Solomon Water has awarded a major contract to Plan International Australia to implement a Hygiene Promotion Project in six Honiara settlements.

The Hygiene Promotion Project is expected to improve effective hygiene behavior and increase the number of households using effective toilets and hand washing facilities in selected settlements. It is part of Solomon Water’s overall water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) program under the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (UWSSSP).

Honiara settlements that will benefit from the WASH Hygiene Promotion Project are Kombito 1, Kombito 2, Kombito 3, Mamulele, Green Valley and Independence Valley.   The settlement selection process was conducted by Solomon Water and the Honiara City Council.

“Plan International Australia has extensive experience in the WASH sector and Solomon Water is excited to work with their team” said Solomon Water CEO Ian Gooden. “The Hygiene Promotion Project focuses on improving hand washing at critical times, using an effective toilet, and managing and using water in a safe and hygienic way”.

“While the Hygiene Promotion Project was not designed specifically to address pandemics such as the current coronavirus, Solomon Water expects the project to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene practices for approximately 7,000 people – including women and girls - in the selected settlements” he said. “In turn, the improved WASH behaviors will ultimately reduce the transmission of water and air borne illnesses, including coronavirus”.

The Hygiene Promotion Project is part of Solomon Water’s Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (UWSSSP) that is funded by the Solomon Islands Government and development partners the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank and European Union (EU).

Other key WASH projects Solomon Water is implementing under UWSSSP are a recently completed WASH Household Survey and the WASH in Schools Project.

The Hygiene Promotion Project has commenced and will be implemented over 14 months.

Media contact:

Ruth Ramoifuila, Communications and Corporate Support Coordinator

Phone: 44662  | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Solomon Water has awarded a $16m contract to Australian based international consultants SMEC International Pty. Ltd. to implement the second phase of the detailed engineering design project as a part of the wider Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (UWSSSP) funded by the Solomon Islands Government with its development partners the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (WB) and European Union (EU).

“Solomon Water’s vision is to provide safe water for a healthy nation and the detailed designs and studies that this contract will produce will advance us towards this vision” CEO Ian Gooden said. “Solomon Water welcomes SMEC on board and we look forward to the outcome of the project”.

The second phase of the detailed engineering project covers six critical activities:

1. Implementation of an Asset Management System.
2. A new five year action plan.
3. Identification and design of large pipeline replacement programme to reduce non revenue water losses.
4. Expansion of Solomon Water’s service in Honiara to areas currently unable to be supplied in the Noah Hill, Nine ridges and Mount Austen area .
5. Identification and design of pipeline replacements for the wastewater collection system rehabilitation.
6. Feasibility study and design of the proposed Choiseul Province township water and waste water system.

The project will run for seventeen months and is due to commence shortly.

Media contact:

Ruth Ramoifuila, Communications and Corporate Support Coordinator

Phone: 44662  | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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In March this year Solomon Water released a statement to inform the public about the increasing number of faulty prepaid, or Cash Water meters. Solomon Water advised that its objectives in introducing Cash Water meters were twofold. The first was to increase customer awareness of water consumption and, in the process, help customers and their households save on their water expenses. The second objective was to halt the growing amount of arrears on Solomon Water’s books through unpaid water accounts.

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Solomon Water has been unable to award a contract for the Kongulai Water Treatment and Pipeline Construction Project which was tendered late last year. This is due to shortcomings noted in all received bids failing to meet the requirements of the bidding documents.

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