GEOSCIENCE DIVISION
Map Cook Islands Federated Sates of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Nauru Niue Papua New Guinea Republic of Marshall Islands Republic of Palau Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Country
Population
Land Area
Climate
Water resource
Water consumption
Country Cook Islands Cook Islands
Population 21,750 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 236.7 km2
Climate
Water resource
Water consumption
Country Federated Sates of Micronesia Federated Sates of Micronesia
Population 107,862 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 702 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 4,928 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Fiji Fiji
Population 918 675 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 18,270 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2000 - 3000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Kiribati Kiribati
Population 107,817 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 811 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: South of the equator: 1,300 mm Tarawa: 2,000 mm Northernmost islands: over 3,200mm Eastern Line Islands: less than 1,000 mm
Water consumption
Country Nauru Nauru
Population 11,528 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 21 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2,090 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Niue Niue
Population 1,625m(GoN statistics 2006)
Land Area 260 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2,180 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea
Population 5,795,887 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 462,840 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall:1000-80000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Republic of Marshall Islands Republic of Marshall Islands
Population 20,842
Land Area 458 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 3,700 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Republic of Palau Republic of Palau
Population 61,815(July 2007 est.)
Land Area 11,854.3 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: Southern attols: 4,000mm Northern attols:2,000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Samoa Samoa
Population 214,265
Land Area 2,944 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 3,000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Solomon Islands Solomon Islands
Population 566,842
Land Area 28,450 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall:1500-5000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Tonga Tonga
Population 116,921
Land Area 748 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: Varies from north and south of tonga with an estimated average of 2500 mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Tuvalu Tuvalu
Population 11.992 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 26 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 3000mm per annum
Water consumption
Country Vanuatu Vanuatu
Population 211,971 (July 2007 est.)
Land Area 12,200 km2
Climate
Water resource Avg Rainfall: 2000 - 4000 mm per annum
Water consumption
Theme
Key Message
Action
Project Title
Implementing Agency
Partnership Organisation
Location
Status
Donor Agency
Keywords
("," separated)
Cancel
Click here to add a new record to the Pacific Water Action Matrix.
View the map for more country information.
Staff
Rhonda Robinson
Rhonda Robinson
Rhonda Robinson
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 36259
Rhonda Robinson
Deputy Director - Water & Sanitation Programme
Rhonda Robinson is the current Deputy Director for the Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) of the SOPAC Division of SPC. She graduated from the University of the South Pacific (USP) in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science Degree majoring in Biology and Chemistry and started working for the SOPAC Commission in 1998 through to 2004 as a Sanitation Officer primarily dealing with sanitation and hygiene technical programmes and community and awareness related campaigns. Rhonda resigned from SOPAC in 2005 to pursue a postgraduate Masters programme and graduated from the Australian National University in 2006 with a Masters in Environmental Management and Development as well as a Masters in Diplomacy. She rejoined the SOPAC Commission after completing her studies as a Project Adviser working with a small team of people to design the GEF funded Pacific IWRM Project currently being implemented in the Pacific region. 
 
Following the design of the Pacific IWRM Project, Rhonda coordinated the Pacific IWRM Programme funded by the EU and supporting countries with their Water Governance needs until she was successfully recruited into the position of Deputy Director of the WSP in 2011 following the departure of the previous position holder, Marc Overmars. 
 
Arieta Sokota
Arieta Sokota
Arieta Sokota
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 246
Arieta Sokota
Water Project Officer
Arieta joined SOPAC in October 2003, providing admistrative/technical support to the Water Sector. She graduated from USP with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Geography and Population Studies in 1998 and completed Diploma studies in GIS in 2000. Previously she was employed at the Ministry of Agriculture - GIS Unit as a GIS Senior Technical Assistant..
Kamal Khatri
Kamal Khatri
Kamal Khatri
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 36223
Kamal Khatri
Water Services Coordinator
Kamal joined the Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) as the Water Services Coordinator in August 2012 with overall responsibility of water services component which includes drinking water safety planning, water quality monitoring, water demand management, WASH and wastewater management. Prior to this role, he worked as the Technical Officer (Water Quality) within the Environmental Health unit based at the World Health Organization’s South Pacific Office, providing support to member countries (Pacific region) in relation to environmental hazards, water resources, water supply and sanitation and ensuring major health risks and sector priorities are managed during emergencies. Within this time he was also involved in climate change and health initiatives in Fiji and 11 Pacific island countries including health risk assessment and planning linked to impacts of climate change to public health. Between 2005-2008, Kamal managed the WASH programme of SOPAC which included components on education and hygiene awareness, community participation and gender mainstreaming in WASH and provision of technical support for wastewater/sanitation initiatives.
Christopher Paterson
Christopher Paterson
Christopher Paterson
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 228
Christopher Paterson

Chris joined SOPAC as the Mainstreaming and Indicators Advisor (MAIN) for the UNDP/UNEP/GEF Pacific IWRM Project in 2009. Prior to this he worked for UNEP on the South China Sea Project from 2004-2009 and as a Lecturer in Marine Policy and Management at the Australian Maritime College, and for the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, before that. Chris is a graduate of Southern Cross University's Centre for Coastal Management and AMC's Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Environment. He is undertaking a post-graduate research degree with the University of Wollongong's Faculty of Law in his spare time. 
 
Dave Hebblethwaite
Dave Hebblethwaite
Dave Hebblethwaite
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 309
Dave Hebblethwaite

Dave Hebblethwaite joined SOPAC in 2010 after three years leading an Asian Development Bank project tasked with strengthening the capacity of the Vietnamese government to address pollution in one of the country’s most populated river basins.   Prior to this, Dave’s work focused on the protection and sustainable use of Australian rivers, wetlands and coastal waters, including the development and implementation of water policy and regulation in New South Wales and Victoria.  His experience in Australia, Asia and the Pacific has given him a strong appreciation of the need for policy makers to work closely with those responsible for implementation on the ground, to ensure that policy tools are matched to both local issues and local capacity.  His move to the region honours a promise he made himself during his first travels in the Pacific as a young lad. 
Arun Chand
Arun Chand
Arun Chand
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 218
Arun Chand

 Arun Chand is the Water and Sanitation Programmes assistant project officer.He is responsible for supporting the programme with technical and administrative tasks.
Fane Waqa
Fane Waqa
Fane Waqa
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 287
Fane Waqa
Project Officer IWRM
Fane joined SOPAC in February 2007, providing administrative support to the IWRM Project – Water Sector. She is a final year student from USP pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Economics and Banking & Finance. Previously she was attached to TPAF as a Reconciliation Officer, than received her Certificate in Business Accounting at NZPTC while assisting a privately owned transportation business.
Iva Bakaniceva
Iva Bakaniceva
Iva Bakaniceva
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 262
Iva Bakaniceva
Programme Officer-Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene

Iva joined SOPAC in October 2008 as a Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Officer. The WASH programme aims to improve the lives of the Pacific Island people access to water resources and sanitation through improved management of water resources and the development of adequate and sustainable water supply, improved facilities and hygienic practices for all. Iva graduated with a Degree in Environmental Science from the Auckland University of Technology in 2003.  Before joining SOPAC, she was a Senior Field Trainer with an NGO Live & Learn Environmental Education for the last 5 years working in schools and communities.

Marc Wilson
Marc Wilson
Marc Wilson
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 258
Marc Wilson
Regional Project Manager (GEF Pacific IWRM)
Marc Wilson joined SOPAC as the Regional Program Manager for the GEF-IWRM program in January 2009. He holds an MSc and has worked as a natural resource researcher, manager and development aid consultant in over 30 countries in many regions of the world.   He has lived and worked for extended periods in both Melanesia and Polynesia.   He has worked as a CEO in both the public and private sectors and has extensive consulting experience with national, regional and international organizations.  He established and was the foundation Director of the Australian Maritime College’s Graduate School of Marine Resource Management and has published widely in natural resource development and management.  He has a particular interest in integrated management of natural resources and the challenges of institutionalizing real stakeholder participation in decision making and in developing non government stakeholder participation capacity.  In 2002 – 2007 he was the Australian Team Leader for the AusAID funded Tonga Integrated Fisheries Management Project and prior to joining SOPAC he worked as a strategic planning adviser for RAMSI in the Solomon Islands.

Peter Sinclair
Peter Sinclair
Peter Sinclair
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 231
Peter Sinclair
Project Adviser - Pacific HYCOS
Peter joined SOPAC as the Project Advisor for the Pacific Hydrological Cycle Observing System, HYCOS project in November 2006. He holds a BSc in Geology and MSc in hydrogeology with 15 years experience in Australia working on the assessment, development and management of a range of groundwater systems including large alluvial systems and fractured and porous rock systems. He is interested in developing localised solutions relevant to local needs.
Verenaisi Bakani
Verenaisi Bakani
Verenaisi Bakani
Email: [email protected]
Extension: 274
Verenaisi Bakani
Senior Administrative and Travel Officer
Verenaisi joined SOPAC in May 2009 as Senior Administration and Travel Officer for the GEF Pacific IWRM Project.She graduated from the University of the South Pacific (USP) with a Diploma in Public Administration in 1995 and is pursuing her BCom degree, majoring in Management & Public Administration.   Previously she was employed at the University of the South Pacific as Personnel Assistant to the Dean, Faculty of Islands & Oceans.