Too little, too late': Water release delayed as Maui wildfires raged across the Island

A controversial delay in releasing water raises questions about whether it was "too little, too late" to stop the spread of the burning fires on Maui.

Outlook International Desk

Updated on: 17 August 2023 3:16 pm

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Photo from Maui after fire devastation

While wildfires raged in West Maui, a state water authority allegedly delayed the release of water that landowners requested to help safeguard their property . The water standoff lasted most of the day, and the water didn't arrive until it was too late.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources' (DLNR) water resource management division and West Maui Land Co., which manages agricultural and residential subdivisions in West Maui, were involved in the dispute.
According to reports, DLNR took too long to release the water West Maui Land Co. asked for to help stop a fire from spreading. According to reports, M. Kaleo Manuel, a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner and the DLNR's deputy director for water resource management, initially refused West Maui Land Co.'s requests for additional water.
M. Kaleo Manuel asked West Maui Land to get permission from a taro farm (called a "kalo farm") that was downriver from the company's land. Manuel let out water in the end, but not before the fire had spread.
Hawaii's Governor Josh Green brought up the long history of water disputes between Native Hawaiian villages and landowners after the fires at a press meeting on Monday, August 14, 2023.
Green said at a news conference on Monday, "People need to understand, especially those from far away, that there has been a lot of conflict over water on Maui for many years." "It's important that we talk about this straight up. People have been trying to keep water from being used to put out fires. I'll let you find out about that."
In 2022, Gil Keith-Agaran and Lynne DeCoite, two senators from Maui, presented a bill to get the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) to let fresh water be used to fight fires during the fire season. The bill did not get a proper hearing, so it did not pass.
So far, M. Kaleo Manuel has not commented on his now-criticized move or the online outcry. Indeed, his office told the press on Monday, August 14, that he was too busy reacting to the state's emergency and was "unable to facilitate any inquiry at this time."