ADB, Tuvalu Sign a Grant Agreement to Improve Water and Sanitation Services in Funafuti

FUNAFUTI, TUVALU (19 November 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Tuvalu have signed today a grant agreement amounting to $16.53 million to support the improvement of water supply and sanitation management in Funafuti.

Minister of Finance Panapasi Nelesone and ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office Regional Director Aaron Batten signed the agreement at an event at the ADB Tuvalu Pacific Country Office in Funafuti.

The Funafuti Water Supply and Sanitation Project is funded by a $7.34 million grant from the Asian Development Fund, which provides grants to ADB’s poorest and most vulnerable developing member countries. The Global Environment Facility’s Least Developed Countries Fund is providing a $4.59 million grant, the Government of New Zealand is contributing $4.3 million, and the Government of Tuvalu is providing $300,000 in counterpart financing.

“The project will enhance the well-being and quality of life for the residents of Funafuti atoll by providing improved drinking water supply and sanitation services and help build the resilience of Funafuti residents to the projected impacts of climate change,” said Mr. Batten. “Through the project, Tuvalu for the first time will construct a reticulated water supply network, which will benefit more than half of the country’s population.”

Funafuti faces many urban challenges, particularly inadequate water supply and sanitation services, and an increasingly high rate of communicable diseases. Since it is an atoll, the only naturally available water resources are rainwater and limited groundwater.

The project’s new water supply network will improve households’ access to desalinated water, build resilience to droughts and relieve the burden of households to meet their basic water supply needs. Sanitation and waste treatment facilities and services will also be improved. This will include upgraded facilities in schools and health centers as well as a sewage treatment plan that will improve marine ecosystem health, contribute to community well-being, and create opportunities for the use of the biosolids in local agriculture projects to encourage a more circular economy.

The project will build institutional capacity for and public awareness of climate resilient and inclusive water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems through the continuation of a public awareness and community outreach campaign that began in 2023.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.

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