Alleviating Honiara’s water supply problems
I was pleased to learn last Friday that the Solomon Islands government was stepping in to help address the water crisis that has been affecting Honiara for the past several weeks.
Speaking in Parliament, the Minister of Mines and Energy Bradley Tovosia when answering the question said his Ministry was doing all it can to address the issue by working closely with relevant stakeholders.
He also said one of the plans by the Government is to construct a water treatment plant at Lungga in East Honiara at a cost of $120 million to help solve the issue.
In respect of the issues at the Kongulai water source, the Minister of Forests, Ishmael Avui, while contributing to the parliamentary session. said a suspension order has been issued to those involved in the operation within the catchment area at Kongulai.
He reportedly added that all logging activities in the area had been suspended and his officers were continuing to visit the water catchment site to monitor the situation to ensure no logging practices were taking place.
In a further positive move, the Acting Deputy Director Water Resources Division in the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Michael Maehaka, when officiating at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Auki Water Supply Improvement Project, said the National Government will continue to support Solomon Water in its endeavours to provide reliable and sustainable water supply and wastewater services to urban centres across the country.
Such assurance will have come as a relief to many Honiara residents and to Solomon Water officials after having endured for so long the contamination the city water supply by, allegedly, illegal logging practices in the area of the Kongulai water source.
It is hoped there will be no more water supply cuts and the DCGA will move swiftly to honour the pledge of creating a water treatment plant.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short.
