Sanitation and Wastewater Management in Tonga

Abstract

A training course on “Improving Sanitation and Wastewater Management for Tonga” is scheduled for 25 – 29 August 2008 in Tonga. Its implementation is a collaborative effort by the Tonga Community Development Trust, Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Coordination Office for the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation – Institute for Water Education (UNESCO- IHE). The donors EU Water Facility, UNDP and GEF are sincerely acknowledged.   This report acts as a background paper on the current status of wastewater and sanitation in Tonga. It was based on an independent review of available literature and stakeholder consultations conducted from 4 – 8 August (refer to annex 1 for agencies/representatives consulted). Tonga does not have a central reticulated wastewater system and thus relies on household-based management. This presents a number of problems when individual households are left to deal with wastewater (from bathrooms, kitchens and toilets).