GEOSCIENCE DIVISION
Map Cook Islands Federated Sates of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Nauru Niue Papua New Guinea Republic of Marshall Islands Republic of Palau Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Country
Population
Land Area
Climate
Water resource
Water consumption
Country Cook Islands Cook Islands
Population 21,750 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 236.7 km2
Climate
Water resource
Water consumption
Country Federated Sates of Micronesia Federated Sates of Micronesia
Population 107,862 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 702 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 4,928 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Fiji Fiji
Population 918 675 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 18,270 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2000 - 3000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Kiribati Kiribati
Population 107,817 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 811 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: South of the equator: 1,300 mm Tarawa: 2,000 mm Northernmost islands: over 3,200mm Eastern Line Islands: less than 1,000 mm
Water consumption
Country Nauru Nauru
Population 11,528 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 21 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2,090 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Niue Niue
Population 1,625m(GoN statistics 2006)
Land Area 260 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2,180 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
Population 5,795,887 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 462,840 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall:1000-80000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Republic of Marshall Islands Republic of Marshall Islands
Population 20,842
Land Area 458 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 3,700 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Republic of Palau Republic of Palau
Population 61,815(July 2007 est.)
Land Area 11,854.3 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: Southern attols: 4,000mm Northern attols:2,000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Samoa Samoa
Population 214,265
Land Area 2,944 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 3,000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Solomon Islands Solomon Islands
Population 566,842
Land Area 28,450 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall:1500-5000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Tonga Tonga
Population 116,921
Land Area 748 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: Varies from north and south of tonga with an estimated average of 2500 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Tuvalu Tuvalu
Population 11.992 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 26 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 3000mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Vanuatu Vanuatu
Population 211,971 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 12,200 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2000 - 4000 mm per annum
Water consumption
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The Marshall Islands Holds First Ever National Summit on Water 22 March, 2011
RMI President Jurelang Zedkaia National Water Summit Opening Speech
Majuro, Marshall Islands, March 22, 2010: Three hundred people gathered at the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) International Convention Centre in Majuro today to celebrate World Water Day and to participate in RMI’s first ever National Water Summit.
 
In opening the summit RMI’s President, Jurelang Zedkaia, said that most people were aware of the serious and immediate threats facing RMI and other low lying atolls and islands of the Pacific. 
 
“Here in the RMI, water is not just a health issue, it is also an issue with major social, economic and security dimensions,” President Zedkaia said. “This summit is thus very important – both in terms of developing a framework for moving forward in this area but also in terms of developing the case and arguments for integrated water resource management as a key tool for addressing our national water needs.”
 
President Zedkaia called on those present to put forward strong arguments to convince “our policy makers, and to some extent our donors, as to why an investment in water resources is an investment in our people”. The President also pointed out that there needs to be more linkages between water and climate change adaptation. 
 
RMI’s First Lady, Hannah Zedkaia, is also the National Water Champion and has been actively involved in the summit preparations and in will continue this role in future events. 
 
The National Water Summit is part of RMI’s World Water Day Celebrations and will take place over two days under the theme “Dren nan Mour im Ejmour” (Clean Water for  Healthy Life). The global theme is: Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Water Challenge.  
 
The low lying atolls of the Marshall Islands have very limited natural water storage capacity and much of its water comes from rainfall or fragile freshwater lenses. Increased migration to areas, like the atoll of Majuro and Ebeye Island, is putting increased strain on urban water resources and increasing threats to freshwater lenses. 
 
Much of Majuro’s piped water comes from two main sources: reservoirs that collect rainwater off the atoll’s runway and from the fragile underground water supply known as the Laura Lens. 
 
Currently most of the atoll’s residents receive only two days of piped water per week, and then only in the mornings and evenings. However frequent droughts and El Nino events often mean that this is further reduced to one day a week. A 2007 El Nino event resulted in the declaration of a National Emergency as water reserves fell to only 6 million gallons or 5 days of piped water.
 
Population growth, unsustainable management, contamination from household waste (including leaking septic tanks) and inappropriate land use practices threaten the long-term viability of the groundwater resource to provide potable water. Added to this are threats from increased climate variability and change. 
 
The Summit participants included traditional leaders, community representatives, civil society, school children, and representatives from all levels of government. 
 
Two other Micronesian countries, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia are also holding National Water Summits this World Water Day. 
 
It is anticipated that the National Water Summits will also provide important input at the regional and international level through a solid policy platform and investment plans for water. Summit outcomes are expected to inform the regional initiative to revise the Pacific Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management.
 
The Micronesian summits were supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Communities Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SPC-SOPAC). SPC-SOPAC’s Water and Sanitation Programme provided funding and technical support through the European Union funded Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Planning Programme and also through the Global Environment Facility funded Pacific IWRM Project.





Pictures from the event can be viewed on: http://www.pacificwater.org/pages.cfm/events-multimedia/photo-gallery/
 
ENDS
 
Contact: 
Moriana Philips: Project Manager, GEF Laura Demonstration Project: mobile: (+692) 456 3124, morianaphilips@gmail.com 
Tiy Chung: SPC Water and Sanitation Programme Communications Advisor: mobile: (+692) 456 3124 email: tiy@sopac.org