Water insecurity is one of the most pressing global crises caused by climate change. In fact, half the world’s population is projected to live in water-scarce regions by 2050, and some 700 million people will be displaced by water scarcity as early as 2030, according to the United Nations.
Pacific island countries are particularly vulnerable to water insecurity due to their susceptibility to tropical storms and reliance on seasonal rain for agriculture. A new study by Keough School researcher Ellis Adams and 2023 Notre Dame global affairs graduate Quinton Hayre examined ways island communities can mobilize institutions and resources for climate-resilient water security.
“Our study found that establishing a strong community-based governance and collective action strategy in rural and isolated communities is critical for water security,” said Adams, associate professor of geography and environmental policy and a core faculty affiliate of the Keough School’s Pulte Institute for Global Development. “It’s especially important amid climate change and growing destruction caused by natural disasters on Pacific Island nations.”
University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs.
As an undergraduate student majoring in science pre-professional studies and global affairs, Hayre collected data in Nanuku, a rural Indigenous village in a mountainous area on Viti Levu, an island in Fiji. Using ethnographic observation, he collected data on biophysical conditions and community attributes and rules, conducted interviews with members of the village’s water committee and discussed their individual contributions, attended village and water committee meetings and assisted in maintenance of the water system.
The study revealed an abundant water supply from mountain freshwater springs that was channeled by a dam and a main pipeline that connects two emergency water storage tanks and a village pipe network serving connected households. Despite water abundance, residents reported poor water quality during heavy rain due to high levels of soil runoff into the dam.
Though the village receives financial assistance from the Water Authority of Fiji, interviews with water committee members showed that the community water committee plays an immense role in the village’s efforts to achieve water security and resilience. Villagers demonstrated a collective commitment to serving their community, and nearly all study participants felt that it was their responsibility to contribute to advancing the village’s water security.
“Our findings point to the importance of social relations and cultural elements of trust, volunteering, reciprocity and sharing — all core tenets of effective community-based water governance,” Adams said.
The villagers’ collective commitment became especially clear when the water system required repair, Adams said.
“Typically the men are fixing the pipes; the women who can’t participate in the maintenance are cooking for those doing the repairs; and the village elders who aren’t able to help are teaching younger villagers how they made the repairs in the past,” he said.
Although villagers’ voluntary labor contributions were important for water security, authoritative positions such as the water committee chairman and treasurer were shown to be critical for collective action and a sense of responsibility.
“As natural disasters often damaged the community’s water infrastructure, we found it was important to have a quick-acting system to allocate funds where they were most needed,” Adams said.
The researchers also observed shortcomings in the village’s community-based water system, including too few laborers on the water committee and insufficient funds to cover repairs. To remedy these problems, they recommended a formal election process to select additional water committee members — specifically, a member who would be charged with encouraging (currently optional) contributions to the water-system maintenance fund.
Adams said the researchers’ findings on Fiji hold lessons that are applicable to other Pacific Island nations.
“Providing this example of village-based decision-making processes for life-sustaining resource systems promotes best practices for other isolated and rural Pacific Island communities,” he said. “Our study also provides insight into future policy and investment strategies for governmental organizations seeking to help island communities to build resilient water systems.”
system that he helped secure for the village of Nanuku in Fiji./
After completing the study, Hayre collaborated with the Nanuku village community leaders, the Water Authority of Fiji and Friends of Fiji—a Peace Corps alumni nonprofit group—to secure full funding and successfully implement a village-wide ecological purification system. This filtration system, identified as the community's most pressing need during the study, now ensures a reliable supply of clean household water year-round, even in extreme weather conditions.
“This successful construction project stands as a concrete example of how research can improve water security in the Pacific Islands,” Adams said.
In July 2024, Hayre returned to Nanuku to attend the inauguration of the filtration project and to meet with district officials and water authority personnel to advocate for rural water security across Fiji.
“We’re committed to leveraging the study's findings to highlight the critical water system needs of rural communities not only in Fiji but also throughout the greater Pacific Islands region,” said Hayre, who is earning a master’s degree in epidemiology at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “It's important to both of us that this research and all other projects we pursue lead to sustainable real-world policies and actions.”
This research project was funded by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies,
Originally published by at keough.nd.edu on October 24, 2024.