Innovative Approaches to Water Resilience in Tonga

NUKU'ALOFA, TONGA - On 10 May 2024, stakeholders from agencies with responsibilities for water sector infrastructure came together to develop actions towards increased resiliency in the sector with the support of international experts.

The water infrastructure roundtable is part of the CDRI/UNDRR "Enhancing Resilience of Infrastructure through Improved Governance". This water consultation builds on the results and analysis from a previous workshop held in Tonga on Nov 28 and 29, 2023 with infrastructure stakeholders where the water sector was identified as a critical, but yet highly vulnerable.

The water sector consultation created a deeper understanding of the specific challenges faced by the sector and of the current state of resiliency. The roundtable also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss synergies and share information to improve the water sector's resilience.

Participants also identified opportunities and possibilities to build synergies among existing programs. Some initial actions to strengthen the resilience of the water infrastructure include improving the monitoring of groundwater resources and providing training for village water committees. Participants also recognized the need to further use of spatial data for project planning and vulnerability assessment.

The findings from this consultation will feed back into the overall Enhancing Infrastructure Resilience through Strengthened Governance project led by UNDRR and CDRI that will lay out a concrete plan of actions to increase resilience in the country.