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Home News & Media Releases Latest Pacific Water Newsletter, Issue 25, March 2011

Pacific Water Newsletter, Issue 25, March 2011

Thursday, 17 March 2011 11:10 administrator
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Dear Partners, Welcome to the 25th newsletter of the Pacific Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Water Management. This Quarterly Newsletter provides Water and Sanitation information to Pacific member governments, professionals, NGOs,  CBOs, researchers, private sector and counterparts in the donor community who are interested in water sector issues and initiatives.

As alerted to you in the last newsletter the last eight years saw the development and implementation of a large number of National and regional initiatives in response to the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management with regional collaboration and harmonization of projects and programmes fostered through its associated Partnership Initiative.

We are pleased to announce that following the recent SPC/SOPAC Council recommendation, the region stands to undertake a new round of water and sanitation consultations. This time we expect an emphasis on National level engagement, championing and prioritization of water and sanitation issues at the highest possible levels in all Pacific Island Countries and Territories.

We are confident that members of the Partnership Initiative will play a major role to support countries and territories to undertake this process which will lead up to a strong Pacific representation at the 2nd Asia Pacific Water Summit (5-6 February 2012, Bangkok) and the 6th World Water Forum (12-17 March 2012, Marseille). More information will be shared with you on the consultation process and supporting events as soon as possible.

I would like to make use of this occasion to let you know that I have been asked by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to join them as Climate Change Specialist for the Pacific region. After almost 11 years at SOPAC as Water Adviser it will be hard to say goodbye to everyone and hand over the role of Facilitator of the Pacific Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Water Management. I look forward to this new challenge and, as water and climate are inextricably linked in the Pacific.

I am confident that I can remain in touch with you although in a different capacity. I would like to thank all the members of the Pacific Partnership for the great collaboration over the years and the opportunities you collectively provided to bring attention to water and sanitation issues in Pacific island countries and turn the Sigatoka Vision of 2002 into Action. Whilst there are still many water and sanitation issues to be addressed in the region, I am confident that the Pacific Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Water Management will be retained and further strengthened through the new consultation process.

Please be also informed that until further notice, Rhonda Robinson ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) will be acting in my position and that the recruitment process for my successor is underway. Interested parties can access the application details via: http://www.sopac.org/index.php/new-vacancies and or http://www.pacificwater.org/pages.cfm/staff/vacancies/deputy-director--watersanitation-programme.html
We appreciate your contributions to future issues of the newsletter and we highly value your assistance in disseminating the information to others so that it reaches the widest possible audience.

If you would like to comment on any articles or submit stories on your activities, upcoming events, vacancies or recent reports for the next newsletter please forward them to SOPAC Water Communications Advisor Tiy Chung ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), or IWRM Project Officer Subhashni Raj ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at the SOPAC Secretariat. The next newsletter will be released late July 2010.

Your feedback and inputs are most appreciated.

Best wishes to you all and no doubt we stay in touch!
Marc Overmars
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Facilitator of the Pacific Partnership Initiative on Sustainable Water Management

Information on partners and their activities and products can be found through the following hyperlinks on www.pacificwater.org


Last Updated on Thursday, 17 March 2011 11:13  

Newsflash

New technologies will change the way people live in Pacific Island countries. This is according to Dr Wolf Forstreuter, GIS and Remote Sensing Unit specialist at SOPAC, the Applied Geoscience and Technology Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Dr Forstreuter said recent work to detect and analyse changes in vegetation on the Kiribati Islands of Aranuka and Maiana had important implications for all Pacific Islands.

“By overlaying recent satellite imagery on maps that were drawn from aerial photographs taken in 1969 of the Kiribati islands of Aranuka and Maiana, it is possible to detect any changes that have occurred,” he said.

“Not only can we assess the impact of people on the environment, we can assess whether this has been positive or negative. One of the surprises of this study was to discover that new mangrove areas are visible on the coast of both islands.”

Dr Forstreuter said this could be because of the 1969 photography-taking place during high tide, followed by misinterpretation by mapmakers in Britain.

“But the very real possibility is that the mangroves are increasing because they have been protected by the island’s inhabitants,” he said.

The comparison between the older maps overlaid with recent satellite images also shows the spread of settlements and changes to bodies of water.

“This information becomes a useful planning tool for the future. Where should settlements develop? What water is available for such development? Where and what types of farming should be planned to support these settlements?” he said.