Solomon Water has commissioned a new water treatment plant for Noro, Western Province, which it said on 11 November will improve water quality and long-term water security in the area.

The commissioning ceremony was officiated by the Minister for Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification, Hon Derrick Manuari. Also at the event were Hon George Temahua, Member of Parliament for West New Georgia and Vonavona Constituency, Solomon Water Acting Chief Executive Officer Mr Ray Andresen, and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director Mr Anthony Gill.

The plant was delivered under the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project (UWSSSP), with support from the National Government, the ADB, the World Bank and the European Union.

Andresen said Noro Township and the SolTuna processing plant had faced growing problems for over a decade with ageing infrastructure and unreliable water quality and supply. The new plant uses high-efficiency multimedia filters, an automated control system and disinfection facilities designed to treat raw water to World Health Organization (WHO) standards, including after heavy rain, he said.

According to Solomon Water, the filtration system removes overflow so that the full 2.8 million litres of water extracted each day reaches consumers. The utility said remote monitoring will close the plant down by itself should readings for salinity, turbidity or chlorine go beyond safe limits. A rehabilitated 900-kilolitre reservoir holds eight hours of water for emergencies, it said, and new sheet piling at the Ziata source cuts down saltwater getting in at high tides.

With phase 1 now in operation, Solomon Water said Stage 2 of the project would follow, taking in the safe demolition of the old treatment facilities, the rest of the site fencing and new sludge dewatering ponds. Andresen also thanked landowning groups and the community, who worked with the utility to have the land permanently registered.

Source: Drawn from a statement by Solomon Water published on the Solomon Islands Government portal (solomons.gov.sb) on 11 November 2026. https://solomons.gov.sb/solomon-water-commissioned-new-water-treatment-to-strengthen-water-security-in-noro/