Drought assistance for Kiribati

Australia will provide a further $2 million to support Kiribati to maintain drinking water supply during the State of Disaster relating to drought.

Kiribati is experiencing acute water shortages resulting from a prolonged La Nina weather pattern and low rainfall.

As members of the Pacific family, Australia is a long-standing partner of Kiribati.

This funding package will enable:

• Installation of a high quality desalination plant for Tarawa, delivery of generators and technical, operations and maintenance services for the new plant in a joint contribution with New Zealand.
• Transportation links (chartered flights, Australian Defence Force cargo flights) that enable Australia and our international partners to assist Kiribati’s drought response.
• Support for a UNICEF package focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
• Provision of portable water storage bladders and flatbed trucks to support water distribution into local communities.
• Deployment of technical advisers with expertise in water and engineering.

This support builds on Australia’s $675,000 contribution announced on 16 June to install 100 solar distillation units to convert well water into safe drinking water and support local partners to promote sustainable and inclusive access to water.

This timely support will be delivered in coordination with partners, including New Zealand, Japan, the United States, UNICEF, The Pacific Community (SPC) and others. Australia is committed to supporting the Government and people of Kiribati meet the challenges of climate change and its impacts.