RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION

SPC will implement the project by constructing or rehabilitating a total of 30 village piped water supply systems, including storage and sanitation facilities, in the island countries of Tuvalu, Tokelevu, Kiribati, Western Samoa, and Tonga. These small-scale village water systems will be mainly for domestic use. SPC will develop groundwater resources by constructing bore holes, infiltration galleries, and hand dug/driven wells, and by extracting the water with pumps powered by hand, windmills, and small engines. Suitable surface water resources will be utilized by using hydraulic rams, windmill pumps, and small dams and reservoirs. Other project activities include the development and protection of upland springs for gravity reticulation; the construction and repair of rainwater catchment basins; the extension of existing piped systems where there is sufficient water at the source; and the assessment of proper storage facilities for each island. SPC will also provide on-the-job training for local national staff in basic water supply technology, plumbing, and system maintenance. To complement water system development activities, as well as to improve village sanitary conditions, a hand-flushed latrine in the form of an improved water-seal pit privy, aqua-privy, or small biogas digester, will be provided to each family unit. Suitable soakways or irrigation trenches will also be constructed to dispose of waste water and effluents. Communal showers and laundries may be constructed in villages where the water supply is adequate and it is technically feasible to do so. Host countries will be expected to provide institutional, personnel, and some commodities support. Project villages will supply unskilled labor, storage tank sites, and construction materials such as gravel. Direct project beneficiaries will be the poor inhabitants of the 30 villages, with an average of 525 people benefitting from each functioning water system.