficient buffer if the dry period continues."
Residents in the capital, Funafuti, have been rationed to two buckets of fresh water a day. The country has a population of fewer than 11,000 on nine low lying atolls.
Emergency water supplies have also been shipped to the Tokelau island group, where 1,300 people are down to a few days water because of drought.
Rain in the region has been well below average for the past six months.
Tuvalu, the world's fourth-smallest nation sitting just below the equator, has declared a state of emergency and is rationing water.
Tuvalu has a collective land mass of just 25 square kilometers with its highest point five meters above sea level. It is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels.
Air force planes from New Zealand and Australia were combining yesterday to transport a desalination plant to Tuvalu, a group of small islands about 3,200km northeast of New Zealand.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said: "The large army desalination equipment will help ease the critical shortage and should provide a sufficient buffer if the dry period continues."
Residents in the capital, Funafuti, have been rationed to two buckets of fresh water a day. The country has a population of fewer than 11,000 on nine low lying atolls.
Emergency water supplies have also been shipped to the Tokelau island group, where 1,300 people are down to a few days water because of drought.
Rain in the region has been well below average for the past six months.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.