BY LORETTA B MANELE
Renewing 1960s investigations on hydro can help revamp how we think, moving forward when it comes to hydro power says Casper Fa’asala.
The CEO of People with Disability, Solomon Islands expressed this when he contributed to UNDP and Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification’s (MMERE) Panel Discussion on “Pathways towards better electric power availability, affordability, and sustainability” on Friday, November 14, 2025 at Heritage Park Hotel.
Fa’asala said during the 1960s, communities were engaged in an investigation on hydro in the country.
“Renewal of this investigation, therefore, would be paramount to the way we think to move forward and to carry out where necessary,” he said.
Fa’asala went on to state that, in a survey from the investigation, Mataniko right in Honiara was identified to be a location for hydro power.
Along with Mataniko, he mentioned Tenaru Falls, Lata in Temotu and Western Province’s Kolombangara as other places that were also identified.
Fa’asala stressed that in order for us to make such plans happen, we should feel that we need to appreciate the readiness of it.
“The readiness of how we would accept the utilisation of the energies,” he said.
Fa’asala pointed out that of course we would like to see more hydro being built in Solomon Islands given the many rivers we have.
On this note, he pointed out that the challenge we have is being confused when it comes to land rights and land policy.
“The challenge we have is, of course, Solomon Islands is confused with what is called land rights and land policy.
“We are too greedy to call land policy. We are not land owners. God owns the land, not us,” he said.
“We all have the right, and therefore if we use the right that is given to us in utilising our resources, we will be already rich,” he added.
Moreover, Fa’asala said seeing the need for water rights acquisitions, we are in need of such a policy to get it correct in order for us to utilise the many rivers we have.
He emphasised that we have the Protected Act 2010 and its regulations 2012, but we have not done enough to push those things in order for resource owners to come forward.
“We also have the Customer Land Records Act 1994, but government has not invested enough in order to comply with that, bringing people to come to again record their land, if they want to wish to do so,” Fa’asala said.
He noted that these are instruments that we already have and should explore.
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