Islanders may move

 MANUS MP Ronnie Knight is working towards the possibility of relocating affected islanders from the Nigoherm local level government to other islands.
Knight is looking at nearby uninhabited islands that are higher than those affected by crop damage from seawater and recent onset of king tides.
In a statement, Knight said he was looking at long-term solutions like desalinators while supplying more food rations for islanders.
“The islanders fear that the impact will take months or years to recover as the local swamp taro takes up to three years to harvest, while sago takes at least 10 years,” he said.
Locals said they had never been affected this way before by strong south-westerly winds bringing seawater onto arable land.
Wells are a source of water for the people but they have been contaminated by saltwater and in addition no rain has resulted in a water shortage.
On Luf, a volcanic, mountainous island that was the only one to survive the king tide, the introduction of a foreign rat species has caused another food shortage.
The island, dubbed the food hub of Nigoherm, has lost all its crops to the foreign rat.
Knight and his team managed to capture a specimen and deliver it to the Department of Environment and Conservation for analysis.