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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