30 April 2013
GEF Reports on Vanuatu IWRM Demonstration Project
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The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Pacific "Implementing Sustainable Water Resources and Wastewater Management in Pacific Island Countries" (IWRM) project has issued a progress snapshot on Vanuatu, highlighting improvements in watershed management and community engagement.

iwrm29 April 2013: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Pacific “Implementing Sustainable Water Resources and Wastewater Management in Pacific Island Countries” (IWRM) project has issued a progress snapshot on Vanuatu, highlighting improvements in watershed management and community engagement.

The GEF reports on Vanuatu’s GEF Pacific IWRM Demonstration Project, titled “Sustainable Management of the Sarakata Watershed,” which is carried out in the town of Luganville on the Island of Espiritu Santo. Noting that water resources are under stress in the project area due to high demand and pollution from pit latrines, the snapshot indicates that the project focuses on behavior change and community engagement. Project activities include: mass awareness campaigns; composting toilet construction; tree planting; and the establishment of agriculture demonstration plots.

The GEF snapshot describes the following project results: the establishment of the Sarakata Basin Integrated Flood Management Plan; an increase in the proportion of community engaged in water related issues; and an increase in national staff across institutions with IWRM knowledge and experience. On stress reduction, the snapshot points to: a 40% reduction in sewage pollution across the Sarakata Watershed; and the establishment of sustainable forest and land management practices that were trialed with landowners and leaseholders.

On the water resource and environmental status, the snapshot reports: an increase in population with access to a safe water supply; and reduced levels of stress on the Sarakata watershed through the provision of an operational network and mechanisms of planning and monitoring of all developments affecting the ecology, availability and quality of water, as well as natural resources.

The GEF Pacific IWRM Project is funded by the GEF and executed by the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) in cooperation with 14 Pacific Island countries. [Publication: GEF Vanuatu Snapshot] [GEF Pacific IWRM Project Website]