BY KHAMA LINCOLN
GIZO BASED ISLES MEDIA FREELANCE REPORTER
WOMEN of the improvised coastline village of Nusa Baruku, in Gizo Western Solomons speaks of ongoing hardship they’re facing due to impact of Sea level rise as well as the COVID pandemic.
Chairlady of the Gilbertese Settlement, Ms Josphine Takena Atuae pointed out that, people of Nusa Baruku are adapting to the environmental impact, but then the pandemic has added on to the challenge.
“When the water comes in, we have nowhere else to go, and I wish we move to higher ground. But it depends on the province lands department which owns the land, the government have to realize the hardship we are facing right now.
“When the sea rises, we cannot go out to cook our food in the kitchen, so now we only depend on gas stove, but then using gas is very expensive nowadays because it’s not easy to earn enough money due to the Corona virus pandemic,” she said.
Ms Josphine also revealed an incident where a child drowned in the sea water.
“Just recently, on a morning, a child woke up while her mother was asleep, and walked out of the house, step into the water and drowned. There are similar incidents whereby children lost their lives in the rising sea level,” Ms Atuae revealed.
The chairlady, acknowledged their Member for Parliament for Gizo Kolombangara Hon. Lanelle Tanaganda, who help the community with reconstructing their water supply. The MP has recently visited Nusa Baruku and handed over the water supply project before Christmas last year.
However, the community continue to face the challenge due to sea level rise.
“The water supply pipes will floats as the sea flows in and when that happens, we will have problem with drinking water in the community. No water will flow in the pipes because of less pressure.
Every family in the community are affected and now due to the COVID, earning income becomes more difficult. Fishermen, find it more difficult to sell their catch with less market days and space as well as less customers.
Meanwhile other women living in the shoreline said that, while realizing they have nowhere else to go, they buy coral stones and gravels from neighbors and friends, in an effort to mitigate and adapt to ongoing environmental issue facing their home.
“We raise our ground floor so that when the tide comes in the afternoon, we will not step into the water.
“That’s what we are doing now, we raised the floor with the stones, because, where else will we go? A woman said. “We only have to build up with stones, to avoid stepping into water.”
“You can puddle a canoe around the village when the sea level rises,” she said.
