| Project Detail |
Development pressure in Tongas capital, Nukualofa, is increasing as a result of population growth and further investment in sustainable urban infrastructure is required, with particular focus on building disaster and climate change resilience. Land for urban expansion of Nukualofa is limited to peripheral agricultural and ecologically sensitive areas, placing development pressure on existing marginal areas within Nukualofa such as Sopu and Popua, which are low lying, subject to frequent flooding during periods of heavy rain and storm surge, and have significant numbers of poor households.
The geographical, geological and socioeconomic features of Tonga class it as one of the countries most at risk to the adverse impacts of climate change. The current and future climate-related drivers of risk for Tonga and, in particular, for Nukualofa, include sea level rise, tropical cyclones, increasing air and sea surface temperatures, and changing rainfall patterns. Nukualofa, and particularly the low-lying areas of Sopu and Popua, are highly vulnerable to climate change and suffer from recurrent flooding events, resulting in (i) personal and economic losses, (ii) flood damage to property and infrastructure, (ii) perpetual standing water, (iii) ideal conditions for mosquitoes and the transmission of waterborne diseases, and (iv) loss of access to properties.
Flooding in Nukualofa remains an unaddressed issue. Development of Sopu and Popua is constrained by large swamps, requiring substantial filling to enable properties to be developed. Many lots within Sopu and Popua have not been developed or registered, as households are unable to fill their properties to a habitable level above seasonal flood levels. Additionally, the effects of extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, are worsening the situation. The piecemeal raising of road levels and filling of residential land to cope with the floods on an individual basis has altered the natural drainage patterns and created additional swamps and open water bodies. Lack of institutional arrangements and responsibilities for the provision of drainage services (new drainage and maintenance of existing ones) and the lack of legislation and regulations have contributed to limited drainage improvements and resultant marginal living conditions in Sopu and Popua where households facing financial hardship are over-represented.
Improvements to Nukualofas water supply system provided through the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Australia funded Nukualofa Urban Development Sector Project (NUDSP) are yielding positive results in terms of operation, water pressures, water security and financial performance of the state-owned Tonga Water Board (TWB). However, although the improvements and accomplishments have been substantial, TWB is also facing several serious constraints:
(i) Effective management and protection of its new additional water resources is not in place, which puts its recent investments in additional production capacity at risk.
(ii) People do not like the water supplied by TWB because it is hard water and prefers to drink softer water from uncontrolled sources, which may create public health issues.
(iii) The improved water supply pressures have resulted in higher water losses due to leakage, increasing the percentage of non-revenue water, which is now estimated at about 40% to 50% of production (up from 30% in 2011).
(iv) Adequate asset management is lacking, resulting in inadequate maintenance and lack of maintenance budget.
(v) System components in TWBs outer island operations need upgrading or rehabilitation.
(vi) Billing efficiency and metering are improving but still below acceptable standards.
(vii) An agreed framework and policy for setting water tariffs does not exist, creating uncertainty and ad-hoc changes in TWBs revenues.
(viii) The cooperation between TWB, Tonga Power Limited, and Waste Authority Limited (WAL) is intensifying under the new government-initiated shared Board, but guidance is needed on the way forward. There is a lack of capacity in fields such as project management, technical planning, technical skills, human resource planning, and the organisation needs to improve its professional image.
The current NUDSP will pilot new on-site sewage treatment and disposal facilities to selected households in Nukualofa. However, further investment in improved on-site sewage treatment and disposal facilities for an additional 400 households is necessary and would enhance public and environmental health in Nukualofa, particularly in low lying areas, such as Sopu and Popua, where the high water table and chronic flooding render on-site sewage treatment and disposal a high health risk to residents.
Additionally, the Cabinet has recently approved WAL to be responsible for waste management services nationwide. In order to fulfill its new obligations, WAL requires additional capacity building support (technical trainings on waste management operations, maintenance, training of trainers etc) and investment support to purchase additional equipment to run the waste management operations in Tongatapu and the outer islands. |
