New septage treatment plant for Port Vila opened

A new septage treatment facility for Port Vila located at the Bouffa landfill at Etas was officially opened Tuesday by the Minister of Infrastructure Jotham Napat, Australian High Commissioner Jenny Da Rin, Port Vila Acting Lord Mayor Willie Saatearoto, and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Director, Emma Veve.

The pioneering septage treatment plant is a component of the Port Vila Urban Development Project (PVUDP) and it will help improve the environment and sanitation of Port Vila and the surrounding village that will use the facility.

The facility is funded by the Governments of Vanuatu and Australia, along with a $5 million (Vt413.4m) loan from ADB through the Port Vila Urban Development Project (PVUDP), and it will improve Port Vila’s waterways and the health of residents and surrounding communities.

The new septage treatment facility will improve the treatment and disposal of septage waste. Two septage ponds were constructed over a 12-month period, employing 8 local workers. The septage treatment facility is designed to be simple and cheap to operate.

“PVUDP is transforming Port Vila, improving the daily lives of hundreds of people, making traffic safer and now, with this facility, we are looking after the health of Port Vila’s residents by improving the environment and waterways,” said Ms. Da Rin.

“The government is also very much mindful of the fact that with growth come the need to ensure that proper waste disposal and management systems are in place for us to maintain our natural beauty and great image as a clean and healthy city,” said Mr. Napat.

“This is no small task. This first ever septage treatment plant, thanks to partners such as yourselves, is a step in the right direction.”

“The septage treatment facility will provide a safe and secure method of treating and disposing of septic tank waste. The septage treatment facility complements other health and sanitation works delivered by PVUDP such as community sanitation facilities and septage management policies and regulations that will improve the well-being of people living in the greater Port Vila area,” said Ms. Veve, a Director in ADB’s Pacific Department.

The facility will begin operations on Friday, 1 September this year, with the first trial scheduled to take place.

At the ceremony also, the Minister of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Jotham Napat, handed over the key to the facility to the Port Vila Municipal Council represented by the Acting Lord Mayor, Cr. Saatearoto, signifying responsibility for the plant.

For the first six months, Downer Construction International, the contractors for the project will operate the septage treatment facility and at the same time providing training to staff of PVMC for eventual takeover of the responsibility of operating and maintaining the facility.

The Acting Lord Mayor assured everyone the PVMC will do its utmost best to make the facility serve its overall purpose.

Also present at the ceremony, the Prime Minister, Charlot Salwai, the Leader of the Opposition, Ishmael Kalsakau, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Leingkone, President of Efate Vaturisu Council of Chiefs, and the Director of Vanuatu Project Management Unit, Johnson Wabaiat.

Frank Smart of Downer Construction took the dignitaries on a tour of the facility and explained that it will take two to three years to fill one of the ponds but with Port Vila growing population, in 2040, it will take only one year to fill the pond.