Manus launches desalination project today

The sleepy town of Lorengau will come alive today (Tuesday) as the provincial capital of Manus will witness the launch of the country’s first pilot desalination project.

The program today will see the ground breaking ceremony and signing in Lorengau before drilling test works commence on Bipi Island.

Five villages will benefit from the project: Bipi, Mbuke (and Whal), Nauna, Mal and Aawa islands.

These five villages and Manus Province as a whole will lead the way with this technology that will see solar-powered seawater desalination plant systems installed to convert salt water to fresh drinking water.

The pioneering project will pave the way for similar projects to be implemented for other atoll islands affected by the effects of climate change, resulting in the rise of sea level which is affecting their source of drinking water.

This follows the signing of the project that took place in Port Moresby on April 15 between the Department of National Planning & Monitoring and Sojitz Corporation (contractor), engineers of the seawater source well sites.

This project was funded by the Japanese Government through the Pacific Environment Community (PEC), a project arm of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) in Fiji.

National project manager of the PEC fund desalination project, Tom Anayabere said the project, which will be launched today in Manus, will also move to other maritime provinces’ coastal villages.

Anayabere said these five islands chosen in Manus were selected by the Manus Provincial Government in consultation with their respective members of parliament, LLG presidents and ward councillors.

The basis for selection of these islands was done on a comprehensive report that was compiled by the Manus Department of Natural Disaster and Emergency over six years ago.

Population of the islands and the remoteness from Lorengau town were also factors in the selection process.

Anayabere explained that the type of solar-powered seawater desalination plant systems were chosen after two surveys on these islands. Site assessments and water sample tests were conducted towards the end of last year with PEC’s international consultants, Ingerosec Corporation of Japan.

Water samples were independently tested in Japan for acidity, PH (specific gravity), conductivity and salinity levels.

He further explained the PhotoVoltaic Reverse Osmosis (PVRO) water desalination systems are not off-the-shelf systems that can be just purchased and installed as and where desired.

“PVRO systems, especially for seawater desalination, are site or location specific, based on acidity, salinity, conductivity and specific gravity (pH) of the source water’s (intake water). As such, our PNG (Manus) systems are now in the process of being manufactured,” he added.

The Manus solar power saltwater desalination plant project is a regional initiative project of which the government of Japan allocated US$66 million (K206m) for the Pacific Island countries during the PALMS 6 meeting in 2009 in Japan.

Out of the US$66 million, US$4 million (K12m) was allocated to PNG. 

 (Caption: A contaminated water source from one of the islands that will be benefiting from the desalination project. Picture supplied by Tom Anayabere)

Author: 
Sally Pokiton