Latest Posts

Dugout wells a lifeline for Vatukola

Villagers of Vatukola in Kakabona, northwest of Honiara in the Solomon Islands have been forced to dig new wells as water sources have become scarce in the community. Picture: ROMEKA KUMARI By ROSALIE NONGEBATU, Wansolwara THE sight of several dug out wells greet us at Vatukola Village in Kakabona, northwest of Honiara in the Solomon Islands. It rains fairly often in Honiara and historically, fresh water has been plentiful. But in recent years, the wells, which once provided a ready source of water, have been mysteriously drying up. Scientists from Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change have found that while drought, heavy rain…

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Health, sanitation vital for community

Kukum Fishing Village chief Robert Satu shows the seafront, which is a lifeline for many families and communities along the coastal plains of Honiara. Picture: ROMEKA KUMARI By ROMEKA KUMARI, Wansolwara  COMMUNITIES along the coast of Honiara are tackling the impact of climate change one day at a time. For Kukum Fishing Village, situated along the Kukum Highway, east of Honiara in the Solomon Islands, the effect of climate change on their social system and health has become a concern. Village chief Robert Satu told Wansolwara that the issue of climate change had affected food sources, health and sanitation for coastal communities. He said many…

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Stumbling blocks at Kukum

Troubling waterfront at Kukum Fishing Village. Sea level rise and storm surges often leaves homes by the coast inundated with seawater. Picture: ROMEKA KUMARI By ROMEKA KUMARI, Wansolwara CLIMATE change has been a heavily debated global topic. For many people, climate change has become an ongoing battle for survival. Kukum Fishing villagers in Honiara believe that climate change is real and that their surrounding environment is living proof. A coastal plain situated along the Kukum Highway in Honiara, the village is one of four selected climate change hotspots in a 2014 climate change vulnerability assessment report on Honiara by the United Nations Development Programme…

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Support for nature-based solutions

By BEN BILUA, Wansolwara NATURE-BASED solution is Solomon Islands’ best mitigation and adaptation approach towards addressing the effects of climate change. The concept encourages rural communities to revive traditional means and methods such as planting of trees and building seawalls using rocks. Lord Howe Settlement located in the capital Honiara, is a lot safer from storm surges and sea level rise, thanks to a local businessman who built a nature-based seawall. However, Lord Howe Settlement resident Leoray Panra said sea level rise and flooding continued to threaten communities despite initiatives like the construction of a seawall. He said the Mataniko River was…

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Hope for a better tomorrow

Lord Howe Settlement youth Leoray Panra relays his experience dealing with climate change in Honiara. Picture: BEN BILUA/WANSOLWARA By BEN BILUA, Wansolwara LIVING in an informal settlement comes with sacrifice, patience and dreams of a better future. Day in and day out is always a challenge when it comes to basic services like water and sanitation as well as simple hygiene practices. External shock and stresses due to adaptation deficit in urban infrastructure, housing and service provision are also issues of concern. There are untold testimonies with a few happy endings while other testimonies exposed emotional hardships and depression among those living…

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Authorities turn to native knowledge

The Under Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Chanel Iroi, speaks to Wansolwara’s Rosalie Nongebatu, right, about disaster risk reduction efforts in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Picture: BEN BILUA By ROSALIE NONGEBATU, Wansolwara THE Solomon Islands is turning to native knowledge to boost current efforts in disaster risk reduction by incorporating traditional information in the establishment of early warning systems and plans on managing and coping. And according to the Under Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Chanel Iroi, the Solomon Islands Government recognised this in an effort to deal…

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Logging the life out of Lungga

Vatukola Village resident Anna Madi, left, does laundry in the Boneghe River in Guadalcanal as granddaughter Erica looks on. Vatukola is located in West Honiara, Solomon Islands. Picture: ROMEKA KUMARI By ROSALIE NONGEBATU, Wansolwara “There is a particular tree that grows by the Lungga River. We call it the lania tree. I have been by the riverside and I have seen the tree. I have seen our father, even our great grannies walk alongside the Lungga River and gaze at the tree. I have been told, countless times, that breaking even the smallest part of the tree and dropping it in the…

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Wansolwara hot off the press!

By WANSOLWARA STAFF The latest edition of Wansolwara has hit the newsstands and focuses on one of the most defining global issues of our time – climate change. The 28-page newspaper, produced by students of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme, was published as an insert in the Fiji Sun on December 1 this year and included a seven-page special report on climate woes in the Solomon Islands, major events and developments at the University and across the region, as well as sports coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Oceania Rugby Sevens Tournament and build-up to the 2021 Student World Cup…

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Dialogue Fiji launches book on ethnic relations

From left: USP Journalism Coordinator Dr Shailendra Singh, Dialogue Fiji chairman Nemani Buresova and executive director Nilesh Lal at the launch of the Dialogue Fiji publication, Ethnic Relations in Fiji: Threats and Opportunities at USP's Laucala campus last Friday. Picture: WANSOLWARA By WANSOLWARA STAFF Non-state actors have a very important roles to play in bringing about desired social change in order to sustain a multiethnic and multicultural society, says Dialogue Fiji (DF) executive director Nilesh Lal while launching a book on ethnic relations in Fiji. The Dialogue Fiji publication, titled “Ethnic Relations in Fiji: Threats and Opportunities”, was launched last…

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Top journo student dedicates win to family

Recipients of the 2019 USP Journalism Awards. Picture: SUPPLIED/ANA CIVAVONOVONO By WANSOLWARA STAFF Solomon Islands student Rosalie Nongebatu scooped the Fiji Sun premier award for the most outstanding journalism student during the 2019 USP Journalism Awards at Laucala campus in Suva last night, dedicating the recognition to her husband and three children. Nongebatu also won the Islands Business award for best feature reporting, adding on to her awards from last year's event for best radio student and co-sharing the best regional reporting. " I dedicate both the awards to my children and husband, who have been my pillar of strength since…

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