13th October, 2017 The Minister for MEIDECC Hon. Poasi Tei launched a sanitation intervention mini-project at Nukunukumotu Island this afternoon.
The intervention is a combination of three rainwater tanks and two composting toilets, funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and co-sponsored by UNDP through Tonga Ridge to Reef (R2R) Project.
Hon. Poasi Tei said, “In addressing the issue of poor water quality of Fanga’uta, due to concerns of increased water contamination from human sewage or fecal material of other animals found at Pea and Fangakakau in the catchment area, it was recommended to establish a sanitation intervention to track its efficiency in improving water quality at the coastal areas.”
He said that Nukunukumotu proposed the intervention in order to minimize the issue of poor water quality within Fanga’uta Lagoon.
Hon. Tei also extends his sincere gratitude to development partners for their continuous financial support and providing administrative support for the Tonga R2R Project.
CEO for MEIDECC Mr. Paula Ma’u said that one of the outputs of the project is the establishment of pilot sites on sanitation to minimize the impacts of domestic sources of pollution in the Fanga’uta Lagoon Catchment.
The water resource in Nukunukumotu is limited as community members reported that existing water tanks are empty several times during the year. The three new water tanks estimated storage capacity would be sufficient for the community.
The sanitation project is a replication of the IWRM project that was implemented in Vava’u. The are a water free toilet system, designed to accommodate the issue of lack of water resources and minimize pollution to groundwater. The composting system not only saves on water but will also provide fertilize for garden use.
ENDS
Issued by the: Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications.