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October – December 2011
6
SOPAC Division collaborates with
WHO in Support of Groundwater
Analysis in the Republic of Marshall
Islands
Uncontrolled and unmanaged land-based
activities are known to have impacts on the
groundwater quality resulting in contamination.
In the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI),
possible contamination sources to the
groundwater lenses on Majuro include leaking
septic tanks, piggeries, cemeteries, agricultural
farms (fertilisers and pesticides) and solid waste.
There is also concern that the water collected
off the airport runway may be potentially
contaminated with aviation fuel.
An emerging concern expressed by the
RMI population during the National Water
Summit (March 2011) was on the status of the
groundwater health in relation to contamination
from the use of pesticides, embalming chemicals
and heavy metals.
Republic of the Marshall Islands Environmental
Protection Authority (RMI EPA) routinely monitors
the quality of Majuro groundwater for faecal and
nitrate contamination. Also through contractual
service provided by Japan International Research
Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS),
Laura groundwater boreholes and some private
wells are monitored for water levels, electrical
conductivity, nitrate-nitrogen, chemical oxygen
demand (COD), calcium, chloride, pH acidity
and turbidity. The RMI EPA drinking water
quality monitoring programme outlines critical
parameters to analyse within the available
resources (capacity and funding) and from a
drinking water safety planning aspect. Since the
analysis of pesticides and heavy metals is very
complex and requires expensive instrumentation,
the testing for these have been suggested to be
done off-shore at 3–5 year intervals, considering
the risk.
Upon request by RMI EPA and as part of their
regional mandate, the SOPAC Division of SPC
and WHO supported the groundwater quality
analysis in Majuro through sampling and testing
of the source waters for the Majuro Water and
Sewage Company (MWSC) supply and selected
monitoring bores in Laura, in light of the issues
mentioned above.
The results provided useful information in
determining the natural composition of theMajuro
groundwater, especially Laura and Delap, for
chemical constituents such as chloride, calcium,
iron, magnesium, phosphates and sodium.
Image of Majuro Atoll, with Laura and Delap areas highlighted.