This new publication reveals that the number of people in the Pacific island countries served with some form of improved sanitation rose from 2.9 million in 1990 to 4.0 million in 2006. Despite this impressive achievement, the proportion of people served in 2006 was still barely 48% of the overall population. The status of drinking-water is not much different, with the current proportion of people served with any type of improved drinking-water reaching 46%, leaving alone the fact that only 13% of the overall population has access to drinking water piped to the household through a piped distribution system.
This publication brings about the good news that major efforts and relevant initiatives are under way in the region that might reverse drastically this situation. The WHO Western Pacific Regional Office and the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission are at the forefront of sanitation and drinking-water development in the Pacific.