Malekula Water Supply Project: Increase Resilience of Vulnerable and Marginalized Communities of Malekula Island through Integrated Water Resource Management and Ecosystem-based Interventions

The Malekula Water Supply Project aims to transition water infrastructure on Malekula Island from vulnerable decentralised systems to climate-resilient centralised systems. The project addresses freshwater scarcity caused by sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion, and erratic rainfall. Key interventions include relocating boreholes inland to avoid salinity, installing new extraction and treatment systems from the Malua and Losinwei rivers, and implementing ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) through the restoration of indigenous forests to improve groundwater recharge and reduce erosion. The project also establishes emergency water supply protocols and consumption-based tariffs to ensure long-term operational sustainability.

• Climate change is reducing freshwater availability on Malekula Island, as sea-level rise causes saltwater intrusion into groundwater aquifers and intensifying droughts reduce supply.
• Vanuatu's climate is characterized by high vulnerability to natural disasters, with sea-level rise since 1993 measured at approximately 6 mm per year, which is higher than the global average.
• The project proposes a paradigm shift in rural water management, moving from small, decentralised point-of-use systems to larger, centralised systems that are more resilient and easier to monitor.
• To mitigate saltwater intrusion in the North East Area, the project will relocate existing boreholes in Norsup and Lakatoro approximately 1 km further inland.
• New centralised water systems will be installed in North West Areas A and B, extracting water from the perennial Malua and Losinwei rivers to serve approximately 6,300 people.
• The project employs Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) to protect water catchments, arguing that restoring indigenous forests increases soil porosity and permeability, thereby improving groundwater infiltration and river baseflows.
• An emergency water supply system will be developed, including the provision of two dedicated supply tankers based in Lakatoro and a new distribution centre at Rensarie College.
• The project will introduce consumption-based tariff structures to replace flat-rate tariffs, providing financial incentives for water conservation and funding for operations and maintenance.
• The project is estimated to directly benefit 16,500 people, representing approximately 72% of Malekula's population and 6% of Vanuatu's total population.
• The total indicative project cost is USD 20,100,000, requested as a grant from the Green Climate Fund due to Vanuatu's status as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) and Least Developed Country (LDC).

APA

Green Climate Fund (2019). Malekula Water Supply Project: Increase Resilience of Vulnerable and Marginalized Communities of Malekula Island through Integrated Water Resource Management and Ecosystem-based Interventions. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22710-malekula-water-supply-project-increase-resilience-vulnerable-and-marginalized-communities.pdf

Chicago

Green Climate Fund. Malekula Water Supply Project: Increase Resilience of Vulnerable and Marginalized Communities of Malekula Island through Integrated Water Resource Management and Ecosystem-based Interventions. 2019. https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22710-malekula-water-supply-project-increase-resilience-vulnerable-and-marginalized-communities.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Climate Fund |title=Malekula Water Supply Project: Increase Resilience of Vulnerable and Marginalized Communities of Malekula Island through Integrated Water Resource Management and Ecosystem-based Interventions |date=6 September 2019 |url=https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22710-malekula-water-supply-project-increase-resilience-vulnerable-and-marginalized-communities.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greenclimatefund2019malekula, author = {{Green Climate Fund}}, title = {{Malekula Water Supply Project: Increase Resilience of Vulnerable and Marginalized Communities of Malekula Island through Integrated Water Resource Management and Ecosystem-based Interventions}}, institution = {Green Climate Fund}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.greenclimate.fund/sites/default/files/document/22710-malekula-water-supply-project-increase-resilience-vulnerable-and-marginalized-communities.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }