India, Sept. 23 -- Climate change is making access to safe water increasingly uncertain for communities in Kiribati, where rising seas, droughts and intense rainfall are contaminating or depleting fragile freshwater sources. Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is working with local health authorities and communities to strengthen water systems and reduce associated health risks.
Rising Salinity Puts Freshwater at Risk
Kiribati consists of 33 low-lying atolls, with around 138,000 people living on narrow stretches of land only a few feet above sea level. On Abaiang Island, groundwater is increasingly affected by saltwater intrusion as sea levels rise.
In Tabontebike village, residents depend largely on shallow groundwate...