Sometimes I feel stressed when I find myself at the center of such pressing issues as marine conservation, rising sea levels, and providing incentives to grow the economy. I start thinking that I am responsible for making everything better, like I am the one who must save the planet. After all, the islands of Chuuk are losing ancient footpaths to high tides that never rose this high in the past. Our marine life is gradually disappearing, as fishing fleets from the developed world descend on our waters and decimate the fish population in order to satisfy the appetites of people living far away.
Then Freeman stops by our house to change the water filter, something he does on a weekly basis. The old one is always green and full of bacteria. Suddenly, rising sea levels take a backseat to safe drinking water. The global concerns give way to an immediate local need.
We get our water from gutters on the eaves of our roof that direct rain water into pipes that lead to a 2,000 gallon catchment tank. It is our only source of water in the house.
The island has well water, produced from a lens structure that lies beneath the surface of most all islands. Rain filters through the sand and rock and collects into a lens-shaped reservoir. As more feeds into the lens, the increased pressure causes the reservoir to expand. The water pressure pushes the salt water back, keeping the water in the lens fresh and safe for drinking. As more people draw water from the lens, the pressure decreases, and salt water is able to seep into the supply. The resulting water is brackish; it smells bad and has a rotten taste. That is happening in Chuuk, on Moen Island, and that is why we have converted to rainwater only.
However, the rain which fell in a pure state picks up some pollution as it falls - less so here than in areas with a significant population. On the roof, it drains down over dirt and debris, including feces from the lizards and geckos that are prevalent. Old leaves fall into the gutters and add more "flavor" to the water as it travels to the catchment tank. Then, the whole brew mixes in the tank, heated by the sun, and it grows a wonderful set of flora and fauna, some of which are harmful to human health. That is why the filter turns green. That is why we insist on changing it frequently. When a dry spell occurs, probably next month, we will clean out the tank and remove all the gecko shit, decomposed leaves, dirt, and other pollutants. Then, we will pray for rain to fill our tank and provide us with water to drink, bathe, and cook with.
When your water supply is so dependent on the weather, so constrained, so fragile, your perception of what is truly valuable begins to change. I want to stop shark finning; I want to find ways to allow people to live in their homes, even though they are being destroyed by tides; I want to protect the reefs; but I must be able to have safe water or those other concerns are meaningless.
Perhaps you have watched something on television about how people live in other parts of the world and thought, "How can they be so oblivious to the need to take care of our global resources?" Most people live where daily survival demands their attention, and concerns about the health of our planet are niceties that only wealthy people have time to consider. Maybe you did not realize that you are one of the wealthy.
