In the Pacific, rural WASH is often managed at a community level by Village Water Committees, local government or similar. Water utilities are supporting rural WASH to varying degrees across the region, reflecting the global trend of increasing utility engagement in rural water services. Globally, this is driven by factors including population growth and increasing urbanization, the service delivery and performance capacity of utilities, and a strong enabling environment. The ADB Pacific WASH Technical Assistance (REG TA-6551), in association with the Pacific Water and Wastewater Association (PWWA), hosted an online discussion in July to explore the trend of water utilities supporting rural WASH and how these services are being managed, and the role water utilities can play. The webinar highlighted the complexities of rural WASH and community-managed water supply in Tonga through a pilot with three Village Water Committees, along with how the Water Authority of Fiji is supporting rural WASH with their rainwater harvesting tank initiative. The event was attended by 33 participants, including 13 from 8 Pacific countries.

You can watch the webinar recording and resources here: https://events.development.asia/learning-events/role-water-utilities-supporting-rural-wash

You can catch up on other webinars in the series here https://events.development.asia/learning-events/pacific-wash-webinars