Sewerage system construction under the ADB-funded Koror-Airai Sanitation Project in Palau
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (17 July 2020) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and cofinancing partners’ investment to make Pacific towns and cities more livable
through improved essential services is poised to reach $900 million by the end of 2022, according to a new report.
ADB’s Pacific Urban Update 2020 details a raft of extensive investments across the region—both ongoing and upcoming—which will improve water supply,
sanitation, and other municipal infrastructure and services in urban areas. The report highlights how integration and
coordination, and an emphasis on building capacity to plan and manage urban development, are building urban resilience
by addressing the root causes of vulnerability and fragility.
“More people moving to cities and towns risks the growth of underserved informal settlements and increased spread of
disease, but it also presents an opportunity to improve lives through the sustainable delivery of accessible services,”
said the Urban Division Director of ADB’s Pacific Department Jingmin Huang. “By helping countries provide safe,
efficient, and reliable urban services, and by better managing the growth of towns and cities, we are building strong
and healthy economies to better manage their isolation and limited resources.”
The report states significant urban planning, investment, and institutional reforms are needed to improve access to, and
the quality of, urban services in Pacific cities and towns. It says to build urban resilience today, and in the future,
a focus on disaster preparedness and the impacts of climate change is needed.
The report examines the case-by-case solutions ADB is developing for each Pacific country’s unique situation through 17
ongoing urban development projects, estimated at more than $320 million. Another 26 projects, estimated at almost $580
million, are set to begin before 2022. ADB’s cofinancing partners include the Governments of Australia and Ireland, the
Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, the European Union, the European Investment Bank, and the World
Bank.
In Fiji, the $405 million Urban Water Supply and Wastewater Management Investment Program is building and renovating
infrastructure to improve access to safe drinking water and sewerage for the people of greater Suva. Along with a new,
climate-resilient water intake station and an expanded wastewater treatment plant, the project is improving the Water
Authority of Fiji’s management and service delivery capacities. Meanwhile, the proposed Nadi Flood Alleviation Project
will deliver structural and other measures to protect Fiji’s fourth-largest urban center from increasingly regular
flooding.
Major water supply projects in Kiribati, and Solomon Islands are also detailed in the report.
In Kiribati, following on from a $26 million sanitation project, the $62 million South Tarawa Water Supply Project will
improve the health of the densely populated Kiribati capital’s population. The project will build new climate-resilient
and sustainable water supply and sanitation infrastructure, improve urban planning capabilities, and undertake community
engagement and awareness raising on health and hygiene issues.
Meanwhile, a $93 million project in Solomon Islands will improve access to safe water and sanitation in the capital
Honiara and five other urban centers and help Solomon Water become financially sustainable and technically proficient.
Residents in Honiara will also benefit from a $10 million project to build priority infrastructure identified in the
government’s plan for the capital.
In Palau, the report details an urban planning project for Koror and Babeldaob Island that is working with the
government to develop a strategy and action plan that integrates spatial and geographic information system maps. The
project focuses on maintaining a balance between economic, cultural, and physical environments while optimizing scarce
resources to support economic growth and increased well-being.
This holistic focus is also reflected in the $16 million Integrated Urban Resilience Sector Project in Tonga. Along with
improving water supply and waste services, this project is working to build knowledge and capabilities to manage these
services and develop associated policies as needs change in the future.
The report notes that improved water and sanitation through projects such as these, as well as better planning of urban
areas, will reduce the risk of communicable diseases and increase local capacity to manage disease and illness, such as
the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
ADB is also working to strengthen regional coordination and integration by building urban planning, assessment, and
development capacities; developing a subregional solid waste management strategy; establishing regional networks; and
producing knowledge products on improving urban services in Pacific countries.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining
its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.