Attachments
Description of the Event
Date of event / Date when the trigger was met 2024-02-27
What happened, where and when?
The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), located just north of the Equator, encompasses 1,200 islands, islets, and atolls, covering a land area of 180 square kilometres. 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.
Over last three months, the ten atolls and Islands, home to 13,924 people, have not experienced any rainfall. Within these atolls, the conditions vary, with some islands not receiving rain for the past 3 to 6 months. The latest updates from the US Drought Monitoring Report dated 27 February 2024, indicate a deteriorating drought situation since January 2024. Specifically, the drought category for Kwajalein Atoll and Watje Atoll has escalated abnormally dry to Severe Drought. Additionally, Majuro and Jaluit have been included in abnormally dry category.
A drought monitoring map published on 27 February 2024 by US Drought Monitor can be found here (source : https://www.drought.gov/states/us-affiliated-pacific-islands), which is a follow up development starting from 5 Jan 2024 (https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?issuedby=GUM&product=DGT&site=nws&format=txt).
Following discussions between the Marshall Islands Red Cross Society (MIRCS) and community leaders on5 March 2024, it has been identified that in Utrik, one out of two Reverse Osmosis (RO) units is currently non-operational, requiring a power supply unit for restoration. Similarly, in Likiep, one unit is down due to inadequate power supply. Presently, residents are compelled to utilize shallow water wells, despite contamination concerns, as alternative water sources are lacking. Concerningly, individuals from Namo and Likiep have opted to migrate to Ebeye and Majuro respectively, primarily due to health-related reasons. MIRCS staff have reported that out of Namo's population, exceeding 500, approximately 200 individuals have relocated to Ebeye.