News

New report reveals lack of access to basic services

November 19, 2015 5:20 pm

A new World Bank report on water and sanitation has found that thousands of families in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea are currently unable to access basic water and sewage services.

The report, titled: Unsettled: Water and Sanitation in Urban Settlement Communities of the Pacific, says more and more families are migrating to rural areas to Pacific capitals, creating rapidly-growing informal settlements with urgent water, sanitation and health needs.

The report also makes a number of recommendations on how government, utility providers, charities and donors can work together to improve access to safe water and the affordability of basic sanitation services.

Article continues after advertisement

The new report also states that in Pacific urban areas, up to 45 percent of the population live in informal settlements often without access to proper housing and formal legal titles to land, and living on flood-prone, crowded plots.

As more people relocate to the capital, the report says this could grow to 65 per cent of the capital city residents by 2023.