29 Dec 2009

Red Cross Samoa says people still have problems getting water

10:05 am on 29 December 2009

The Red Cross in Samoa says there are still problems getting enough water to people who've relocated to higher ground following the tsunami in September.

Waves up to six metres high, triggered by a magnitude 8 earthquake, hit parts of Samoa's south coast, and killed 143 people there.

The secretary general of the Samoa Red Cross society, Tautala Mauala, says volunteers are still having to carry water to the relocation areas.

But she says plans for a better system are being made.

"Waters can be transferred from some lake which is nearer to the affected areas. It will be driven by pipe through gravity water tanks in specific areas and that will help people get their water all the time."

Tautala Mauala says doctors and nurses continue to make regular visits to the affected villages, and construction work is already underway to build more than 300 homes.