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 Pacific meets in Palau to improve water management 28 July, 2010
Koror, Thursday, July 22, 2010: “I’m not an expert, but I know that without water no one can survive. Even when scientists look for life on Mars the first thing they look for is water.” With these words Palau’s President, His Excellency Johnson Toribiong, opened a regional meeting on water management currently being held in Palau. He reminded delegates from 13 Pacific island countries that water is one resource that no one can take for granted.
 
“The availability of freshwater is important to the quality of life, and I will go further, it is critical to the economic development of every country,” Mr Toribiong said. “So I urge all of you to take this conference as a serious collective effort by all of us in the Pacific region to address these important challenges.”
 
“The theme ‘Implementing Sustainable Water Resources and Wastewater Management’ accurately describes the challenges facing our nation and I believe all other Pacific Island Nations,” he said.  
 
President Toribiong noted that the meeting was very timely for Palau as only a few months previously the nation had suffered a severe water shortage and water hours were put in place to limit use. 
 
The already fragile water resources found on most Pacific islands, due to their small size and lack of natural storage, are coming under increased pressure from competing land use, vulnerability to natural hazards and increased climate variability and change. In many Pacific countries, even small variations in water supply can have a significant impact on health, quality of life and economic development. 
 
The region’s access to improved drinking water and sanitation lags behind the rest of the world. About 46% of Pacific populations have access to improved drinking water compared to the global average of 87%. Similarly only 48% of Pacific populations have access improved sanitation compared to 62% globally.  
 
The meeting’s participants are involved in two projects, based out of the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), that are trying to improve this situation. They include 14 Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded demonstration projects in 13 Pacific island countries that aim to show the benefits of an integrated approach to water management through tangible on the ground activities and a European Union (EU) funded integrated water resources management (IWRM) project that seeks to provide the governance and regulatory support for this type of approach. 
 
Marc Wilson, Regional Manager of the GEF IWRM project, said that it was appropriate that the meeting was being held in Koror where water availability and wastewater management is an acknowledged constraint to development. 
 
“Water performs vital services from ridge to reef and is everybody’s business from communities to cabinet,” Mr Wilson said. “It is a measure of the seriousness and awareness of water issues in Palau that His Excellency, President Toribiong, has agreed to open this meeting.”
 
Jose Padillo, Regional Technical Advisor for Marine, Coastal and Island Ecosystems with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said the relevance of these projects cannot be overemphasised given the situation the Pacific finds itself in.
 
“Oceania taken collectively has been off-track with respect to the water and sanitation targets,” Mr Padillo said. “In fact, the percentage of the region’s population with access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities has declined by 1% and 2% respectively. Thus we see the importance of this project in meeting the water and sanitation targets.”
 
Tiare Holm, Vice Chairperson of Palau’s Environmental Quality Protection Board (EQPB) said that the meeting was a great opportunity for countries to share information and learn from one another. She reminded delegates that change was slow and needed the dedication and commitment of many people.  
 
“As a Palauan who has spent years in the field of natural resource management and conservation, I can say that management and prevention is always especially challenging, as the outcomes are rarely immediate,” Ms Holm said. “Persistence and dedication is required from our government, our partners and our communities.”
 
The GEF projects focus on four key areas: watershed management, wastewater management and sanitation, water resources assessment and protection, and water efficiency and safety. 
 
In Palau the GEF project is looking at ways to better manage and protect the Ngerikiil watershed, which supplies 80% of all of Palau’s water. 
 
Ends
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For more information on the GEF IWRM projects go to: www.pacific-iwrm.org 
For more information on the EU IWRM project go to: www.pacificwater.org 
 
Contact: 
Tiy Chung, SOPAC Media advisor, mobile: +679 9987586