The highest point on South Tarawa is only a very few meters
above sea level (
Eita, 3 metres), making the island extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. The effects of floods and associated soil salination are starting to threaten limited freshwater supplies.
Climate The climate in South Tarawa is a
Tropical rainforest climate (Koppen: Af) which is warm and humid all year round and average rainfalls are relatively high. However, rainfall is very unpredictable, varying with the
El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and South Tarawa can go for many months with almost no rain during
La Niña cycles. The hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in South Tarawa are and , respectively, which is one of the narrowest temperature ranges in the world. {{Weather box
Water South Tarawa has very limited water resources for its rapidly growing population. During the frequent droughts, the only source of water is the shallow
freshwater lens that permeates the coral rock of the atoll. The water lenses at
Bonriki and Buota have been declared as water reserves, and have a combined
sustainable yield of 1,300 m3 per day. Other previously declared water reserves have been relinquished for urbanisation or abandoned due to overpumping and pollution from human settlement. Water from the Bonriki and Buota reserves is distributed by a reticulated network to South Tarawa households. However, the poor condition of the network and the limited water supply mean that water can only be supplied to each village for around 2 hours every two days. Most schools and community buildings have no water supply at all, and many households rely on polluted groundwater due to the shortage of treated water. Because of the shortage of fresh water, sanitation systems must use saltwater for flushing. The sanitation network on South Tarawa is performing very poorly, and a major project is underway to rehabilitate the system and improve sanitation and public hygiene.
Coastal erosion The
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development (MELAD) is involved in the replanting of mangroves in selected sites to help against coastal erosion; however, much more is required to protect many of the sites eroded on South Tarawa including islets that once were protected with mangrove and iron-wood (tengea) trees. It is unclear how much of the erosion being experienced on South Tarawa is due to sea-level rise and how much is due to human activities (such as building inappropriate seawalls and mining sand and gravel from the beaches and foreshores). Coastal erosion will accelerate in future, due to
climate change related
sea level rise. Multi-story buildings are very uncommon on South Tarawa. The high population is accommodated through large household sizes, with an average of 7.3 people per household, on small land plots. Most land is owned by the original families or
kain Tarawa, although in the main centres of
Betio,
Bairiki and
Bikenibeu there are large areas of land on long-term lease to the government. Without access to family lands or government housing, many South Tarawa residents have no choice but to become squatters; disputes over land are common. South Tarawa and especially
Betio have high rates of respiratory infections, diarrhoea, and dysentery, Unsustainable development in South Tarawa is a concern to the government and to Kiribati's aid partners.
Anote Tong's administration aims to ease the problem in the country's main urban centre by encouraging people to stay and to resettle in outer islands. It has invested in facilities such as the South Kiribati Hospital to spread institutions and services out around the islands and relieve South Tarawa from overcrowding. == Economy ==