WHILE Tuvaluans are among the most resilient people on earth, it is clear however, that communities can do much more to improve their preparedness for dry times.
And as Tuvalu enters its second week of the drought-induced national emergency, important lessons are emerging on the nature of climate change impacts in the Pacific and how island communities can prepare climate defences.
SOPAC water management adviser Dave Hebblethwaite made this statement after returning from the island nation where he joined a government-led team to assess the impacts of the drought on the heavily impacted island of Nukulaelae.
"The first thing you notice when you arrive on Nukulaelae is just how dry it is," Mr Hebblethwaite said.
"The undergrowth crackles underfoot, and salt is crusting on the ground where crops such as pulaka (swamp taro) used to grow," he said.
Mr Hebblethwaite said steps to conserve and protect water were already in progress in Funafuti, where Tuvalu was leading the region in water conservation initiatives.
He said those included the installation of new rainwater tanks and community cisterns, and the construction of composting toilets that reduce both water use and groundwater pollution.
"The toilets reduce household water use by about 30 per cent and are also providing a valuable source of safe organic soil conditioner for gardens in a country with virtually no soil," Mr Hebblethwaite said.
"Tuvalu is leading the Pacific with this home-grown technology, and countries such as Nauru, Tonga and the Marshall Islands have requested help from Tuvalu to develop similar composting technology," he said.
Disaster management adviser with Secretariat of the Pacific Communities' (SPC) Applied Geoscience and Technology Division, Noa Tokavou said as difficult as the drought in Tuvalu, some good could come from the experience.
Mr Tokavou who had also just returned from the drought-stricken nation said the dry conditions highlighted areas in which Tuvalu remained vulnerable to drought, and where more work could be done to address it.
"Tuvaluans are realising that building their resilience to current extreme conditions can be a key part of their defence against future disasters and climate change," he said.
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