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     Solomon Islands Home Water Resources Water Demand Management Our Program Resources Contact Us   Geography Total Area 28,450 km2   Land 27,540 km2   Water 910 km2 Highest Elev. 2,447 m Landuse     Arable 0.62%   Perm. Crop 2.04%   Other 97.34% (2005) People Population 566,842 (July 2007 est.) Population Growth Rate 2.54% (July 2007 est.) Economy GDP per capita (PPP) $600 (2005 est.) Water Statistics Avg Rainfall 1,500 to 5,000 mm per annum   Status of Water Resources Water resources availability ranges from sizeable rivers to small streams from high mountainous and dense rainforest islands to rainwater harvesting and thin fresh water lens of underground aquifers of the small low-lying atolls and islets. Rainfall and river flows are highly variable in certain areas; drinking water supplies may run short one month, yet a few months’ later roads and gardens may be threatened by floods. In the outlying atolls of the Solomon Islands, where rainfall is low and there are only limited supplies of groundwater. Even where water resources are abundant they may not be suitable for a particular use, such as human consumption.   Problems with Water Resources and Associated Environment Issues Extent of exploitation of water resources With an estimated population of 400,000 in 1999, about 14% live in six urban areas including Honiara and the balance of about 86% of the population live in rural areas while the rest live in urban and peri-urban areas. Information to date revealed that about 50-70% of rural population has access to piped or improved water supply while coverage in urban areas is about 80-90%. Demands on watersheds/water resources Drinking and household use in both rural villages and in urban centres is the major use of water resources in the country. Although the quantities required are relatively small the quality of the raw water must be high due to non-presence of expensive treatment for the water supply. There is limited agricultural water demand because most crops are rain fed or watered direct from groundwater sources. The agricultural developments of Guadalcanal plains have shown the potential for irrigation especially in the small holder rice farming activities. Furthermore, with the increase in the population (approximate annual growth rates placed between 2.8 and 3%) there is a need to increase the supply of water in urban and rural areas. In this case better water quality and quantity is needed for the country to meet the increasing population in the near future. Competing uses of water Current Information suggests that about 50-70% of rural population have access to piped or improved water supply while coverage in urban areas is about 80-90%. Sources of pollution of surface water, groundwater, coastal waters Information exchange on water resources Information on this page obtained from Integrated Water Resources Management programme's Diagnostic Reports (SOPAC 2007)     © SOPAC 2007  |  Disclaimer  |  Site Map