Going beyond community-based WASH planning to catchment scale thinking in rural Solomon Islands

Village representatives participate in a water cycle training and water hazard identification activity

Village representatives participate in a water cycle training and water hazard identification activity (Plan International, Solomon Islands)

 

This Water, WASH & Climate story was authored by Tema Wickham (Plan International Solomon Islands), Collin Benjamin (Solomon Islands National University) and Brendon Teava (Live & Learn Environmental Education)

 

In rural Solomon Islands, where 80% of the population lives but only half have access to an improved water supply, Community-Based Water Security Improvement Planning (CWSIP) is the dominant model and a critical to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Water for Women partners with Plan International and the International WaterCentre, in collaboration with Live & Learn Environmental Education and Solomon Islands National University to deliver CWSIP in western Guadalcanal province as part of the New Times, New Targets project.

 

Supporting community-led protection and management of water systems

 

The first phase of CWSIP (‘CWSIP 1’) has focused on supporting community-led protection and management of water systems, in particular, describing water systems, identifying risks, identifying and prioritising control measures and preparing a community action plan. This has involved a practical and inclusive seven step approach, which is ongoing.

 

The CWSIP 1 approach includes and represents a cross-section of people and perspectives in the community to better meet the needs of the whole community. While the risk assessment and hazard identification processes expose the community to different types of potential water contaminants they may not have been aware of, for example, from animals and people.

 

Linking the community-based approach to catchment scale thinking

 

Through a Water for Women Innovation & Impact research grant the team is now linking the community-based approach to catchment scale discussions on water management.  This second phase of CWSIP (‘CWSIP 2’) focuses on inclusion, climate adaptation and resilience in connection to the catchment scale and is engaging strategically with communities to improve the inclusivity and sustainability of water security planning. This includes supporting communities with the knowledge and skills to plan for future scenarios, such as a growing population and potential climate hazards, and to build climate resilience.

 

Going beyond community-based WASH planning to catchment scale thinking of water management (published August 2022)

This video highlights how the approach is motivating communities through sharing stories and increasing their knowledge about future hazards and how their well-being and broader water catchments will be affected.     

 

The approach aims to instill a common understanding that:

  1. the future is important
  2. planning for future scenarios ensures no regrets – “take actions now”.
  3. solutions require collective action – “everyone has responsibilities”.
  4. water for everyone is important.

 

What’s next?

 

Efforts to connect community-based water management to the catchment level is being progressed in a more holistic way. An innovative photovoice approach that combines photography and ? to document and generate discussion on the current health of water sources and the catchment will foster intergenerational dialogue between young people, men and women, and neighbouring communities in the catchment. .

 

This also creates  a platform for communities to discuss environmental changes and reflect on the experience of others in their catchment, and is building the understanding that water stewardship is everyone’s responsibility, with  communities discussing individual and collective actions that they can take to conserve, protect and regenerate their water resources.

 

To date, the CWSIP approach has seen active engagement from both young people and women in water management, and communities taking the lead in managing their own water systems.

 

We are pleased that our program is making every effort to ensure socially equitable, sustainable and climate-resilient WASH and water resource outcomes in Solomon Islands.

Women and men participate in community mapping exercises in separate groups Source: Solomon Islands National University

Women and men participate in community mapping exercises in separate groups (Solomon Islands National University)

 


 

This story was first shared as part of the This is Water, WASH & Climate: Stories from Practice, on 22 June 2022 during the Water, WASH & Climate Virtual Symposium. It has since been edited with permission.

 

An inclusive community is an essential building block of a climate resilient community. In an uncertain and rapidly changing world, there is no greater priority than ensuring that water and WASH systems are future-proofed for climate resilience, social cohesion, accountability and wellbeing. Embedding the voice of women and marginalised people in water and WASH systems is one of the most effective pathways to strengthen equity and inclusion, so that the ‘invisible’ becomes visible, and valued. Valuing diversity, and diverse perspectives, strengthens prospects for a more climate resilient and socially cohesive future.

For more information about the session and Water & WASH Futures events visit https://washfutures.com/. Key Water and WASH Futures partners are the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the International WaterCentre, Water for Women, the Asian Development Bank and the Australian Water Partnership.

To learn more and continue the discussion on how to achieve SDG 6 in a changing climate, join us in Brisbane at the Water and WASH Futures Conference 13-17 February 2023.

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