10. Readiness of Solomon Islands in Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Water and Sanitation

Water and Sanitation in Solomon Islands is a sector that really needs attention, as water and sanitation services are lacking in many provinces. Some impact stories from the rural development program (RDP) are presented as baseline information.

To support the achievement of SDG 6 targets in “clean water and sanitation,” Solomon Islands has introduced the National Water Resource and Sanitary (WATSAN) Policy in 2017 and WATSAN Implementation Plan 2017–2033. The Government of Solomon Islands signed a Financing Agreement for €17.4 million with the European Union for “improving governance and access to water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH) for rural people.” As a result, the rural WASH Program, now commonly known as RWASH Program was initiated. Improving health through community participation in RWASH project in Solomon Islands is discussed and achievements in water and sanitation for the period 2016–2020 are presented. In 2020, nationally, the population using an improved drinking water was at 73%, whereas the proportion of the population using an improved sanitation facility was 40.6% in the Solomon Islands.

The Rural WASH Strategic Plan 2015 to 2019 has set targets for improving access to water, sanitation (open defecation free, ODF), and hygiene services and includes both 5-year and 10-year targets. It is apparent now that the water target for 2019 was set too low at 52% but achieved 65.9% already in 2018 but no further progress made throughout 2019 and 2020, remaining at 65.9%. All three of the targets are extremely ambitious for 2024 at 100% or near 100%.