AUCKLAND, March 3 (AFP) - Kiribati,
which straddles the Equator and the Dateline, has proclaimed a nationwide
state of emergency following prolonged drought, Radio Kiribati reported
Wednesday.
President Teburoro Tito appealed for
international help as most of the underground fresh water supplies dried
up.
Kiribati is almost exclusively atolls
other than the high island of Banaba with was virtually destroyed by phosphate
mining.
Radio Kiribati says because of the dry
weather, most islands have become dustbowls, making the former British