YAREN, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- In the island nation of Nauru, despite being surrounded by the blue Pacific Ocean, access to fresh water for daily life is a persistent challenge for local residents.
Traditionally, the islanders rely on rainwater collection to meet their water needs. In recent years, global climate change has led to irregular rainfall and rising sea levels, posing more severe challenges for the island's over 10,000 residents.
In Nauru, Liu Xiaowa operates a Chinese restaurant where water is costly. In backyard, there are four huge storage tanks capable of storing 23 cubic meters of water. The tanks are connected to a rainwater collection system on the roof, allowing rainwater to flow through pipes into the tanks on rainy days.
Liu told Xinhua that since last year, rainfall has been scarce. With limited rainwater collection, the restaurant had to purchase water from the island's only desalination plant.
She said that for commercial use, eight cubic meters of water costs nearly 360 Australian dollars (236.6 U.S. dollars), just for three or four days for the restaurant.
For non-commercial use, around six dollars per cubic meter is still high for local residents.
Slim, who works for the desalination plant, Reverse Osmosis Plant, told Xinhua that his monthly water bill accounts for one-tenth of his income.
He has installed a four-cubic-meter tank at home to collect rainwater and store purchased water. Due to high prices, water in the tank is only for drinking, and for washing and bathing, groundwater is pumped.
He said the plant has grappled with limited production and transportation capacity, pointing to private vehicles being rented to deliver water to residents.
Likewise, other Pacific island nations face water supply shortages, worsened by climate change.
Data from the Asia Foundation showed that only about 55 percent of people in Pacific island nations have access to basic drinking water, and climate change is severely affecting the region's limited freshwater resources.
According to a joint study by the governments of Nauru and Australia, since 1950, Nauru's average temperature has been increasing by about 0.15 to 0.25 degrees Celsius per decade, with the surrounding sea surface temperature showing a similar trend. Since 1993, the sea level near Nauru has been rising by approximately five millimeters per year, higher than the global average.
Satyendra Prasad, Fiji's permanent representative to the United Nations, has stated that Pacific island nations are experiencing some of the worst impacts of climate change, with rising sea levels endangering freshwater supplies on some islands, forcing local residents to transport drinking water from other islands.
During a Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting held in November last year, leaders of island nations called for immediate global actions to collectively address challenges posed by climate change.
Keshmeer Makun, a lecturer at the University of the South Pacific based in the Fijian capital Suva, believed that China is a key partner for Pacific island nations in addressing climate change.
The two sides should work together to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, a roadmap for sustainable development in the Pacific region, Makun said.
"The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and green development of the BRI are win-win cooperation for both China and the Pacific. In fact, they are making a strong commitment to sustainability and demonstrating their social responsibility for the developing world," the expert said.
China has attached great importance to concerns of Pacific island nations regarding climate change, including establishing a China-Pacific island countries climate change cooperation center, hosting training classes on addressing climate change and green development for Pacific island nations, and providing aid to the nations.
Joanna Olsson, director of government information office of Nauru, looked forward to seeing strengthened cooperation with China in tackling climate change.
She hoped that China could introduce innovative and green technologies and promote the implementation of "small but beautiful" projects to help Nauru overcome its water challenges. ■
