The effects of climate change caused by global warming are now a concern for people   throughout the world and the Ahus Islanders in the Manus Province are no exception.

These islanders‘s traditional daily livelihood that they have been living for some hundreds of   years is now been threatened as the sea level began to rise to wash away the beach front making their island smaller. And last December’s king tide that affected coastal people in the East Sepik and New Ireland Provinces had also affected them as well.

The king tide that swept their island for two weeks was also the last straw for them to make up their mind to leave the island now before it is too late.

It is a small tropical vegetation island which it takes about 30minutes to walk around it. so When the king tide hit the island it swept over and covered the land with a dept of  about 50 cm .All the houses build on the sand had sea covering the floor . It also contaminated their water wells.

The king tide swept in to the area facing the north towards Guam as there is an open sea between the island and Guam and swept forth throughout the island. People living on the northern side were the worst affected. 

The king tide changed the landscape of the island where it swept the sand from the northern side and brought it to the southern side (facing the Manus mainland) covering the stone edge where it had hidden the rough edge of the stone and also filling the gaps making it now for any one to sit on the sand banks between the stones.

It also destroyed the breeding grounds of the rich and abundance f marine lives that the islanders feed on, sell for money to buy basic household, things or school and medical fees or trade through barter system with the mainland people for garden food.

They originally were from Marupi on the main land about 3kms away from the island. But several hundreds of years ago and   just like people all over the world moving   to rich fertile places for agricultural purposes, or to places abundant with wild live and marine stocks to hunt and fish, they too have move to Ahus to stay close to the rich marine live.  However they are now making preparation TO GO BACK TO their traditional land.

“We want to stay but our fishing ground has be spoiled by the king tide, Councillor John Ponrehin said. “The tide spoiled and destroyed the breeding ground of the marine lives that we live on for generations.  It had destroyed the hole   in the reef where the marine live breed and we are now experiencing shortage of the fish. We have reefs which are restricted to be fished from .These reefs are only been fished when we have special occasions like feast. Also there are some breeding fish that we do not catch. But now due to the fish, people are going and fishing on restricted site or catching breeding fish. And we could not stop them. Because if we stop them they will not have food or money.”

Mr Ponrehin said:  “We now have A committee in place to facilitate the repatriation” of about 1000 people. “We will have no problem going back to our land. All we need is Government support for transportation. We have gone back and seen our land and it has not been inhabited by other people that are leaving nearby. After all the people there are aware of it. The Provincial and the Local Level Government are aware of it and are fully supportive   of our relocation exercise.”

“The effects of Climate change are affecting us. We have make moves to adapt to change when resettling. It is hard in Manus to resettling. But for us is easy. The resettling program is good but we are holding back due to commitment. Before some of us do not want to move. The y had live on the island and they think that they will not move. But now they realise that they have to move if they want to survive.”

Although the Islanders are preparing to leave, it is not going down well with the older people.

“Ol yanpla i hamamas olsem ol bai go lo arapela hap”, John Pondrons (in his 70s) said. Tasol mi bilim hevi lo go. Mi kamap na mi lukim ol tumbuna blo mi. Mi save tingim ol tumbuna blo mi taim mi stap hia .Na sapos mi go mi no save women samting bai kamap lo ol tumbuna na Island blo mi.”

(The young people are happy to move but for me I’m worried to leave. I was born here and I grew up with my parents, grandparents and great grandparents. And if I go their memories will fade away which I do not want. I also do not know what will happen to my Island).

Such are  the problems that the effects of the climate change is having on the people’s lives  that the National Executive Council  has establish The  office of climate change and environment sustainability (OCC&ES). The OCC&ES is now addressing the effects of climate change through its Adaptation, Mitigation, Finance and Technology programs.|