By Pacific Island Times News Staff
The drought in the Marshall Islands continues to worsen, resulting in health concerns in some atolls and forcing residents to relocate.
Over the last three months, the 10 atolls and islands, home to 13,924 people, have not experienced any rainfall, according to the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitoring Report dated Feb. 27.
"Within these atolls, the conditions vary, with some islands not receiving rain for the past three to six months," the report said.
In Kwajalein Atoll and Watje Atoll, the drought category has escalated from "abnormally dry" to "severe." Majuro and Jaluit have been included in the "abnormally dry" category.
The International Federation of Red Cross reported that one of the two reverse osmosis units in Utrik is currently non-operational, requiring a power supply unit for restoration. In Likiep, one unit is down due to an inadequate power supply.
"Presently, residents are compelled to utilize shallow water wells despite contamination concerns as alternative water sources are lacking," IFRC said. "Concerningly, individuals from Namo and Likiep have opted to migrate to Ebeye and Majuro respectively, primarily due to health-related reasons."
The IFRC said the Marshall Islands Red Cross Society has reported that 200 residents of Namo have relocated to Ebeye, cutting the atoll's population of 500 down by 40 percent.
"Like many countries in the region, RMI is increasingly facing challenges from climate change, particularly the threat of natural hazard-related disasters such as droughts," the IFRC said.
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