In the Pacific, too many communities continue to lack access to safe and resilient drinking water.
Data shows 45% of people across the region do not have access to basic drinking water facilities (JMP report) and research shows the impact of climate change will further exacerbate some of the challenges communities face in accessing water for drinking and household needs.
Traditionally, many communities in the Pacific have relied on groundwater – a fresh water source created by rainfall seeping underground and accumulating in the small spaces that exist between particles of sand, soil and rock. These underground water sources, accessed via wells and springs, have sustained communities for generations, even during periods of low rainfall. Over time, many communities have complimented their groundwater with other sources of fresh water, such as tanks to capture and store rainwater collected from roofs.
However, communities across the Pacific now face new challenges in maintaining access to safe drinking water. The impacts of population growth and movement, disasters, and climate change place additional pressure on drinking water systems and can harm fragile water sources that communities rely upon for their daily needs.
Extreme events such as cyclones, storm surges, and wave inundation can cause significant damage to essential water infrastructure such as the guttering, pipes, pumps, and tanks needed for communities to access drinking water. Longer dry periods and droughts also mean communities relying on rainwater, rivers or streams may find it harder to manage their water resources into the future.
The Pacific Community has been working alongside Pacific countries and territories for many years to better understand, manage, and access reliable groundwater sources for communities.
Discover some actions implemented by the Pacific Community to support its member countries and territories.
Groundwater for resilience in Fiji
Recently in Yaro Village, in a remote part of Fiji’s Northern Division, our SPC team worked alongside Fiji’s Mineral Resources Department to locate and install a groundwater system for the community.
The partnership led to the location of two sites using geophysics to locate groundwater sources. These sites were then drilled, and a groundwater system was installed to pump fresh, safe and resilient drinking water straight into the community for the first time.
Ultimately, the impact that access to water has on the lives and livelihoods of communities is immense.
“It has made my life easier. My kids are still small so none of them can carry water for me. The eldest is seven years, the second is five years and the youngest is three years old so I must do it on my own and now I have a tap outside my house. Life is so much easier”. Silvia Ditalei, a 29-year-old mother of three kids from Yaro Village who benefited from the access to water installed by SPC in partnership with Fiji’s Mineral Resources Department.
To learn more about the importance and work in understanding groundwater resources in the Pacific please visit this page.
Improving knowledge of underground water resources in New Caledonia
Did you know that 12% of the population does not have access to safe drinking water in the northwest of New Caledonia? Water resources are diminishing due to frequent drought, damage to watersheds, and waste. So, every month, tankers have to deliver water to many areas. To address this issue, as part of the PROTEGE project, the Government of New Caledonia and SPC are conducting, for the first time in the Pacific, an airborne geophysical survey to identify groundwater resources.
Indeed, greater knowledge of the subsurface environment can help locate alternative resources to be tapped. 670 linear kilometers of data were collected by helicopter, using the airborne geophysical survey method to identify water resources in Poum, New Caledonia. The low-frequency electromagnetic waves produced by the antenna do not pose any risk to the population and wildlife. (The waves produced are more than a million times less than those of a mobile phone worn at the user's ear).
Reducing the vulnerability of people and property to flooding in New Caledonia
To protect New Caledonia's population from climatic hazards, signs indicating flood zones and flood scales have been installed along the Route territoriale 1. The device is graduated every 20 cm and is around 2 m high, making it easy to see flood levels on the road from up to 150 metres away, without putting yourself in danger.
Ensuring the safety of Pacific citizens and the protection of their living environments is a priority. Through the implementation of the PROTEGE project, SPC is supporting this disaster prevention activity.
This story is part of a series dedicated to featuring the value that the region derives from the work carried out by SPC.
This work aligns to SPC’s Strategic Plan (2022-2031) through its Key Focus Areas of Resilience and Climate Action (KFA1). The development of our strategic direction, the areas of our specific workstreams, and the impact this work ultimately has for the prosperity of our Blue Pacific was co-developed and is co-led by SPC alongside our Pacific Country and Territory Members and communities.
SPC is your organisation and we serve you as our Members as a regional public good to support a more resilient region in the face of the climate crisis.
The work portrayed above extends to many of our Pacific Island countries and territory members and is implemented in partnership with the European Union (EU) as part of the PROTEGE Project, and with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), which is the key supporter for water security in the atolls.