worldbank – Around the world, people are moving to cities in unprecedented numbers. The Pacific Islands are no different. In Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea (PNG), the urban growth rate is around 3% a year – or in real terms, around 64,000 people every year – who are making the move to the Pacific’s largest towns and cities each year in search of work and a better life.
As this ‘urbanisation’ increases, aging infrastructure and basic services are falling far short of needs. People arriving in cities are forced to settle in ad-hoc homes built on marginal lands without land titles. Known as ‘informal settlements’, these communities are often packed with homes hovering on stilts above cleared mangroves, stacked precariously up steep rocky hillsides, or squeezed onto public land along roads and power lines.
In Honiara and Port Moresby, the number of people living in settlements may soon outnumber formal residents. Yet the majority have limited or nonexistent water, sanitation and hygiene services – even in settlements that have existed for decades.
When residents of these settlements need to use the toilet, they must venture outside their homes – no matter the weather or time of day. They may have to trek long distances, making those most vulnerable – especially women and children – risk harassment or worse. Some reluctantly use the bushes or go in the ocean. When facilities are available, they are often pits that are shared among multiple families, and are often full or flooded. Untreated waste sits stagnant in these toilets, attracting pests and flies. Children may be afraid of them. Many elderly residents simply can’t access them.
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