A project to improve the water source of Fagalii village, which had been stalled over the last five years due to the measles epidemic and the Covid-19 pandemic, will finally get underway.

Thanks to the assistance of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Fagalii village will finally have access to a good water source.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) through its Water Resources Division will work side by side with JICA to complete the long overdue water improvement project.

The pilot project initially started in 2018 with the Ministry going into a partnership with JICA to develop and plan the Biological Filtration System (BFS).

The BFS process benefits from the use of beneficial bacteria to clean the water on a molecular level through improving water quality entering the receiving waters of the Fagalii Bay through the reduction of soil erosion and sedimentation. 

They carried out extensive field surveys and community consultations during the beginning phase of the Fagalii water improvement project. Earlier this month, returning engineers and project coordinators arrived in Samoa under the JICA mission to finalise design and details as well as carry out the final verification survey, confirming that such an important project has once again restarted for Samoa and especially for the Fagalii Village Community. 

The Installation of the BFS water filtration system will begin in August this year after key project stakeholders work together in finalising the work plan.

The BFS is a simple green technology employed in the humid climates of Okinawa-Japan similar to that of Samoa, to filter out sediments flowing from surface waters into the sea.

The technology involves the use of natural coconut fibers to absorb and trap sediments and waste which often result from land-based clearances and developments along rivers and drainages. 

This will not only help protect slopes and river banks, but it will also filter and improve water quality of the Fagalii waterways flowing into the inshore environment.