The Pacific region presents some of the lowest water and sanitation coverage figures globally, with some countries showing stagnating or even declining access to improved water and sanitation. In addition, Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are among the most vulnerable countries on the globe to extreme and variable climatic events and sea-level rise caused by climate change. By exploring the state of water and sanitation coverage in PICs and projected climatic variations, we add to the growing case for conserving water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions within a holistic integrated water resource management (IWRM) framework. PICs face unique challenges of increasing variability in rainfall (leading to drought and flooding), increasing temperatures, and likely higher than average sea-level rise, all of which impact on freshwater security. Add to this geographic and economic isolation, and limited human and physical resources, and the challenge of WASH provision increases dramatically. In this setting, there is a stronger case than ever for adopting a holistic systems understanding, as promoted by IWRM frameworks, to WASH interventions so that they consider past and current challenges as well as future scenarios.
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Research Article|
April 08 2015
Putting WASH in the water cycle: climate change, water resources and the future of water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in Pacific Island Countries
Wade L. Hadwen;
1Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
E-mail: [email protected]
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Bronwyn Powell;
Bronwyn Powell
2International Water Centre, PO Box 10907, Adelaide St, Brisbane, Queensland 4000, Australia
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Morgan C. MacDonald;
Morgan C. MacDonald
1Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
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Mark Elliott;
Mark Elliott
3Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, Box 870205, Tuscaloosa, AL 35407, USA and The Water Institute, University of North Carolina, CB#7431, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Terence Chan;
Terence Chan
4Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
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Wolfgang Gernjak;
Wolfgang Gernjak
5Advanced Water Management Centre, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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William G. L. Aalbersberg
William G. L. Aalbersberg
6Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, Institute of Applied Science, The University of the South Pacific, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji
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Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development (2015) 5 (2): 183–191.
Article history
Received:
August 26 2014
Accepted:
March 03 2015
Citation
Wade L. Hadwen, Bronwyn Powell, Morgan C. MacDonald, Mark Elliott, Terence Chan, Wolfgang Gernjak, William G. L. Aalbersberg; Putting WASH in the water cycle: climate change, water resources and the future of water, sanitation and hygiene challenges in Pacific Island Countries. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development 1 June 2015; 5 (2): 183–191. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2015.133
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