(New York Post) Access to water should be predicated on “conversations about equity,” according to the Hawaii official under fire for delaying access to water during the Maui wildfires.
M. Kaleo Manuel, former deputy director of the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management, waited for more than five hours to release water during the wildfires that devastated Maui, according to reports.
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In a livestream debate hosted by the University of Hawaii last year, Manuel described water as a sacred god.
“Let water connect us and not divide us,” said Manuel, referring to water distribution on the island. “We can share it, but it requires true conversations about equity…How do we coexist with the resources we have?”
A former Obama Foundation leader — part of a program by the former President’s non-profit to help participants with coaching and “practical skill building for social change” — Manuel said he considered water an important tool for social justice.
A government official waited more than five hours before releasing waters to firefighters battling the Maui blaze last weekNew York Post
At least 111 people died in the wildfires that ravaged Lahaina in Maui last week.
