The handover of new water storage systems for public schools in Ajeltake, Woja and Laura last Thursday has come none too soon, Education Commissioner Dr. Natalie Nimmer told the people assembled for the ceremony at Ajeltake Elementary School.
With lower levels of rain forecast for the RMI starting this month and onward into 2027, the water storage systems will be helpful to both he school and the community, she said.
The three-school water storage project was funded by the US government and implemented by IOM in partnership with the Public School System.
The IMPACT II project was hailed as a “milestone” for the three schools and their surrounding communities by IOM RMI office head Hilary Vanderwey.
She recognized the US government for “their continued support of water security and resilience in the Marshall Islands.”
Vanderwey pointed out the partnership that was involved. “PSS — and in particular, the principals of the three schools — worked with us and with their communities at every stage,” she said. “CMI provided valuable support during construction. EPA has ensured, and will continue to ensure, that the water from these systems is regularly tested and treated, so that it remains safe for use.”
Last week, prior to the handover ceremony Thursday, “IOM and EPA conducted a water safety training for community members, equipping them with the knowledge to maintain and safeguard these systems going forward.”
The project provides two tanks with a total of 3,000 gallons of storage for each of the three schools. Each system includes water tanks, catchment structure/shed roof, gutters, pipelines, faucets, first-flush devices, and filters.
The systems are set up with a spigot facing outside the school fence for community use as well as one on he inside for student and teacher use. Both spigots can be locked.
The systems were selected through community consultations that began in 2024, when IOM worked with communities across six atolls to identify priority interventions. In Majuro, communities identified water security as their priority.
There three-school water facilities project was part of a larger IMPACT II RMI project that the US government funded with $2.6 million.