https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaii-water-crisis-climate-change/
'In Hawaii, one of the most important sayings is
ola i ka wai, "water is
life" — a phrase that not only sums up what it means to exist on an island, but
what it means to live, period. But now, one of the largest of the island
chain's land masses is facing a triple threat to its sole freshwater source,
and if it isn't addressed soon, one community member says, "we're in deep
trouble."
Despite being surrounded by seemingly endless ocean, freshwater on Oahu, the
third-largest of Hawaii's six major islands, is not easily accessible. The
island relies on an underground aquifer for its water supply. Replenishing that
aquifer is a decades-long natural process, as it takes a single drop of water
roughly 25 years to make it there from the sky.
And recent years have seen compounding problems: less rain, leading to
significant droughts, and repeated jet fuel leaks and PFAS chemical spills
contaminating water systems. All of this significantly limits available water
use for locals, many of whom say tourism is only worsening the situation. Just
months ago, the world's largest surfing wave pool opened up on the island —
filled with freshwater.
"They're not using it to drink or to support life, they're using it to make
money. They're commodifying it," said Healani Sonoda-Pale, who is Native
Hawaiian and a member of advocacy group O'ahu Water Protectors. "… We are on
the verge of a greater catastrophe."
"We are in a water crisis, that has to be made very clear," Wayne Tanaka,
director of Sierra Club of Hawai'i, told
CBS News, saying that if the reasons
for this crisis aren't soon addressed, "We may come to a point where we have to
decide … who gets water and who doesn't."'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
