NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES

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WATER AND SANITATION A PACIFIC ISLAND
WATER AND SANITATION A PACIFIC ISLAND
THT282 - CASE C5, PACIFIC ISLAND
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES
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www.destination360
Photo Ronny Hansen
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www.umb.no
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WATER AND SANITATION A PACIFIC ISLAND
You are at a pacific Island and is going to give
advice regarding upgrading of the water and
sanitary conditions. The Island has a total area
of 3km2. The highest point is 20 m above sea
level. 500 people live on the island most of
them in four small settlements. The settlements
range from 50 to 200 people and they are all
located close to the sea. The groundwater level
is from 0,5 to 1,0m below the ground surface in
the area where the people live. The people are
poor fishermen and also have some agriculture in
addition to harvesting what they can find in the
forest. There is interest an emerging interest
among the islanders to be more self sufficient
with respect to basic agricultural products and
vegetables especially. Tourism is starting to
develop and there is one eco-hotel on the island.
The people are mainly practicing open
defecation and some have a bucket toilet in a
shed next to the house. In the largest settlement
they have just installed a few traditional water
toilets with direct discharge to the sea/beach.
This practice, however, is strongly opposed by
the owner of the eco-hotel who wants to keep the
beaches and sea as clean as possible. The
islanders are relying on water from dug wells.
The water quality is generally good, but wells
located within the village suffer from greywater
discharged into soakpits next to the house. There
are also some houses in the villages that have
built pit latrines that are polluting the
groundwater in their nearby surroundings. The
water resources on the island are limited due to
low precipitation (700 mm/year) and the risk of
saltwater intrusion if the groundwater is pumped
to hard. The soil is sandy and the rich in
calcium due to the coral reef origin of the
island. On and near the beach you find calcium
rich white sand. The Islanders want to upgrade
their sanitary facilities, but have very limited
resources. Most of the houses/huts do not have
running water, but this it is a wish to have
running water at least to a tap stands in the
villages. The electricity on the island is
generated by diesel generators and therefore very
expensive. The mean annual temperature is 25C
and does not vary very much over the year due to
the location in the ocean.
THT282 - CASE C5, PACIFIC ISLAND
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES
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Photo Ronny Hansen
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www.umb.no
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WATER AND SANITATION A PACIFIC ISLAND
THT282 - CASE C5, PACIFIC ISLAND
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES
TASK How would you suggest to upgrade the water
and sanitary facilities on the island to more
sustainable systems that benefits both the
islanders and the nature? Make a short
presentation (max 15 minutes) to the class where
you discuss your solutions.
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The pictures in this and the previous slides are
not from the island described in this case
Photo Ronny Hansen
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http//www.ravencruise.com/images/Huahine20-20Si
gne20hunts20for20shells.jpg
www.umb.no