Palau has been placed under Stage 1 of the Drought Action Plan by the National Emergency Committee (NEC). It has a 50% chance of experiencing drought, according to a public advisory issued by the NEC through National Emergency Management Office.
The National Weather Service (NWS) also has Palau on “El Nino Watch,” a weather cycle that can bring “extremely dry conditions (drought) and very little, scattered rainfall.”
According to NEC, Stage 1 of Drought Action Plan means that “water levels have fallen to 85% capacity,” and NWS has placed Palau on El Nino Watch.
“El Nino Watch means that the weather conditions are favorable for the development of an El Nino and a chance for its occurrence is relatively higher than usual (50% or more),” states the public advisory issued this week.
Under Stage 1, the public is urged to practice water conservation, minimize water use and repair leaks in government, residences, and businesses.
“The water level did drop at Ngerimel, but we are still doing well because of the water improvement in 2018 that created the different distribution zones and water tanks. We are not getting our water from one tank,” explained David Dengokl, PPUC’s Water Operations Manager. He said that people need to start conserving water with ongoing dry conditions.
NEC reminds people to keep abreast of public notices and announcements to be informed of the expected conditions.