National Wastewater Taskforce working to address Hospital Waste Treatment Plant and Effluent in Port Vila waterways
The National Wastewater Taskforce, established under the Pollution (Control) Act No. 10 of 2013, held its first meeting for 2024 on Wednesday (January 31) this week.
One of the principal functions of the Taskforce is to enforce the provisions of the Pollution (Control) Act by monitoring and inspecting sewage systems to ensure they are in compliance with the requirements outlined in the Act, the national wastewater standards, and other relevant regulations. This includes verifying the proper functioning of sewage treatment facilities and adherence to environmental standards.
The main agenda of its first meeting of 2024 this week was consideration of the progress of the project to rehabilitate the Vila Central Hospital’s sewerage system, a system that was developed during the colonial era and upgraded over the years with a treatment plant to become more environmentally friendly.
The latest project to address the hospital sewage treatment plant started in late 2023, when funds were allocated through the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation, under the Ministry of Climate Change, for a contractor to produce a concept design for the upgrade of the hospital’s sewerage system.
This was followed by the allocation of funds by the Ministry of Health, with funding assistance from the Government of the People’s Republic of China, to undertake the rehabilitation works.
The Taskforce will be meeting again this coming week to receive a presentation from the design contactor, Kramer, on the proposed design and workplan for the rehabilitation of the hospital sewage system. Following the Taskforce’s approval, the design will be finalized and the actual rehabilitation work put out to tender.
The National Wastewater Taskforce is working closely with the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation (MoCC) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to address the issue of the Vila Central Hospital’s sewerage system and the general effluent runoff into the Erakor Lagoons and into the Port Vila Harbour.
The institutions that are members of the National Wastewater Taskforce are: the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation under the Ministry of Climate Change; the Department of Public Health under the Ministry of Health; the Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority, the Department of Public Utilities, and the Department of Ports and Harbours under the Ministry of Public Utilities; the Vanuatu Project Management Unit under the Office of the Prime Minister, the Department of Local Authorities, the Port Vila City Council and the Shefa Provincial Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Erakor Chiefs Council, and UNELCO Engie.