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By John Zedkaia
Fourteen Pacific Islands focused on protecting and managing their water resources through the GEF-funded Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Project.
In the Marshall Islands, the IWRM Project is focusing on protecting and managing the Laura underwater lens on Majuro, the country’s capital.
Julius Lucky, RMI’s IWRM Project Manager says the project is helping to manage human and animal waste contamination on the lens.
One of the challenges were local pig farms using water from the lens to wash down waste with the wastewater traveling back to the lens contaminating the resources and causing water borne diseases.
In addressing the challenges, the Project partnered up with local pig farms located above the lens where new littering systems was introduced. According to Lucky, a dry litter composting system was introduced replacing the use of the water and also producing compost valuable to vegetation.
The new system has also helped in reducing contamination and pollution to the underground water lens.