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Water and Sanitation Programme

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A long-term programme of capacity building, advocacy and awareness in sustainable water management for Pacific Island Countries.

SOPAC, the regional agency mandated to coordinate water and sanitation in the Pacific, provides support to its member countries through three components: Water Resources Management; Water and Sanitation Services; and Water Governance.

Pacific Island countries have uniquely fragile water resources due to their small size, lack of natural storage, competing land use and vulnerability to natural hazards.


Pollution of freshwater resources, unsafe drinking water supplies and inadequate sanitation can have a significant impact on public health, quality of life, the environment and economic development.


Urbanization, rural development, growing populations, climate change and increased demand from industry and agriculture is putting further pressure on the region’s freshwater resources, threatening the long term viability of communities and islands.


Natural disasters exacerbate water issues. Excessive rainfall, often linked to cyclones and typhoons, causes flooding and disruption of drinking water supplies. Small islands that rely on groundwater and/or rainwater harvesting are highly vulnerable to droughts, often linked to El Niño or La Niña triggered climatic disruptions. Both situations – too much or too little water – compromise the safety of drinking water supplies and increase the risk to public health.

www.pacificwater.org

Last Updated on Sunday, 20 June 2010 12:44  


Newsflash

"Out of Darkness" documentary focuses on environmental impacts of deep sea mining.

Following the success of its first documentary "Under Pressure", the SPC-EU Deep Sea Minerals project has now produced a second 25-minute film that focuses on the potential environmental issues related to the extraction of deep sea mineral resources.

This new film, titled “Out of Darkness”, includes some spectacular underwater footage and interviews with leading scientists such as Dr Malcolm Clarke from NIWA, Dr Jim Hein from the US Geological Survey and Dr Ray Binns from CSIRO.

The film can be viewed on the Deep Sea Minerals Project website and free copies of the DVD can be obtained by emailing: [email protected].

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