LogFAQs > #975511490

https://www.newsweek.com/who-kaleo-manuel-hawaii-official-delayed-water-release-maui-fire-1820405

West Maui Land Co. manages three of West Maui's water providers. As the fire was ravaging the island, the company said that firefighters had used what little water they had in their reservoirs and tanks, so they asked the CWRM to divert water from streams to enable them to "store as much water as possible for fire control."

But instead of approving the request, the commissionaccording to the letter sent by the company to Manuelhad asked them if the Maui Fire Department (MFD) had requested permission to dip into the reservoirs and told them to inquire with a local farmer first to check how a diversion of the water supply would affect him.
The company said "communications were spotty" and the commission's approval to divert water from the streams came too late, some five hours after their first request.

I get respecting the cultural traditions of the natives but it seems like Hawaii gave a guy a veto on the usage of water that thinks the water is sacred and has a knee jerk reaction of denying the use of water ever for things like fighting fires.