SPC Geoscience Division

In mid-April Micronesian countries met for the first time in Majuro, The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), to look at ways to improve water and sanitation throughout the region.

Delegates from Palau, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, and RMI gathered to establish a Micronesian Water Committee, as a permanent working group of the Micronesian Chief Executives Summit’s (MCES).

In opening the meeting, RMI’s Acting President, Mr Ruben R. Zackhras, said that the fast pace of urbanization had led to tremendous pressure on demand for water and sanitation and that in many countries water had to go from being an abundant resource to one of scarcity. He also reminded delegates that globally water resources are in crisis.