Tonga advised to conserve water

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Tongans are advised to conserve water, as the island kingdom’s Meteorological Services warns the outlook over the next three to six months is for below average rainfall, as a result of El Niño conditions.

In a statement, Tonga Met advised stakeholders in the areas of food security, health, water resource management and tourism to remain on alert and to collect as much water as possible and to continue drought operations planning and conservation of rainwater.

Even though Tonga is in its transition period going into the November-April wet season, “It is advised to collect as much water as possible.”

Rainfall in the last three months (July – September) was below normal in the Niuas and normal elsewhere. The amount of rainfall that fell in August and September eased the drought conditions during these two past few months in Vava’u, Ha’apai and Tongatapu.

Rainfall forecast for the next three to six months continues to favour drier than normal conditions for Tonga. This pattern of three month outlook is typical of El Niño years. The islands with rainfall deficiencies are likely to intensify in the current dry season (May-October) where below normal rainfall are favoured and into the wet season (November-April).
Source:
PACNEW