A member of parliament for Arorae in Kiribati says the island has had almost no rain for two years.
The Kiribati government in June last year declared a state of disaster, after the discovery of high salinity levels in monitoring wells and very low rainfall.
Teima Onorio said the drought has been harsh to its approximately 1000 residents and they needed a lot of help.
“It’s been over a year, it’s been almost two years, there’s been scarcely any rain, the situation is quite harsh for the people, the well water which people drink, is becoming brackish.”
Onorio said the drought has caused the tops of coconut trees to fall off and vegetation to die, which was affecting people’s incomes.
She is calling on the Government to do more for the island as it deals with a harsh drought.
Onorio said she had never seen a drought like it.
“I would very much like to see Government assistance for the repair and maintenance of the desalination plant in Tamaroa (one of two villages in Arorae) because I know that water from that desalination plant has been serving the people well,” she said.
