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Access to safe drinking water is a basic need and is one of the most important contributors to public health and to the economic health of communities. Pacific island countries have yet to overcome the challenge of providing a safe and adequate supply of drinking water to its populations. Infectious, waterborne diseases, such as Typhoid and Cholera and newly emerging pathogens are a major cause of morbidity and mortality within the Pacific region. The World Health Organization (WHO) report that about 2 million people in the world die each year due to diarrhoeal diseases, most of them are children less that 5 years of age. The worst affected are the populations in developing countries. Lack of access to safe drinking water is one of the main contributors to this situation. Traditional approaches that rely on sampling and testing water have failed to achieve extensive improvement in access to safe drinking water. Pacific island countries are committed to achieving targets specified in the Millennium Development Goals (2000), including halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015. A new strategy is now being promoted globally that is based on risk management principles – drinking water safety planning.

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).

The importance of safe drinking water for health and development in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) has been reflected in many regional action plans and policies. Through the Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Water Management (Sigatoka, Fiji, 2002) Pacific Island Countries outlined actions that were needed to achieve sustainable water management through collaborative efforts by water sector authorities and inter-sectoral partners. The WHO workshop on Drinking Water Quality Standards and Monitoring in Pacific Island Countries (Nadi, Fiji, 2005) developed a Framework for Action on Drinking Water Quality and Health in Pacific Island Countries, designed to support the implementation of drinking water quality actions envisioned in the Regional Action Plan. The Pacific Island Countries embraced the Water Safety Plan concept during the workshop and this was reflected in the Regional Framework. It was recommended that PICs should use Water Safety Plans to better manage their water supplies to ensure safe quality drinking water for Pacific communities.

River flooding, especially flash floods, are a serious and frequent problem in Samoa and in particular Apia where steep catchments with rapid flood onsets are subject to frequent heavy rainfall events. The April 2001 flood event inundated large parts of Apia urban area within a negligible time lag from the beginning of the intense rainfall. The surrounding watersheds responded to the flash floods with combined overbank/overland flow. Approximately 5,000 local residents were directly affected by the flood and resulting damages were estimated in excess of WST$ 11 million. Such events are not rare for Samoa.

Presently the Government of Samoa is working on an extension to Apia wharf and is currently exploring options to develop a more secure anchorage for the country's growing fishing fleet. During the course of these investigations it was found that due to the lack of detailed bathymetric and oceanographic data for Apia Harbour Vaiusu Bay and the fore-reef area fronting Apia, a number of options considered could not be expanded upon. As a result, SOPAC was approached and the necessary survey works were completed.

River flooding, especially flash floods, are a serious and frequent problem in Samoa and in particular Apia where steep catchments with rapid flood onsets are subject to frequent heavy rainfall events. The April 2001 flood event inundated large parts of Apia urban area within a negligible time lag from the beginning of the intense rainfall. The surrounding watersheds responded to the flash floods with combined overbank/overland flow. Approximately 5,000 local residents were directly affected by the flood and resulting damages were estimated in excess of WST$ 11 million. Such events are not rare for Samoa.

Flooding imposes significant costs on households and businesses located in the lower Vaisigano catchment area. SOPAC, under the European Development Fund (EDF) project Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States, has worked with the Government of Samoa to develop the Samoa Flood Management and Action Plan, which identifies actions for government agencies, the private sector, NGOs and communities responsible for flood and floodplain management that can assist in reducing flood risks in Samoa, particularly in the lower Vaisigano catchment area located in Apia, which is subject to frequent flooding.