Families get water help

28 June 2018, 12:00AM

The Independent Water Schemes Association (I.W.S.A.) of Samoa has just completed a project which provides home water treatment systems to over 370 households within Independent Water Schemes. 

The initiative will bring many households one step closer to meeting Samoan National Drinking Water Quality Standards. 

The I.W.S.A. with local Water Committees and the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development works towards providing reliable and sustainable access to clean, safe and affordable water for all Independent Water Schemes of Samoa. 

The Association supports 31 village managed independent water schemes which represent approximately 17% of the Samoan population. 

The home water treatment systems (filters) are designed to remove primarily bacteria (E.coli and other faecal coliforms) and protozoan cysts such as giardia and cryptosporidium. 

They are also capable of removing sediments and other small particles as small as 0.3 micron. It is anticipated that with the installation of these filters there will be a reduction in water related diseases in the communities, which is great news for these families. 

After an initial pilot project in 2016 which confirmed these types of filters were suitable for local Samoan conditions and that they were easy to use and maintain, the I.WS.A. was fortunate to have successfully obtained two rounds of funding from the Canadian Government via the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (C.F.L.I.) for this project.

The I.W.S.A. and local Water Committees will now monitor the home water treatment systems to check they continue to function as expected and to understand more about the maintenance requirements in a Samoan context. 

If all goes to plan the I.W.S.A. will be able to apply for additional funding to roll out home water treatments systems to all households in the Independent Water Schemes. 

If you would like to find out more about this project please don’t hesitate to pop into the I.W.S.A. office in Apia or contact the I.W.S.A. team via Facebook.

28 June 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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