Leaders and representatives of communities and stakeholder groups have gathered in Funafuti to direct Tuvalu’s policy response to a range of increasingly serious water and sanitation issues.
Close to 100 people assembled for two days at the Nanutasi Fou Falekaupule on Funafuti atoll to participate in a lively but constructive debate on how to best secure Tuvalu’s water future.
In opening Tuvalu’s first Sustainable Water Forum, Minister for Public Utilities Mr Kausea Natano stressed the critical importance of water to the atoll country.
“The Forum’s theme, Water is Life – Be Responsible, acknowledges the responsibility that we all share for protecting and securing the water and sanitation needed for our children’s future” he said.
“By working together to address today’s serious water issues, we can also strengthen our resilience to natural disasters and climate change.”
The timing of Tuvalu’s Sustainable Water Forum is significant, as it coincides with the nation’s third period of unusually dry weather in as many years.
Tuvaluans rely almost exclusively on rainwater collected from the roofs of their homes and government buildings, and in this dry period families are doing all they can to conserve precious supplies. The current situation is particularly difficult on the island of Nukulaelae, where residents are struggling to cope with water rations of around 20 litres per family per day.
While government and the community look to solutions for the serious situation at hand, Forum participants looked to the work needed to secure safe drinking water and sanitation into the future. Particular advice was provided on the development of national water policy to provide a solid foundation for future action.
The Forum was jointly supported by SOPAC Division of SPC, and SPREP through their programmes for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC).
Mr Pisi Selaganiu, local Project Manager for IWRM, noted the good work that Tuvalu has also been doing on national policy and plans for climate change adaptation and the management of disaster risk.
“The water consultations are building upon and strengthening this work by building a specific policy for water that puts the principles of IWRM to practical use,” he said.
Ms Loia Molipi, Project Coordinator for PACC Tuvalu, noted that water is one of the key mechanisms through which natural disasters and climate change affect peoples’ livelihoods and wellbeing.
“In Tuvalu, effective management of water and sanitation has got to be a key part of our response to climate change,” she said.
The Pacific IWRM and PACC programmes are being implemented in 13 Pacific Island Countries with the support of the Global Environment Facility and the European Union.
Photo Caption - Drought relief efforts underway on Nukulaelae Atoll.
