Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content

Kiribati: The South Tarawa water supply project

Sanitation and Water for All Secretariat
12 Aug 2020

Kiribati is one of the most remote and least developed countries in the world, and faces significant challenges due to its vulnerability to climate change. South Tarawa’s water supply is almost entirely dependent on underground freshwater lenses (where freshwater sits above denser saltier water); the quality and quantity of which are seriously threatened by climate change-induced heavy rains and prolonged drought. Should such extreme events occur simultaneously or in quick succession, they can reduce the lenses’ yield to zero – for periods of up to five years. Given this, the lenses cannot be relied upon as the main source of water in the future. The South Tarawa water supply project aims to reduce the climate vulnerability of the entire population of South Tarawa by providing them with a reliable, safe, and climate-resilient water supply. The project is expected to benefit 62,298 people, and requires a total investment of US$58m, of which US$29.4m (50.7%) will come from the GCF.

Read full case study. Download the Handbook.