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Water, Water Everywhere...

Building climate-resilient water systems in the Pacific

By United Nations Development Programme

August 19^th, 2015

“It‘s time for the world, and its leaders, to understand how important water is for the future of our people, our economies and for our planet.” Dr. Joakim Harlin, Senior Water Advisor, UNDP Coordinator, UN-Water SDG Working Group Water is at the core of sustainable development.

Water resources, and the range of services they provide, underpin poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability. Access to water and sanitation facilities is central to every aspect of human dignity: from food and energy security to human and environmental health, water contributes to improvements in social well-being and inclusive growth.

Coral beach, Tuvalu

Effects of natural disasters on the water lens, Cyclone Heta (2004), Niue.

Damage to infrustructure from Cyclone Heta (2004).

THIRSTY WORLD, GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

Today, freshwater resources and their ecosystems are being degraded and depleted at an alarming speed, despite our awareness of their pivotal role in life on earth.

With rising population growth and urbanisation, unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, and the increasing frequency and severity of climate change-related weather events, matters are more urgent than ever. It’s time to act. Since 1990 more than 2 billion people have gained access to improved drinking water sources, and over a quarter of the world’s population gained access to improved sanitation.

Water, Water Everywhere...

Youth drinking clean rainwater on Fakaofo, Tokelau

Rainwater collection tanks in Tonga

CLIMATE-RESILIENT WATER SYSTEMS

Building resilient freshwater systems has been one of the focus areas of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) programme. Since 2009, six participating countries (Tuvalu, Tokelau, Tonga, Nauru, Niue, and the Marshall Islands) have developed climate-resilient water systems by upgrading water infrastructure to improve water capture and storage, increasing water sourcing options, and improving water quality.

As water is primarily harvested directly from rainfall in the Pacific, countries like Tokelau and Tuvalu are addressing catchment and storage by improving rain gutters and plumbing; in the Marshall Islands, they’re increasing the capacity of reservoirs in order to sustain communities during times of drought. The renovated reservoir, officially opened in April 2014, is now able to hold 138 million litres, an improvement of almost 19 million litres. The higher capacity translates to more than 600 extra litres of water for each of the 28,000 people living in Majuro.

Supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) programme is the first major climate change adaptation initiative in the Pacific region. This programme provided the groundwork for more resilient Pacific communities that can cope with climate variability today and in the future.

Nauru

Reservoir in Majuro, Marshall Islands

Leaving Fafa Island, Tonga

Working to limit dangerous contaminants in the water improves the health for kids swimming in Lofeagai, Tuvalu

WATER IS HEALTH

As water quality is so closely related to health, project sites have implemented first flush diverters in Tokelau, which flush contaminated material out of household gutters before directing clean rainwater into storage tanks. At Lofeagi in Tuvalu, the water table is protected from contamination by self-composting toilets that use no water.

Dr. Lameka Sale and his family, Fakaofu, Tokelau

WATER IS ESSENTIAL

On Nauru, solar water purifiers have been installed. These units, which have solar panels linked to a water distillation circuit, produce clean drinking water from non-potable sources such as seawater or contaminated groundwater. Eighteen households have been fitted with solar purifier units, providing 80 litres of additional potable water per day per household. Upscaling from household level to community level, Nauru will be installing fourteen shelters connected to water tanks in all fourteen districts of Nauru. A system that provides 55-65% efficiency solar energy to naturally purified water, is designed to assure access to potable drinking water to supply all of Nauru in times of drought.

For Niue, the project decided to build a tank moulding facility in order to manufacture water tanks domestically - at half the cost of importing them – and providing a tank to each household on the island. The facility has since produced more than five hundred and twenty water tanks, benefiting 420 households and one hundred government and business community applicants. While 100% of its target population of 272 have benefited (19% of the total population of Niue), the facility is beginning to expand its operations and business plan into moulding other products such as septic tanks.

In Tonga, the project installed three 45,000 litre water tanks, an overhead tank holding 22,500 litres, and 30 smaller tanks that hold 10,000 litres each, in six designated villages. To complete the system, monitoring and production boreholes have been drilled, new pipelines and pipes laid, water meters have been installed for each household, along with new solar and diesel powered pumps.

Solar Panels on Atafu, Tuvalu

WATER IS LIFE

Championed by the governments in each of the participating countries, the PACC programme has been funded by the Global Environment Facility‘s Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) – a fund that was established to support adaptation and technology transfer in all developing country parties to the UNFCCC. Additional funding has been provided by the Australian Government to support the replication of successful adaptation interventions in a broader range of vulnerable communities.

Water supply systems that are resilient to climate variability and climate change are vital for the future of the Pacific islands. These six PACC water projects have demonstrated different ways to build resilience into island water systems. They have also shown how climate risk can be incorporated into water development projects.

For more information on the project, please visit the UNDP Project Profile for the PACC Project. Additional information can be found at sprep.org/pacc/experiences/water and www.pacificclimatechange.net.

Community members in Niue

Community members in Niue

This short video, narrated by renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, highlights the PACC projects that are working to improve access to an adequate supply of clean water.

Footnotes

Text by Andrea Egan and David Angelson / Photos: Andrea Egan, Luke McPake, and Joe Hitchcock (Prospekt Mira).

FootNotes

Text by Andrea Egan and David Angelson / Photos: Andrea Egan, Luke McPake, and Joe Hitchcock (Prospekt Mira).

© 2026 United Nations Development Programme

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