My Desert Island

Customary desert Island cartoon

By definition, a desert island is an uninhabited island, remote and tropical. It’s kind of like short for ‘deserted island’. But how many of you, when hearing the words desert and island had the idea of a sandy tiny island with a coconut tree or two. I’m guilty of that misconception too, probably as a result of too many cartoons.

But what if we combine the two ideas? A desert and a tropical island.

Most deserted islands lack readily available sources of freshwater, that’s why most people don’t live on them. Some islands have a whole tropical forest with plenty of rain, but unless the island is of a considerable size, all that water can’t even support a year round flowing stream.

So if you stuck on a desert island, where can you get fresh water? With Bear Grylls as mentor, I’ve learnt that you can either forage the wilds for plants that hold water, find natural rainwater collectors like rocks, leaves and puddles or invent your own rain water collection system using whatever you can find, trash included. God bless that man.

But for a long term habitation on a low lying (no mountains to build dams) desert island, well water is a good solution. Rainwater seeps into the ground and provides underground water. If that island really receives no rain, then, you’re screwed.

Tuvalu Islands facing drought

As it turns out in September 2011, the Pacific islands of Tokelau and Tuvalu declared a water emergency. These nations are basically colections of desert islands. Ostensibly, global warming has changed weather patterns to the point where there is a severe drought in those island nations. Tuvalu’s 10,000 odd populations were saved by water shipments and desalination plants from Australia and New Zealand.

But how long can these small desert islands sustain human life? With the threat of rising seas and unpredictable climate changes on the horizon, the only solution is to move out. Sorry islanders.