Palau Enters Drought as El Niño Brings Prolonged Dry Conditions

By:  Eoghan Olkeriil Ngirudelsang

Koror, Palau (August 17, 2026) – Palau has officially entered a drought and remains under Stage One of the National Drought Action Plan as a strengthening El Niño is expected to bring prolonged dry conditions through early next year, officials said this week.

Maria Ngemaes, meteorologist in charge at the Palau National Weather Service Office, said the country has entered an El Niño period that is expected to significantly reduce rainfall in the coming months.

“We are in a drought!” Ngemaes said. She added that “in earlier talk shows, we discussed the warning signs and the predictions of a future drought.”

Ngemaes said Palau had recently experienced little to no rainfall. “Starting now until Feberuary next year, the occurrence of an El-Nino is at 99%. We can say that we have entered an El-Nino period and there will be no rainfall until after January next year.”

She explained that not so severe droughts generally occur in Palau every two to seven years as water levels decline, while El Niño is a seasonal ocean-atmosphere climate pattern that can produce severe drought conditions such as what we are seeing.

The National Emergency Committee met this week to review the latest forecasts from the weather service and maintained the Stage One “Water Shortage WATCH” declaration for the entire Republic.

Under Stage One, water conservation is voluntary, but residents, businesses and government agencies are urged to reduce water use, fix leaks, maintain water catchment systems and avoid non-essential activities such as car washing and pressure washing.

Although water reservoirs remain at healthy levels, officials warned that a prolonged water shortage is possible in the coming months. Climate projections from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center and other climate models indicate that El Niño conditions are likely to worsen, causing water sources across Palau to decline.

June, July and August are normally among Palau’s driest months. However, officials said the current dry season could last longer than usual, and rainfall may not be sufficient to maintain water levels in reservoirs and other water sources throughout the states.

Reservoirs remain at normal levels

Paul Tellei of the Palau Public Utilities Corporation said the country’s water reservoirs are currently in good condition but urged the public to conserve water immediately.

“While we are still in Stage 1 – the voluntarily stage, so far, all our water dams from Ngarchelong to Peleliu including Angaur are still at normal water levels,” Tellei said.

“Looking at the datas of April which we shared that we were experiencing drops of water levels so we are encouraging the public to practice water conservation measures,” he added.

Tellei encouraged residents to repair household leaks and reduce the amount of time they spend showering or running water.

Mandatory restrictions could follow

National Emergency Committee Chairman Waymine Towai said the current stage is intended to give residents and businesses time to prepare for more serious conditions.

“This is a time prepare because while we are guaranteed to experience the drought, we are not sure how long will the drought last,” Towai said.

He noted that PPUC pumps and distributes approximately 3 million to 4 million gallons of water each day for Koror and Airai.

“Palau Public Utilities Corporation (PPUC) pumps and distributes around 3 to 4 million gallons of water everyday just for Koror and Airai, we must find ways to minimize that,” Towai said.

Towai said Stage One would remain voluntary unless water levels fall to specified thresholds.

“we are now in Stage 1 which is voluntarily measure where we practice water conservation measures,” he said. “when water levels continue to drop reaching a specific threshold, then we will enter Stage 2 were water conservation measures will be mandatory and then if conditions remain, we will enter the stage of water rationing.”