HA’APAI ISLANDS WELCOME TO THE Tonga The Ha’apai islands are home to about 8,000 people located in 30 villages.

Our islands are very beautiful. The Ha’apai island group is situated north of Tongatapu. There are 62 islands in total; most of which are coral atolls.

Our islands are very flat. This is a computer-generated picture of the airport on Lifuka, an island in the Ha’apai group. Only 17 of the 62 islands are inhabited. Most are accessible from Lifuka by boat. Source: Flyawaysimulation.com

Our islands can be very windy. In 2014 Cyclone Ian caused widespread damage in the Ha’apai Islands. This school in XXX was among the damaged buildings. Donations from Caritas Aotearoa NZ assisted Caritas Tonga in rebuilding the school.

Our islands can be very dry. The Ha’apai islands are the dryest islands in Tonga. Rainfall was particularly low in 2015/16 because of the effects of El Nino. The people of Ha’apai islands have also noticed that the seasons are changing. There are also long periods of drought.

The sea around our islands is rising. Not only is the sea water damaging houses on the coast, but it is also causing damage to the roots of coconut trees. The salt in the sea water has killed some trees. The sea around our islands is rising.

Some of our houses look like this. There are rocks and tyres holding down the tarpaulin on the roof. Is this due to cyclone damage? Is that an electricity meter?

Our kitchens look like this. Notice the oven towards the back of the picture. There is a gas bottle next to it.

Our community hall has electricity. Most of our houses don’t. What must this house have for the people to be able to watch television? Can you see the orange plastic containers? What are these for? (They will be for water for washing dishes, etc.)

Our classrooms look like this.

We like to play netball and rugby at lunchtime.

Our teacher tells us what to do if there is an earthquake and then a tsunami. They should not go down to the beach after an earthquake but should move to higher ground.

He says we should climb the cell phone tower or onto the school roof. The teacher also has an idea that he can build some posts and clip the younger children onto them.

This is how we collect fresh water. This house is actually on the island of Tongatapu (not on Ha’apai) but it shows clearly the common method of collecting rain water from the roofs of homes. What could people do to make sure that the rain water from the roof is safe to drink?

Do you think this water is safe to drink? Water from the house roofs can be too dirty to drink. This is because debri and bird droppings can land on the roof and when it rains they run down into the water container. Also the water container is open to the elements so rubbish and bugs can get in. This water would be good to use for cooking, cleaning and washing – not for drinking.

The water in these plastic tanks is safe for us to drink. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has paid for some of these new plastic Rotomould tanks on Ha’apai. They are mainly used as emergency water supplies and are situated at community centres such as schools and churches. They provide safe drinking water. Ground water can still be used for washing or for gardens but it is too salty to drink.

Thank you Caritas for helping us to get new water tanks. Caritas Tonga is continuing to work with the Tongan Government’s National Disaster Management office to ensure water villages in the Ha’apai Islands are better prepared for future droughts and extreme weather events.