Application of Modern Technologies to Improve Water Security in RMI

This project is working to increase the availability and quality of water in the Marshall Islands’ capital by implementing new technologies for the collection and storage of rainwater via a reservoir. The initiative will enhance the island nation’s water security in times of increased drought and weather variability.

Fast facts:

Working to increase reservoir capacity from 121 million liters to 138 million liters;
Serving a growing population of nearly 30,000 people;
Enhanced storage capacity allows water reserves to last three to four months instead of three to four weeks.

The problem

Water is probably the most fundamental necessity for human life, and lack of potable water can have serious socioeconomic and health repercussions. But in the Marshall Islands’ capital of Majuro, outdated infrastructure had rendered the reservoir and catchment system increasingly inadequate for the city’s increasing population.

The 34 islands that make up the Republic of Marshall Islands are an average of three to four meters above sea level, and freshwater resources stand to be heavily impacted with the rise of sea levels. The impacts of climate change variability – including droughts, sea-level rise events, and heavy rainfalls – threaten to further jeopardize the city’s water supplies.

The solution

This project aims to increase water storage and improve existing water systems in Majuro. The Marshall Islands government is using the runway at the international airport, which constitutes the island’s largest paved area, as a surface for rainwater catchment. Water from the runway is diverted, treated, and piped to reservoirs. Among other efforts, the island’s government has worked to increase the airport reservoir’s capacity, including adding a new lining and a fitted cover to one of the main tanks, which reduces loss from seepage and evaporation.

Helping the planet

Such efforts will conserve the limited water available on this fragile atoll nation. By promoting alternative water sources for drought resilience, the work is also expected to increase baseline water levels. Effective water conservation also means healthier ecosystems, and more water for plants and wildlife.

Helping people

Improving water collection and storage will improve public health, agricultural production, food security, and industry operations, thereby preserving communities and livelihoods in the Marshall Islands. This project is building resilience to climate change, strengthening the institutional framework within the country, and improving the capacity of government and community leaders to integrate climate change risks into sustainable development programs.

Scaling up

The results and lessons acquired from the project will be shared regionally as well as globally, and bring together new knowledge to be used as the basis for a strategic and regional approach to climate change adaptation. The work could be replicated in other Pacific countries with similar water catchment issues (e.g. Tuvalu, Tokelau), aiding in technology transfer.

Expansion of the project is also considered. With the island’s limited land mass for catchment, solar purifiers can produce clean drinking water from seawater or contaminated groundwater by using the sun’s energy to evaporate the water and leave contaminants behind. This technology was successfully demonstrated in Nauru, and the Marshall Islands are working to replicate it for use in outer islands.