A community leader of the Barana community on Mt Austen outside of Honiara city, Chief Marx Puchavu has expressed concern over water shortages in his community and warns that the water sources in the area are at risk due to the logging activities in the water catchments.

“Forest clearing and deforestation activities such as logging and un-managed milling are happening on the upper Lunga and Mataniko rivers and are directly affecting our water sources. For our community, the springs and wells closer to home have dried up and we now have to walk long distances to collect water for cooking, drinking and other domestic use. It is getting very difficult for the people.”

“We are in urgent need of assistance in terms of access to water but the whole community also needs to ensure that those who allow their land for logging, milling or related activities do so with proper management plans in place.” Chief Puchavu said.

Chief Puchavu raised his concerns at a workshop organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through its Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to climate change (PEBACC) project in March 2017 in Honiara.

Discussions at the workshop revealed that the water catchments in the area are critical for Honiara city because they supply the water that the city is dependent on.

SPREP PEBACC Country Manager for Solomon Islands, Mr Fred Patison explained that sustaining a healthy forest will help maintain and secure adequate supply of water for the affected communities and Honiara city.

“This is a critical issue that calls for attention by the communities and the relevant authorities. Our communities must be guided to see the important functions of these ecosystems and the preservation of the ecosystems for our needs and survival today and into the future.”

Mr Patison added that the demand for fresh supply of water will increase as the city and communities expand.

The consultation workshop was organised as part of consultations on the ecosystem and social resilience analysis and mapping (ESRAM) study undertaken for Honiara city including the greater Honiara area.

The SPREP PEBACC project is in the process of identifying appropriate ecosystem-based adaption to climate change options to implement in partnership with the communities in Honiara and on the outskirts of the city.

Government, NGO, community representatives were part of the consultation in March including the Guadalcanal Provincial Council which will be a key player in the implementation of the project activities.

PEBACC is a five year project implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the governments of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

The project is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) administered by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).

The Project focusses on strengthening and protecting the role of natural ecosystem services to enhance resilience to climate change. In Solomon Islands the project is working in Wagina Island and Honiara.

For more information about the PEBACC project in Solomon Islands, contact Mr. Fred Patison, PEBACC Solomon Islands Country Manager at fredp@sprep.org

–SPREP SI MEDIA