Over 5000 people from Melsisi on Pentecost will now have access to clean and reliable water through a partnership. Photo: Facebook / Australian High Commission, Vanuatu
A Vanuatu community on Pentecost Island, which was battered by Cyclone Lola last year, have a new water supply system.
With support from Australia, under the Vanuatu-Australia Partnership, the more than 5000 people on Melsisi, in central Pentecost, will have a new supply of clean drinking water.
Australia is providing 34.5 million vatu or US$302,000 dollars.
It is part of what Prime Minister Charlot Salwai describes as "building back better" after natural disasters.
""It reflects the core concept of the government's national recovery framework of building back better to ensure sustainable and resilient infrastructure across the country," he said.
He said earlier this week the government, with Australian officials, re-opened a health centre at Ranmawat, on the Pentecost west coast.
According to the Australian High Commission in Vanuatu, the system was built by a local company, employing local community members and will be maintained by members of the community.