Saibai Islanders resort to prayer as sea rises around them
By Ben Cubby EARLIER this year, when their village was knee deep in water following another king tide, the Saibai Islanders turned to prayer to turn back the waters. It appeared to work, in that the tide eventually retreated, but the residents of Saibai – a low-lying Australian island just south of Papua New Guinea – know that there is likely to be no respite from gradually rising sea levels. ”About half the people, maybe, would be willing to leave, but half want to stay here even when the sea keeps coming up, because their connection to the land is very personal,” said Justina Warusam, a spokeswoman for the island authorities. … The possibility of permanent evacuations is sensitive, because the relationship with specific islands and reefs is intrinsic to their culture. People refer to coral reefs as their ”supermarkets”, an elder of Iamo Island, Walter Mackie, said in a plea to the parliamentary committee. ”That is where our lifestyle evolved. This is our world I am looking at. Relocation is the last avenue for us.” … The Torres Strait is seen as especially vulnerable to rising seas and storm surges because houses and infrastructure are often only metres inland.
