Content area
Full Text
INTRODUCTION
The delivery of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services represents a significant challenge in many developing countries, including those in the Pacific (WHO 2013). Although water and sanitation coverage is increasing in many regions around the globe, overall conditions remain poor and many Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are far from reaching their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 (WHO 2013). While there is great diversity within the 15 PICs, six of these are rated as Least Developed Countries according to the United Nations (UN 2014). The isolated geography of PICs, combined with small and predominantly rural populations, limited resources and diverse cultures make the provision of WASH services challenging. PICs can also be typified as having costly access to markets and supply chains (affecting investment in WASH infrastructure and maintenance) as well as limited human and technical resources (Briguglio 1995).
For more than 20 years now the WASH challenges already faced by communities within the Pacific have been intensified by climate change impacts (Meehl 1996; Mimura et al. 2007). Indeed, in 2013, a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific stated that ‘…WASH statistics, associated with a less than optimum management of water resources may aggravate the gloomy perspectives brought about by climate change, which appears to be exacerbated in the Pacific islands. Drinking-water and sanitation relies on water governance and water resources management and this is closely linked with climate change in the Pacific islands’ (WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific 2008). This tight relationship between water availability (and accessibility), water quality, sanitation and hygiene underpins the need for WASH interventions and continued investment in Pacific communities (Meehl 1996). In addition to non-climatic pressures, the long-term pressures from climate change further threaten the sustainability of water and sanitation services in many vulnerable PIC communities (Meehl 1996; Mimura et al. 2007). This is not just through incremental changes in climate that have been projected, but also through extreme events such as floods, cyclones and droughts associated with climate change which can render safe communities more vulnerable to WASH-related problems during extreme events (White & Falkland 2010).
To better incorporate issues of water security, water quality and climate change into WASH activities, there is a case for a...