What Was the Challenge?
Communities across the Marshall Islands face increasing water insecurity as climate change drives more frequent and severe drought conditions. With many communities located across remote and dispersed islands, access to reliable drinking water is difficult, particularly during prolonged dry periods.
The project needed to improve year-round water availability for households and community facilities, while overcoming significant logistical challenges. Any storage solution had to be transported by sea, transferred onto smaller vessels for remote island access, and installed in locations with limited infrastructure and specialist labour.
What Was the Implementation Solution?
The programme introduced a large-scale rainwater harvesting and storage solution across 115 communities in the Marshall Islands.
Rainwater captured during the wet season was stored in flatpack modular water tanks, providing communities with greater reserve capacity during drought periods. More than 280 tanks with individual storage capacities ranging from approximately 34,000 to 56,000 litres, allowing the solution to be adapted to the needs of each location.
The modular tanks were designed for efficient shipping, straightforward on-site assembly and long-term outdoor use in demanding coastal conditions. Local project staff and Government technicians were trained in installation, enabling community volunteers to support deployment within their own villages.
The wider programme also included groundwater-well rehabilitation and local water-governance measures to strengthen long-term drought preparedness and water management.
Advantages and Benefits of the Solution
The flatpack modular approach offered major advantages for a remote island deployment programme. Because the tanks could be transported in a compact format, they were easier and more efficient to ship than fully assembled storage units, particularly where final delivery required smaller boats and limited shore access.
Installation could be completed using trained local teams rather than relying entirely on external specialist contractors. This supported faster deployment, reduced logistical complexity and helped build local capability for future maintenance and expansion.
The solution also provided flexible storage capacity, allowing tank sizes to be selected according to community demand and site conditions. Its durable construction was suited to harsh island environments, where reliability and low maintenance are critical.
Most importantly, the programme was designed to improve access to safer, more dependable drinking water for 2,606 households and 160 community facilities, strengthening resilience against drought and helping remote communities adapt to the growing effects of climate change.