Restoring fresh water and people’s health in Micronesia

Photo: Stefan Krasowski / CC BY 2.0

A thick blanket of rainforest covers the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. Waterfalls pour over black basalt mountains. Though rivers seem plentiful, waterborne diseases have plagued people in the village of Kepirohi in southern Pohnpei.

The problems started in the 1960s, when a religious trade school diverted its septic system into a local river. This contaminated the local water supply and required clean water to be piped to the lower part of the village. In 2004, the school closed and the water system fell into disrepair. Despite the village’s efforts to restore clean water, waterborne diseases spread like rapid fire.

In June 2014, Global Greengrants supported the Penietik Women’s Organization to build a system to restore the community’s clean water supply. Using a Greengrant, the women cleaned two traditional springs—Liepei Kepirohi and Sako—so they could be used safely. They lay PVC pipe to connect the springs to the village, and built two faucets along the village road to give people easy access to drinking water.

Their work was a resounding success. Just a few months later, the springs now supply clean, fresh drinking water to people in Kepirohi village, and are the main drinking water source for communities in the surrounding area.

Thanks to our advisors in the Pacific Islands for sharing this story of a community project with a far-reaching impact.