“We are celebrating 4th Birthday of our water project”
Bob Delwin (Head Nurse, Uripiv)
In 2018, Moerk Water installed a solar powered seawater desalination system to provide a renewable and reliable source of drinking water for the 800 residents of Uripiv island in Vanuatu. Prior to 2018, the residents relied on rainwater as their main source of drinking water. During the dry season when they ran out of drinking water, the residents were forced to either use contaminated wells on the island or to cart water from the mainland. For the past four years the water system has continued to operate reliably, even in the aftermath of Cyclone Harold in 2020. Since the introduction of the Moerk Water treatment system the island’s water supply (and that of nearby islands) has been secured and the health of the residents has improved. In 2022, the residents of Uripiv Island held a celebration to mark four years since the water treatment system had been installed.
“When we have this water system we no longer see diseases such as diarrhoea, red eyes and other skin diseases. As a nurse my fear is that if we consumer other contaminated water, we might have an outbreak of waterborne diseases in our community” – Bob Delwin (Head Nurse, Uripiv)
