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the wells with pigs (or children) the likely cuprits. The wella often have no Proteetive sides
and pigs roern unieetrained in the villagar. Raiaed proteetivc rideg to tha wellc and sr effort
to keep pigs away frsn the well surroundings would prevent further contamination. On Savot
reinwater eatchment rray be the mly way to alpply drinking water nneting WHO otanderda.
In general villege water erpplier are fixrre at risk aE vrater ic ueually tntreated. ln the
rnajor urtan c?ntres s.rch es Htrliara and Nadi, although coliform levels st ltource ere
frequently high, water srpplies are treated (incltding chlorination) before u.a.
Urban Wastes
Increasing development and the associated cfiangee are cauaing major problems end the
situation may become worse. Tle "concentration effect" of increased developnnnt - bigger
harbours and larger ships, bigger processing plants, figh canneries, ete. treana greater waste
disposal problems are occurring near the major urban centres where the expanrion is
happening. Frequently wastes are discharged into the marine environnent causing
emsiderabta pollution around urban centres $Jch s Suva and Port Moreeby. This is critical
because in rnany of these areas subeistence fishing is still a major food source.
A second aspect of the ilconcentration effectt' is the human concentration caused by
urbsr drift. Sevrerage schemes deaigned in colonial days are no longer adequate in some
places to cope with the increasing population and squatter pttlenpnts not connected to any
rpwage system create further problems. Lack of maintenance of septic tenks can lead to
considerable pollution of water supplies.
The Suva urben area has a population of about 150rfl)0 persons and it is estimated that
by the year 2000 this will reach )00r(F0. Up until early 198) the rnain Suva sewage works at
Kinoya treated sewage from a contributory population of sbout 12'000 but during l98l the
scheme was expanded to receive sewage from a population of ))'fl)0. Further developments
to increase the capacity to cater for sewage from a population of 6l'000 and later to
IZ0,m0 are now being designed. The effluent from the Kinoya plant and a smaller planl at
Raiwaqe atl flows into Laucala Bay, which forms part of the esluary of the Rewa River and
has an offshore barrier reef. To essess the probable effects st Laucala Bay of Lhe increased
effluent flow, a long term monitoning programme was begun in L979' with major data
collection to 1982 and smaller scale rnonitoring since then (Caldwell Cmnell Enqineens et e!'
1982). Results so far interpreted show the qrowth of algae in the bay to be phosphorus
iimited - a relatively unusual situation, It is believed, however, that the amount of
phosphorus entering the bay from the sewage scheme will not cause blooms as even by the
year' 2005 Kinoya discharges will mly provide a 50% increase in phosphorus loading in Lhe
bay and growth will still be phosphorus limited. At present nilrogen/phosphorus ratioe for the
Uay average I80 with average nitrogen levels of J.J mg/l and average phosphorus of 0.018
mg/I. Recent bacteriological studies m waler and shellfish from the bay have indicated the
possibility of serious pollution problems (Brodie et al., f984)'
In Lc, Papua New Guinea, the Bumbu River flows through a number of villages and
ciLy suburbs. Tfe Taraka sewage works effluent also discharges inLo Lhe river. Two self-help
set.tlements which lie m the Bumbu River have been studied to estimate water quality' water
usage and the effect on public health (Mallard and Mahoney, I98l). Taraka Self-help
Setflement has access to Lhe town water supply and city rubbish collection while Bumbu does
not. Tfe Bumbu River and adjacent sLreams were shown to be highly polluted with faecal
coliforms and in most areas not even safe for bathing (46% of samples contained >2000
faecal coliforms/Ififl ml). Statistical analysis showed that the mcurrence of diarrhea' ear and
eye infections was higher in Bumbu than in Taraka. 72% of people in Bumbu vensus 48% of
people in Taraka reporled diarrhea, while in Bumbu 29% had ear infections and )6% eye
infections and in Taraka lhe corresponding figures were .1,6% and 20%. Obvious contamination
of wells by pit toilets and of small slreams and springs by household rubbish was noticed in
Bumbu.
Solid waste disposal is causing les; concern. For example Suva and Port Moresby now
have well managed landfill operations a it is only in older dunps illegally used that visual
and possibly disease vecior problems occur.