25 Jun 2014

NGOs to boost water supply in Solomons

3:58 pm on 25 June 2014

The head of World Vision in Solomon Islands says he hopes funding from UNICEF to a joint NGO project will build a more resilient water and sanitation network.

UNICEF have given 2 million US dollars towards providing safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and hygiene to communities on Makira, rural Guadalcanal, Isabel and Honiara city.

World Vision's Andrew Catford, says other NGOs including the Red Cross, Save the Children and Live and Learn Environmental Education have signed a deal to work together.

He says before April's floods only half the population had clean drinking water and a third had sanitation, so the flooding disaster has really exposed people to health problems from the poor basic services.

"Certainly this funding is to help sort of move things forward in that particular sector of water, sanitation and hygiene so hopefully if and when future disasters happen, you know those particular communities are better prepared and have things in place to cope better with those types of incidents."

World Vision's Country Director for Solomon Islands, Andrew Catford.