Results for WHO Liquid Waste Monitoring Project (APW Report), 31 March 2005
Summary
An Agreement for Performance of Work (APW) was contracted with The Institute of Applied Sciences of the University of the South Pacific to provide laboratory analysis of wastewater sample and conduct a community awareness activity for village-based pilot projects in sanitation and reduction of coastal pollution from wastewater. The terms of reference are to: 1) analyze 100 samples for nutrients and/or bacteria to assess the effectiveness of the purification interventions being undertaken (composting, wetlands, san/fibre denitrification); 2) conduct a one-day training/awareness raising activity in a community attended by at least 30 members from at least six communities, three non-government agencies and two government departments; 3) provide all transport costs and host village expenses to enable 30 participants to attend the above community awarenesss-raising activity; 4) ensure training includes the need to seware waste management and appropriate community techniques that are being tested in Fiji, and that the community venue will have at least one waste-management initiative already being undertaken in that community. The disposal of untreated human and domestic wastes is the largest contributor to the pollution of the marine environment in Fiji. This has not only human health implications but also serious environmental effects, especially on coral reefs. As development has come to tropical countries like Hawaii, Belize and Jamaica there has been a shift in species dominance from hard coral to macro-algae. Algal-dominated reefs have been noted to be lower in fish stocks, to have less tourism appeal and less biodiversity (Mosley and Aalbersberg 2005).