MANILA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Monday that it has disbursed an 8 million U.S. dollars grant to Kiribati to help fund drought relief efforts.
The Manila-based bank said that the persistent drought in Kiribati has exhausted rainwater supplies and made groundwater from wells unsafe to drink.
The ADB said Kiribati's water table is prone to salinization. The water supply is replenished by rainfall. When there is no rain for a long period, underground well water becomes brackish, limiting access to safe and clean water.
According to the bank, Kiribati is extremely vulnerable to natural hazards and climate change. Even when rain returns to the affected areas, food crops could take up to a year to recover, resulting in continuing food insecurity. Replenishment of groundwater and rainwater reserves will also take several months.
The ADB said the grant is provided under its Pacific Disaster Resilience Program (Phase 4), which supports the government in designing and implementing policy reforms and preparedness measures to strengthen financial, physical, and social resilience against future disasters. ■
