The President of the Republic of Marshal Islands (RMI), Her Excellency Hilda C. Heine, has declared a State of Emergency due to the persisting drought conditions brought on by the current El Niño. The prevailing El Niño is one of the strongest on record and the lack of sufficient rainfall on the atoll islands of RMI has caused widespread drought conditions. Seasonal climate prediction for the first quarter of 2016 still indicates that the rainfall across RMI will be below 50% average.
“We have been monitoring the situation since last year when the El Niño was announced as this usually tends to lead to decreased rainfall for RMI" said the director of the RMI National Weather Service, Mr. Reginald White.
This will exacerbate the current shortage of water, and cause further damage of farms and crops, stress to terrestrial and marine plants and animals and potential health issues.
The atoll islands have requested the National Government to address the water shortage challenges associated with the drought. All Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies are working in union to plan and coordinate their efforts through the National Disaster Committee to ensure timely execution of the relief efforts to effectively mitigate the hardship and suffering upon affected communities.
For more information contact Sunny Seuseu at [email protected]