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• Past Intervention
• Current Issues for Tonga
• Programme Response

The effective social and economic development of Pacific Communities is dependent on three essential inputs, namely energy, water, and information and communication technologies. The Community Lifelines Programme aims to improve access to these essential inputs in Pacific communities.

SOPAC has provided assistance to specific requests from the Kingdom of Tonga and implemented general regional initiatives.

Past Intervention

Interventions in Tonga that relate to the Community Lifelines Programme involved the development of the Energy, Water and Information and Communications sectors.

• Various forms of assistance were provided for the Energy Sector and the national capacity responsible for this sector in Tonga. A Photo-Voltaic? Pumping PVP Systems workshop convened in Suva to review the failure of this system in the various Pacific Countries. In Tonga, this was through the Tonga Solar Rural Electrification Programme (Fifita, 1998). In addition, the efficiency of locally constructed Solar Water Heaters was monitored against imported ones in Tonga ; an energy database was constructed to have available all relevant energy data that would assist in the formulation of Tonga’s energy policies and regulations (SOPAC, 1999); the training of Tongan nationals through attachments via the Secretariat to understudy methods of electricity distribution in order to adapt a similar model in their home country . Further, an evaluation of the viability of institutional woodstoves designed and construction financed by SOPAC. The evaluation provided an insight into the success and failures of the project, and provided recommendation for the future .

Other interventions in the past involved the provision of assistance to the Water Sector of Tonga.

• Ha’apai’s groundwater source was assessed and their sanitation addressed through the development of appropriate guidelines for the spacing of their groundwater source and possible pollution sources (Mogensen, 1996). Likewise the water resources and water supply systems on the Island of ‘Eua were reviewed. Recommendations were made on how best to upgrade the water supply systems. ‘Eua is the only island in Tonga that has surface water resources and there was little available data regarding stream flows. Hence, information was collected to enable better management of the island’s limited water resources .
• Assistance to the Tonga Water Board TWB was also provided. Initiatives include a small-scale wastewater treatment plant study and a pilot of the wastewater treatment plant was recommended for construction at Nuku’alofa hospital, Liahona High School and the Popua area; training was given on the hydraulic network modelling of the Nuku’alofa Water Distribution System to build capacity and to implement the upgrading plans that were drawn up a few years earlier ; comprehensive information on PVC pipe detection technology was provided in order for the TWB to purchase cost effective and appropriate equipment for mapping their pipe system and training was facilitated to Tonga Nationals of the Water Sector through fellowship attachments with SOPAC.

In addition to water, the Information and Technology Sector of the Kingdom of Tonga was provided assistance. An assessment of the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources Information System was undertaken. Recommended technology and systems was put forth that would provide the relevant support that would ensure the productivity of this ministry.

Current Issues for Tonga

Within the context of the three pillars of sustainable development, there are a number of critical issues that have been identified by Tonga through national and regional mechanisms. Many of these issues are critical in relation to the achievement of Tonga’s longer-term vision and fall within the work programme component areas of the Community Lifelines Programme. The relevant identified key issues and concerns are summarised below:

• Need for technical training in renewable energy technologies.
• Need to reduce Tonga’s dependency and expenditure on imported fuels.
• Need for coordinated and consistent approach towards common national development goals that promote widespread accessibility to energy resources.
• Need to upgrade and extend infrastructure services such as transport and communications networks to the outer islands.
• Water resources is limited and vulnerable to climate change and variability
• Lack of proper legislation and relevant technologies to ensure proper water resource management and conservation
• Insufficient human resources development and training
• Lack of public and other stakeholder awareness on water and related issues.
• Lack of planning for sustainability of the water resource as a whole.

Programme Response

Tackling these issues requires a pragmatic approach from Tonga’s partners, such as SOPAC. The Community Lifelines Programme provides assistance through both regional projects and specific activities that respond to individual country requests.

Current projects that involve the key national bodies and sectors in Tonga include:

• Increasing awareness of the interaction between the environmental and economic impacts of energy use, a schools energy education programme was proposed in 1999.
• Processes are currently underway to introduce energy education into the Tonga School Curriculum . This project involves key people in Tonga, with the assistance of the energy component of SOPAC’s Community Lifelines Programme.
• Assistance is being provided to the Energy Planning Unit for the drafting of their Climate Change Enabling Proposal, which will finance the implementation of the Climate Change Enabling Activities . The Energy Planning Unit expressed desire for SOPAC intervention in the actual implementation of this project.
• The Community Lifelines Programme is involved in the review of Tonga’s water supply master plan.
• A pipe detection survey confirmed the existence of the water distribution system in the Neiafau Vava’u water supply network, which has been updated on the existing GIS database .
• A recent initiative is a UNEP funded Rainwater Harvesting Demonstration Project in Tonga that is carried out by the Tonga Community Development Trust in Vava’u.
• Support to Tonga in intranet and Internet development, and GIS and Remote Sensing development is ongoing. The current department of priority is the Tonga Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Natural Resources, where the training of relevant staff for a fully functional internet/intranet system is in progress . In country technicians of this department are also being trained in the development of GIS related work , which will provide support to Remote Sensing.
• Support to a research project on Equitable groundwater management for the development of atolls and small islands with the Tonga Water Board and the Tonga Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Natural Resources and ACIAR/ANU/CIRAD.

SOPAC’s response to Tonga’s sustainable development needs is planned at a regional level and executed at a National Level. These regional responses include:

• The continual assessment of wind power development and energy resources, the provision of technical assistance and training of staff for this assessment, and the provision and maintenance of an energy database which will assist in decision making and human resource development;
• The development of energy resources that incorporate new and related technology to improve community access to and awareness of energy resources, in order to ensure sustainable management;
• The development of cost effective and suitable technology such as Geographic Information Systems [GIS] and Remote Sensing on spatial data for the region that is accessible for relevant stakeholders, regionally and internationally; the development of intranet and internet technologies; relevant support to the government departments concerned, and ensuring the accuracy of available data;
• The provision of technical advice on water and sanitation in the region, its proper management and awareness of waste management; the development of strategies that will reduce member islands vulnerability to drought;
• The review of existing policy and legislation in water, energy and relevant information and communication technologies that relate to SOPAC work programmes; representation of Pacific Concerns at global forums and the coordination of regional action plans in these areas.