Delivering Water to the People of Tonga OUR WATER OUR PEOPLE Delivering Water to the People of Tonga

Background Information

Tonga’s Environment Pacific Island countries generally have fragile environments and a limited natural resource base, particularly coral atolls with their scarce land resource and vulnerable fresh water reserves Tonga land mass of 750 km2 is spread over 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. With approximately 106,000 people, over 70% live on this main island of Tongatapu. Tonga has a freshwater lens that is relatively close to the surface (ranging from 15-55 meters), situated within the porous limestone substrate. The source of our water here in Tongatapu is primarily groundwater, supplemented by rain water harvesting.

Tonga Water Board Overview One of the Government public Enterprises Established in1966 Shift from hand-dug wells and large community rainwater tanks Main Source of revenue : water sales (70%) 87 Employees altogether

Tonga Water Board Current Operations

Tonga Water Board Current Operations Provides services to the urban areas of Nuku’alofa, Neiafu, Pangai-Hihifo and most of the ‘Eua island. Water infrastructure improvement through grant funds such as Nuku’alofa Urban Development Sector Project funded by ADP & DFAT or raising capital through loans Raising capital through loans Finance improvements for a community and establish a pay-back arrangement through the billing system

Village Water Schemes: Villages outside Nuku’alofa have their water supply schemes owned and operated by community water Committees Village committee oversees the management and operations of infrastructure Many village water supply schemes are inadequate, with water provided for limited periods rather than on a 24 hour basis. Water Leakage is a major issue Low tariffs compound the issues, with users unwilling to pay more in water charges, despite water supply inefficiencies. Evidence of salt water incursions in village water supplies limited oversight of contamination issues such as pesticide management and pollution from leaking septic tanks

Roles and Responsibilities in Tonga’s Water Sector

Roles and Responsibilities in Tonga’s Water Sector Tonga Water Board Reticulated ground water supply system in Nuku’alofa (Tonga Tapu), Neiafu (Vava’u) and Pangai-Hihifo (Ha’apai) , freshwater in ‘Eua Ministry of Health Oversees all village water supply schemes Tasked with water quality testing of all village water supplies Government Geology Division (Natural Resources) Water sampling and quality monitoring The Water Resources Management Act has been drafted and submitted to Parliament for discussion, and endorsement before His Majesty’s consent.

The Politics of Water The rights of villages to use their own water source on how they see fit despite clear impacts on the environment The idea of Government policy restricting an individual’s rights to water is a challenging argument. The idea of Tonga Water Board (the Government) taking over a village owned water supply scheme, and then charging the people who use the water, is seen as a threat rather than an opportunity

Fua’amotu Village Case Study The water committee approached TWB for assistance to upgrade their water infrastructure. The TWB acted as guarantor for a bank loan. Significant capital investment was required to provide a reliable water service to the people. TWB then operated the water supply scheme, including meter reading, invoicing, and fee collection. Loan was repaid within the four year term. The tariffs were kept the same, and yet the water supply was upgraded to achieve 24 hour supply and no break-downs. At the end of the four year contract period, the community was convinced that they were better off to return to self- management. Tonga Water Board can partner with villages to access capital and expertise for upgrades. So whilst this is not a standard model of centralised control, it may be the most feasible for Tonga in the short to medium term.

Our water our people-The future in Tonga Challenges: Risk of water contamination through pollution, particularly poor sanitation and poor agricultural practices; Risk of salt water intrusion into ground water supply systems through over- extraction or climate change Risk of natural disasters Non-Revenue Water

Long term Goal – Water Supply Systems in Tonga That TWB control and manage all water supply systems in Tonga, in partnership with the communities Our Motivation is to bring the following resources to the People of Tonga: Technical expertise Greater safeguards for people’s health; Access to capital for infrastructure upgrades; Quality Water meters to improve equity in billing systems; Community awareness and growing understanding of water conservation and water protection measures; In partnership with Ministry of Natural Resources, sustainable monitoring and management of our water resources.

Key to sustainable water supply and development in Tonga Work in partnership with the community (Work with the people for the people) “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success” ….Henry Ford