SOURCE Pacific Drinking Water Project

This project will finance the development, installation, and operation of up to 15,000 hydro panels across 1,000 sites in the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

All four target countries face high climate vulnerability due to changing weather patterns, floods, droughts, and seawater intrusion, which worsen annually. This results in deteriorating water access and security in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Water utility services are severely limited: 10 per cent coverage in Papua New Guinea, 20 per cent in Vanuatu, 30 per cent in the Marshall Islands, and 57 per cent in Tonga. Despite prioritising water security in National Adaptation Plans, fiscal constraints and underdeveloped capital markets hinder large-scale infrastructure projects.

The project targets approximately 100,000 direct beneficiaries in rural and outer island communities, especially schools and public institutions without access to safe drinking water. The proposed technology in each hydro panel is atmospheric water generation (air-to-water), offering a decentralised water supply solution. It extracts potable water directly from the atmosphere using solar energy, replacing reliance on rainwater, groundwater, or bottled water.

Some key activities include signing sustainable financial and operational agreements, installing decentralised solar-powered hydro panel systems, and ensuring long-term system sustainability through operations and maintenance.