You have entered the website of the Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) at the University of Guam. We are currently six faculty and five staff and our mission is to seek solutions through research, teaching and outreach programs, to issues and problems associated with the location, production, distribution and management of freshwater resources in Guam, the CNMI and the FSM.
Freshwater catchment, storage and distribution systems, along with freshwater use customs, in particular areas of Micronesia are discussed. Special attention is paid to Ulithi Atoll in the Western Caroline Islands.
The average annual rainfall on atoll islands of Micronesia is high (over 100 inches). There are also significant groundwater resources. However, sever water shortages are often experienced, especially during the dry season. Water use customs that differ from those of Western nations often account for these difficulties.
The field work was undertaken at a time of drought conditions on Ulithi, at the end of the dry season in June 1983. True freshwater shortages were apparent, but Ulithians carried out a variety of coping strategies that made the impact of the drought less severe. These included a strong sense of community spirit, with the sharing of community resources as an everyday way of life. In this way, Ulithi differed from the communities of Laura and Nama studied earlier by the same research team.
In small communities in developing countries, it is important to attempt to understand the human dynamics that govern the use of scarce resources. Similar studies must be conducted in several locations in order to begin to make generalizations. By gaining an understanding of water use customs, it is more probable that engineering solutions to water supply problems will be successful.
