water supply

Malpoi has been severely impacted by landslides and mud.

RNZ Pacific reports the Santo Sunset Environment Women's Network (SSEWN) said the village's main water-source is contaminated and houses and gardens have been destroyed.

Chairman of the network Allan Taman said the villagers need water and building materials.

"The main thing they need is water because their water source is destroyed. They said because they have relocated out of the village to the new sites they need materials to build houses."

The restoration project has been made possible through a Vt2million fund from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supporting climate change and environment.

SHEFA Provincial Government Planner, Jim Tabi, said Eton was one of the communities identified with affected water system that required improvement to ensure health of the people.

The clean water project was made possible by the SHEFA Provincial Government with the support of the United Nations Development Programme.

The project was facilitated after a Memorandum of Agreement was signed last year, which approved the initiative and provided an amount of Vt6 Million to support small communities in the fight against Climate Change.

Project Planner, Jim Tabi said Eton already had a water system in place but the design was very old and required a full restoration by replacing old pipes to allow easier access to clean water.

The handover ceremony was held at Teoumaville Water Pump which is located in Stage 1.

Terry Kerr, the original owner of the water system gave a moving speech about wanting to provide water to the people settling in Teoumaville from Vila, but his capacity and available resources could not meet the growing population.