Water Resources Water Distribution The Water Cycle Pacific country water challenges at a glance Cook Islands Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Islands Kiribati Nauru Niue Papua New Guinea Republic of Palau Republic of the Marshall Islands Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Water Demand Management What is Water Demand Management? Understanding the language The water supply system Four methods of real loss management Our Program Project goal, objective and outputs WDM program construction Program partners Project profiles Resources Links Articles Speaker notes Publications     Nauru Home Water Resources Water Demand Management Our Program Resources Contact Us   Geography Total Area 21 km2   Land 21 km2   Water 0 km2 Highest Elev.  61m Landuse     Arable 0%   Perm. Crop 0%   Other 100% (2005) People Population 11,528 (July 2007 est.) Population Growth Rate 1.781% (2007 est.) Economy GDP per capita (PPP) $5,000 (2005 est.) Water Statistics Avg Rainfall 2,090 mm per annum   Status of Water Resources Sources of freshwater for Nauru’s island communities are restricted to: Rainwater Imported water Shallow unconfined groundwater (generally within less than 2 m of the surface) Desalination (one large evaporative desalination plant and four small RO desalination plants).      Problems with Water Resources and Associated Environment Issues The major issues and concerns are as follows: There is not a secure supply of drinking water available to maintain health and wellbeing; High energy input is required for the desalination plants There may already be over-extraction of groundwater around the Bottom side There is some contamination of the groundwater occurring now, even though it is the best source of future water supply The sustainable yield of the groundwater has not been determined (but a study is planned for the near future) There is a need to control the discharge of wastewater adjacent to wells used to extract non-potable water and to upgrade local sanitation practices to composting-type toilets or similar arrangements There is very little monitoring or information collection on water quantity and quality, and hence no strong base for future planning There has been very little investigation of the environmental implications of the changes in land use and water use on the island Droughts have a major effect on the supply of water – particularly for roof water catchments There is a need for improved water governance and local skills Land and water ownership are still to be resolved for groundwater extraction. Information on this page obtained from Integrated Water Resources Management programme's Diagnostic Reports (SOPAC 2007)     © SOPAC 2007  |  Disclaimer  |  Site Map