Marshall Islands Red Cross Society has deployed a team to Alinglaplap for an assessment. Photo: Marshall Islands Red Cross Society
Humanitarian organisation Red Cross has begun an operation to assist thousands of people affected by severe drought in the Marshall Islands, as lack of rainfall dries out the Micronesian region.
The group said it is providing funding of around $US220,000 to enable its Marshall Islands branch to assist 5,000 of the nearly 14,000 people affected by the drought.
"The immediate and paramount need in the affected regions is access to potable and safe water for consumption and domestic use, and ensuring adequate hygiene and sanitation," the organisation said in a statement on Tuesday.
The US Drought Monitor, dated 5 March, shows two Marshall Islands atolls in severe drought, while the capital Majuro is abnormally dry.
The allocation will fund access to clean water, including storage solutions, and relevant health education over five months in the islands and atolls of Ailinglaplap, Jabat, Jaliut, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Namu, Ujae, Utirik and Wotho, Red Cross said.
It said assessment meetings last week involving the Red Cross and community leaders revealed that some critical water-supply hardware such as reverse-osmosis equipment was malfunctioning because of power cuts, and as a result some residents were forced to rely on contaminated wells.
The Marshall Islands Red Cross Society said a team had gone to Alinglaplap for an assessment of vulnerability and capacity, addressing both the aftermath of the January 2024 inundation and the current drought situation.
Earlier this month, the US Drought Monitor said the drought situation is expanding across Micronesia.
It said several states across the area were listed as having severe drought, including Saipan in the Northern Marianas, Yap in the FSM and Kwajalein and Wotje in the Marshalls, and Guam.
On Tuesday, FSM President Wesley Simina declared a state of emergency, noting the situation is expected to worsen.
