The Amata Kabua International Airport on Majuro atoll has a 7,897-foot asphalt runway, on the road from the capital, Majuro, to Laura. It was constructed by building a causeway across several small islands. It is just wide enough for the two-lane road and the runway, the ocean on one side, the lagoon on the other. Drains on either side of the runway collect and store fresh rainwater. This runway, only six feet above the ocean, is a major source of fresh drinking water as well as of tourism and trade, and it's vital to the life of the Marshallese.
Sea walls have been built on both sides of the road to the airport and the runway itself, and are now being continued toward Laura. From time to time the ocean washes across this road and during the last decade, the island of Majuro has lost up to 20 per cent of its beachfront. Locals believe that the powerful storms and sweeping high tides are causing most of the coastal erosion. Majuro has built up sea walls to prevent further erosion, even using garbage imported from the United States. Land is scarce, however, and the walls need constant rebuilding. According to government officials, building and maintaining effective sea walls will cost more than the Marshall Islands' annual budget.
Sea walls have been built on both sides of the road to the airport and the runway itself, and are now being continued toward Laura. From time to time the ocean washes across this road and during the last decade, the island of Majuro has lost up to 20 per cent of its beachfront. Locals believe that the powerful storms and sweeping high tides are causing most of the coastal erosion. Majuro has built up sea walls to prevent further erosion, even using garbage imported from the United States. Land is scarce, however, and the walls need constant rebuilding. According to government officials, building and maintaining effective sea walls will cost more than the Marshall Islands' annual budget.
0 comments:
Post a Comment