A Visit to Fanning Island

Dr. Derek Chignell, University of the Nations

Editor's Note: Dr. Derek Chignell was for two decades the chairman of the Chemistry Department at Wheaton College. He, the late Dr. Howard Malmstadt and others at the University of the Nations at Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, have long been concerned about providing clean water to developing nations. A news story in this issue of The Citizen Scientist describes the development by Swiss scientists of an inexpensive water disinfection method using plastic bottles exposed to sunlight. Here Dr. Chignell describes how capturing and storing clean rain water provides a far better source of water than contaminated wells. Dr. Chignell's first contribution to The Citizen Scientist was a pair of stunning images of the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea blanketed in snow ("Snow in Hawaii," Gallery, 25 February 2005). Citizen scientists are encouraged to explore the drinking water problem and help develop simple and reliable collection, purification, storage and test methods.

As the credits roll on another episode of "Gilligan's Island," a beautiful lagoon is pictured in the background, supposedly the site for the TV series of many years ago. Actually the programs were made on a Hollywood sound stage, but the lagoon is real and is located in a Pacific island atoll called Fanning Island (Fig. 1). It is the nearest non-American landfall beyond the Hawaiian Islands, and is a required stop for any ship cruising to Hawaii that does not carry the American flag.

The Norwegian Wind is a 56,000-ton vessel belonging to Norwegian Cruise Lines. Somewhere during its Hawaiian cruise, it makes a non-stop, two-day beeline for Fanning Island, stops there for one day, and then turns around immediately and makes its way back to American waters. For a day the passengers can swim, bicycle and sun in a real island paradise.

The people of Fanning Island are gentle Micronesians speaking Gilbertese (this island chain used to be called the Gilbert and Ellice Islands). They live simple lives subsisting on fish they catch in the brilliant blue waters of the lagoon and fruit that they grow around their houses. They are well nourished and creative in the crafts they make from coconut wood, fish bones and shark's teeth.

The coming of the cruise ship around two years ago has impacted the island. Every ten days, over a thousand tourists pay their one-day visit to the island They are mainly older Americans. The cruise line has permission to host them with a lavish lunch menu, a wet bar (called The Sand Bar) and Haagen Das ice cream. Their compound is clean, well served with water, bathrooms, and a clinic in case of medical emergencies. They bring all they need, and they take home all of their trash, leaving the area spotless.

The two cultures meet on friendly terms at the Straw Market, where the islanders sell their own handcrafts, and at a couple of meeting places, where native songs and dances entertain the guests. Passengers rent bicycles from the cruise line and take expeditions out into the island communities. In these seven separate communities, however, there is a real contrast. Here there is no electricity, no telephone, no television or radio, no Internet, no traffic, no airport, no police force.

It sounds idyllic, but there is also no pure water, no widespread sewage system, no extensive medical care and no way to get help from elsewhere. The lack of pure water means widespread gastrointestinal problems and waterborne diseases. The capital of this republic (Kiribati) is Tarawa over 3,200 km (2000 miles) away, and as in most parts of life, out of sight means out of mind.

A woman who had grown up on Fanning Island lived in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii and talked to several friends about the condition of the water on the island. The University of the Nations Water for Life Initiative heard of the water needs and recognized an opportunity to put their expertise to work. Based on reports by those who had visited, and research into the climate in that part of the world, the answer to the water need was not to try and grapple with the water quality from the shallow wells on the island, most of which are heavily contaminated, including some with salty ocean water (Figs. 2-3). Instead, a new proposal was made to harvest a much purer water source, the abundant rain that falls on the island.

Rain catchment is simple to do, easy to maintain and very effective. The water is clean, and, with correct storage, can be kept clean for long periods. In late March 2005, two members of the Water for Life Initiative made an assessment trip to the island. The Norwegian Cruise Line graciously donated cabin space for the five-day trip, so Andrew West and I committed to the trip. In an eleventh hour provision, a second cabin was donated, and some of their family members were able to join them to help document the visit with video footage and digital photos.

After a nonstop, two-day trip across over 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of Pacific Ocean, they arrived early in the morning at Fanning Island, and by 9 AM were meeting with the island council, including the chief of the island. After appropriate protocol and presentations, the discussion turned to the needs of the approximately 2,500 inhabitants of the island.

The first three issues are pure water, sewage disposal and health needs. The prime health conditions are diarrhea, other gastrointestinal problems and hepatitis.
It didn't need much thought to realize that many of these problems are related, and that contaminated water is one root cause.

The council was very aware of the water problem, and ready to administer a program of rain catchment installation, with expertise and guidance given by the Water for Life team. They were willing to pay for the materials (the souvenir business has given them some resources), and to supply help as the units are constructed. They were open to the idea of training the islanders to build the units themselves once the first prototypes have been completed. A tour around the communities close to the NCL compound showed the team members that many of the shallow wells were badly contaminated with both salt and bacterial residues. Samples of water were taken so that they could be analyzed for salt content and pH on return to Hawaii.

Everyone agreed that this is a solvable problem, needing very basic materials and building expertise. The greatest challenge is getting to the island. A cruise ship is not the answer for a regular, consistent servicing of the Fanning Island communities. Andrew and I were able to get a great deal of information about ships from nearby islands, but it wasn't very encouraging. Freighters come when they come, and no-one is quite sure when that may be, certainly not more than about every three months. Both supplies and people need to get to the island on a regular basis for the initial stages of this project.

After an all-too-short time on this beautiful island, it was time to return home. Another two days of sea travel (through not so smooth seas) gave the team some time to reflect on the information they had gleaned. The next step is to summarize the information and plan for the next visit, this time to build the first three rain catchment units. This will be the beginning of a complete change of expectations on the island. Children will have a much better chance of survival beyond the age of one. Adults will have many years past their early fifties to enjoy life in this beautiful place, a circular strip of land in a vast expanse of ocean - a little piece of paradise.