BY LORETTA B MANELE

One major challenge for the Solomon Islands Water Authority (SIWA) is ‘non-revenue water’, says SIWA CEO Carmine Piantedosi.

He revealed this when he delivered his presentation on Monday, August 25, 2025 at the 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Forum and 16th Pacific Water and Waste Water Association (PWWA) Conference and Expo 2025 at the Aquatic Centre, Honiara.

Piantedosi stated that a major challenge for them is their non-revenue water which stands at 60 % nationally.

He added that in Honiara it is also around 60% which is all the water they produce and deliver.

Piantedosi said in 2024, they actually produced 13.5 gigalitres of water however only delivered 5.8 gigalitres, losing 60%.

He explained that they only collected $167 million from actual water that was sold and with 60% of non-revenue water, it equates to about $185 million SBD of foregone revenue.

Piantedosi also stated that revolutions in climate, unpredictable weather patterns, including flooding, droughts also impacted their water availability and infrastructure at the same time requires them to take some strategic actions.

He furthered that compliance is also outdated which leads to increased leaks, and increased costs, and increased disruptions in their services.

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BY LORETTA B MANELE

Dr Chris Vehe, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE), says in the Pacific, water is not just a resource, but is life itself.

He made the remark during the opening ceremony of the 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Forum and 16th Pacific Water and Waste Water Association (PWWA) Conference and Expo 2025 at the Friendship Hall yesterday.

“We gather here today under one common understanding. In the Pacific, water is not just a resource, it is life itself,” said Vehe.

He expressed that for our island nations, water defines our survival, our well-being and our development.

Vehe added that however, this very source of life is under increasing threat from climate change, through rising seas, furlough droughts and shore storms that strike the greater intensity.

“This reality places water security at the very heart of regional priorities.

“And it is precisely by bringing us all together, leaders, experts, young professionals, women, youth, is so vital. Each of us carries a voice, a perspective and a responsibility,” he said.

In this regard, the Permanent Secretary said by uniting science with lived experiences and policy with community needs, we can create solutions that are not only resilient but also inclusive.

Vehe stressed that this conference should be viewed as more than just a meeting and as a platform to strengthen our collective voices, to share innovation and to strategically chart pathways that safeguard our future.

He said in doing so, we are not only securing water, but we are securing health, stability and prosperity of the Pacific people of generations to come.

“Let us approach the day ahead with purpose and with unity. May this PWWA conference inspire us to act with urgency, with courage, with solidarity in protecting the most precious resource we have, water, our life,” Vehe said.

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BY LORETTA B MANELE

SIWA’s (Solomon Islands Water Authority) infrastructure developments currently taking shape is said to be worth $126 million.

Carmine Piantedosi, SIWA’s CEO revealed the figure while delivering a presentation at the first day of the 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Forum and 16th Pacific Water and Waste Water Association (PWWA) Conference and Expo 2025 at the Aquatic Centre yesterday, Monday, August 25, 2025.

Initially, he stressed on the five components that come under the Sanitation Services Project which he said was established to deliver an estimated USD$400 million of infrastructure investments within the Solomon Islands as part of SIWA’s 30-year strategic plan.

This project is primarily the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (UWSSSP), a World Bank and ADB-funded initiative.

Piantedosi explained that the project comprises of five separate components which focus on five separate outcomes.

The first component’s focus is on providing and improving urban water services, increasing access to safe, clean water, and ensuring secure and sustainable water supplies for the growing population of Honiara.

In second place, is the component of providing and expanding access to safe urban sanitation services.

“The third component was raising hygiene awareness and education on water usage and conservation and health benefits of clean drinking water.

“We also provide education in hygiene practices to enhance the health and wellbeing of Solomon Islanders,” said Piantedosi.

He went on to state that the fourth component under the project was to build Solomon Water’s institutional capacity to enhance their financial and technical sustainability and develop and train all their people to deliver improved services to our customers.

The final (fifth) component as he said, is “protecting our water sources and our catchment areas, managing the activities to reduce the impact on the environment”.

Moreover, Piantedosi shed light on what development projects SIWA is currently undertaking and at what cost.

“Currently, what we have in the pipeline, as it works, is about $126 million worth of infrastructure development going on as we speak,” he said.

Piantedosi stated that under the five components mentioned, they are working on priority sub-projects.

“That’s basically to deliver water supply and sanitation services, including capacity building for Solomon Water, education and awareness for our customers and the public, as well as water resource and catchment protection outcomes.

“This is an extensive list of projects and works that are currently being managed by SIWA and are at various stages of design, development, construction and implementation,” he said.

Piantedosi mentioned that some of the major works identified comprise of the Honiara Water Supply Expansion Project, which includes water treatment plants, construction of reservoirs, construction of track mains, including water supply upgrades in the provincial capitals of Noro, Tulagi and Auki.

To top that off, additional storages are being constructed in Panatina, Tasahe and Titinge that will improve security and quality of supply and add about 8 megalitres of storage capacity.

The SIWA CEO said work at these three storage sites worth around $60 million SBD is nearing completion.

“It’s almost completed. The three storage sites, total value around $60 million SBD.

“As I mentioned it includes Tasahe which is 3 megalitres, Titinge which is 3 megalitres and Panatina which is 2.5 megalitres.

“All the various stages of completion, are very close to it,” he said.

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele says climate change is the single greatest threat to water security in the Pacific region.

Also equal to it is other non-climate pressures that are in play and can be controlled, he adds.

They are – pollution of water sources, ecosystem degradation and unsustainable land use that contaminate rivers and groundwater, damage catchments and weaken the very ecosystems that sustain clean and reliable water.

Speaking at the official opening of the 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Forum and the 16th Pacific Water & Wastewater Annual Conference and Expo on Monday, August 25, 2025 in Honiara, Prime Minister Manele highlighted the above issues and calls for collective and strategic resolution.

“In the Solomon Islands, our water resources and services are already being affected by these non-climate pressures.

“The interaction of climate change and non-climate pressures compound risks confronting water and wastewater services. Our response must therefore be comprehensive.

“We must be committed to protecting catchments and ecosystems, investing in rainwater harvesting, developing resilient supply networks and safeguarding groundwater resources.

“This requires financing. Solomon Islands is tapping into climate and disaster financing mechanisms. 

“Additionally, we must also push regional adaptation and development proposals that secure greater international support for Pacific-specific solutions.

“At the same time, our water utilities must be supported and their services ought to remain affordable, efficient and accountable,” he said. 

Moreover, PM Manele emphasised that the principles of resilience, affordability, and sustainability must guide our financing and regulatory choices.

He said better planning and investment in water and wastewater services should be supported across the Pacific region.

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A crisis that refuses to end. 2 decades on, Western province’s capital still without water supply

BY BEN BILUA
GIZO

For more than two decades, the people of Gizo in Western Province have lived under the shadow of a persistent crisis and lacks clean and reliable water supply.

Despite being the administrative heart of Western Province and home to both provincial and national government offices, the town’s most basic need remains unmet.

In Gizo, life depends on the skies. Residents rely almost entirely on rainwater, collected and stored in tanks, for cooking, drinking and bathing.

When the rains come, tanks are filled up, bringing relief. But when dry spells linger, survival becomes a struggle.

Thirty-one-year-old, Winnie Raoka who grew up in Gizo is unable to remember the last time she ever bathed from tap water growing up.

She said all she knows since her childhood is drinking, washing and having baths from tank water.

Raoka said most residents can only endure three weeks without rainfall before their tanks run dry.

“It is painful to think that the provincial capital is still struggling with something as basic as water.

“We contribute so much to the country’s economy, but our voices are ignored,” she said.

The Western Province is a major contributor to the Solomon Islands’ national economy, generating income through fisheries, logging and tourism.

The province is regarded as the tourism hub of Solomon Islands.

Yet, residents argue that government support for essential infrastructure, such as a proper water supply system, has been inadequate.

Over the years, promises have been made, reports written, and proposals drafted, but little has changed.

While other parts of the country move forward, Gizo’s people remain trapped in a cycle of dependency on rain, tanks, and hope.

As the weather patterns become increasingly unpredictable, the water crisis in Gizo is more than just an inconvenience.

It is a humanitarian concern — one that residents say deserves urgent attention before another generation grows up under the same struggle.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Supervising Assistant Commissioner (AC) National Operation Francis Ramoni is calling on the general public to work with the police during the two regional meetings in Honiara.

The 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Forum and 16th Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA) Conference and Expo (PWWC25) kick starts today, Monday, 25 to August 29 at the National Aquatic Centre in Honiara.

There is also the upcoming 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) that is to be held from 8 to 12 September in Honiara.

Francis Ramoni made the call when he spoke at the SIBC Radio talkback show on Sunday, August 24, 2025.

“I would like to urge our general public to be patient with us because mainly there will number of traffic escorts during the movement of our leaders from the airport to their accommodation as well as to the meeting opening ceremony venue.

“We need your support,” he said.

He also appeals to people in Noro Town in the Western province to work with the police during the leaders’ retreat in Noro.

“I would like to urge our good people down at the Western Province, particularly in Noro, to be supportive and bring moral support,” he said.

He said that policing is everybody’s business to contribute and showcase respect to the visiting dignitaries, and for a peaceful environment for all.

 “Our good leaders are visiting us in a couple of weeks,” said Ramoni.

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BY IRWIN ANGIKI

The Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA) conference begins today in Honiara with regional countries to share how much they utilise this important life resource.

The 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Ministers Forum and 16th Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA) Conference and Expo (PWWC25) will run from Monday to Thursday, August 25-28.

The forum gathers government ministers of Pacific countries and the conference brings together officials from water utilities, including Solomon Water, policymakers, water professionals and development partners.

The importance of these events was underscored at a press conference on Saturday, August 23, 2025 by local water authorities and Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA) – we come together and share and learn from each other on elevating water as an important natural resource in our countries.

“Water is so important, it sustains all biodiversities, without water we cannot live. Advocating for water as very important for our countries, especially in the Pacific, and making sure that it is elevated to be made known, to protect it, and build awareness about where your water is coming from, all these different aspects of water are discussed at the PWWA conference,” CEO of PWWA Pitolau Lusia Sefo-Leau, one of the conference panellists said.

“We need to elevate our understanding and appreciation that water is indeed life. That is the purpose of this forum and conference. The forum aims at working together and achieving a common purpose in the water sector. We need to find ways we can create solution where there is no water tariff. How do we get there. There has to be a reason why tariff on water is zero, it could be because the government is subsidising. Countries will present how they go about developing tariff for water. PWWA provides the opportunity where we can learn from our neighbours,” Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) Dr Chris Vehe told media.

In the Solomons, the authority governing water is a Division within the MMERE.

Solomon Water CEO Carmine Piantedosi said, “It’s really important for us to share knowledge and our experiences with other utilities in the Pacific. We’re going to share our challenges with other water utilities, which are similar to their challenges in their water sector … some of our main ones will be on the security of water supply, and addressing them through infrastructure development, capacity development of our workers, water treatment plants, storage facilities, and treatment, delivery of water has security issues, we assess the liability of supply to our customers, climate change risks and impacts which narrow down to two main issues, heavy rainfall and sea-level rise… Another is non-revenue water and the challenges surrounding it. Another is urbanisation and its challenges.”

Despite water being one of life’s essential needs, access to clean water remains low in the Pacific, trailing other developing regions in the world such as Africa.

“The Pacific lags far behind other regions of the world in terms of access to clean water. We have about 55 percent access as a region. That’s not good. We’re behind Africa and other regions of the world in that sense,” CEO Sefo-Leau said.

Access for sanitation is worse.

“For access to sanitation, about 35 percent access. Which means we are still using the beach and bush to go to the toilet. We need to understand those statistics and need to pay attention to where we are at in terms of our access,” Sefo-Leau said.

The PWWA works to strengthen advocacy, data collection, and peer learning among water utilities throughout the Pacific.

PWWA is a membership association made up of 30 water and wastewater utilities from the 21 countries and territories of the Pacific.

PWWA’s conference is unique as it has a political co-event in the ministerial forum which runs alongside it, involving political representation from Pacific countries.

“This will be the 16th conference and expo that PWWA has hosted and the ninth ministerial forum. The ministerial forum started in PNG in 2015. It started because there was recognition after 10 years of the technical conferences that there should be some recognition by political leaders of water,” CEO Sefo-Leau told the press conference.

“During the 8th forum and 15th conference last year in Cook Islands, former Mines minister Bradley Tovosia offered to host this year’s session in the Solomon Islands,” PS Vehe said.

The theme for the event this year is ‘Water and Wastewater for All: Connecting People, Policies, and Communities for a shared Sustainable Future’.

The programme line-up for this week includes networking, digitalisation of water in the Pacific, resilience and water security, governance of water sector, resilience and water security, inclusion and people management, climate change and extreme events, utility organistation and strategy, water and sanitation for remote communities, and strengthening utility technical operations.

The press conference on Saturday was held at the HP Hotel and involved a panel comprising MMERE PS Vehe, PWWA CEO Sefo-Leau, SolWater CEO Piantedosi, and MMERE Deputy Secretary Christopher Hunupauro.

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BY MORRIS NAFU

Members of the Royal Solomon Island Police Force (RSIPF) have raised concerns over unpaid allowances in the ongoing removal of illegal miners’ operation from the Gold Ridge mining lease area in Central Guadalcanal.

An informant who asks to remain anonymous expressed the officer’s frustration, saying it’s almost 3 months now and yet, authorities are still holding on to the payments.

“The work we have done during the operation is tiring and We have sacrificed a lot during the operation and almost 5 fortnights now yet still nothing has done.

“We have made several attempts to informed our seniors but they have turned deaf to our issues.

“We are plotting to boycott the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) operation. If the Government and the Ministry of Mines continue to hold on to the payments, we will certainly boycott the event,” he said.

The informant confirmed that the team that initiated the plan to boycott are Police Response Team (PRT) officers.

Meanwhile other groups from other Police stations have given greenlight to join to boycott the PIF with approximately 100 Policers officers in total.

The operation was deployed in teams and only the first group have received their allowance while remaining teams have been unpaid to date.

The spokesman urges the government and the ministry to stand accountable and fulfil their duties.

Island Sun has reached out for comments to the RSIPF however RSIPF remained silent.

Minister of Mines, Energy and Electrification, Derrick Manu’ari in a recent parliament sitting, revealed that the Government has supported the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) in removing illegal miners from the Gold Ridge mining lease area in Central Guadalcanal.

He said the program has successfully engaged with illegal miners, explained the legal implications of their actions, and developed a peaceful removal strategy.

This strategy is now being implemented by the RSIPF with continued government backing, at an estimated cost of $0.7 million per month.

“To date, an estimated $4.2 million has been spent, and costs are projected to reach $9 million if operations continue for the full 12-month period,” Minister Manu’ari said.

At the moment, the operation is in now in 6 months of operations and is expected to continue up to it’s 12-month period.

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