Floods in Mailovera village is the biggest problem

By Lorretta Warren

In Mailovera village in the Gulf province, people fetch their water from dug up wells in the ground.

Mailovera is close to the sea on the delta of the Taure and Lakemu rivers. There is always plenty of water and the villagers use canoes to go to their gardens and to travel to government station at Malalaus.

However, the water in the delta is very tide as the sea also flows into the water ways. This makes the water go salty and not good for drinking. The people have to look after their water wells so that there is enough water for cooking and drinking.

One of the biggest problems in Mailovera village is the floods. When a flood comes, it washes over the land and wash the salt water from the delta into the well. The wells are filled with salt water and no clean water for drinking.

The salt water also spoils the village gardens. The times that are most dangerous are when there are King Tides. King Tides occur during full moon and wet seasons.

When there is heavy rain and King Tide occurring at the same time, there are floods in all the villages. Extra drinking water is stored in big pots or tanks until the flood has pass and the wells can be repaired. Sometimes teachers and children have to use their canoes to paddle from their house to the school. When the floods are very high, people go and live with friends and relatives in inland villages until the flood has passed. In some parts of Gulf Province, the people are nomads and move from village to village at different time of the year.