Climate Adaptive and Inclusive WASH in Solomon Islands

Climate Adaptive and Inclusive WASH in Solomon Islands

Water for Women partners with Plan International and Live and Learn Environmental Education to deliver CAWS – Climate Adaptive and Inclusive WASH in Solomon Islands to reach an estimated 5,249* people living in Guadalcanal Province and support improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in 21 schools and six healthcare facilities.

Solomon Islands is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, ranking 17^th ‘most vulnerable’ but only 94^th ‘most ready’ of 182 countries, and faces a large range of climate-related hazards. In most cases, fundamental social issues of poverty, inequality, and poorly planned development remain the biggest drivers of disaster risk.

The country’s topography and location within the Pacific’s ‘Ring of Fire’ make Solomon Islands prone to earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides, and the country’s heavy rainfall increases its vulnerability to natural disaster, particularly flooding.

Climate-related risks to water, sanitation and hygiene

In Solomon Islands, sea levels have risen by 8mm per year since 1993 – much higher than the global average of 2.8 at 3.6mm per year – and tropical cyclones are common, at a rate of around 29 per decade.

Both threaten WASH infrastructure and the quality and availably of freshwater sources for consumption and for household WASH needs, with communities predominantly relying on:

• public taps or standpipes (23.6%)
• surface water (19.8%)
• rainwater (13.8%)
• unprotected springs (12.4%)
• piped water to a yard or plot outside the house (13.5%)
• protected springs (5.4%).

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