30 Dec 2009

Samoan families still short of water - Red Cross

7:47 am on 30 December 2009

The Red Cross in Samoa says there are still problems getting enough water to people who who relocated to higher ground following the devastating tsunami three months ago.

Waves up to six metres high, triggered by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, smashed into parts of Samoa's south coast on 29 September, killing 143 people.

The secretary-general of the Samoa Red Cross Society, Tautala Mauala, says volunteers are still having to carry water to people's new living areas.

But she says there are plans for a better system, using pipes to move water from nearby lakes to water tanks that can be accessed more easily.