Western Pacific small island rural communities suffer from
waterborne diseases and are among the least wealthy, most remote and
resource-poor across the globe. Small landmasses, geologic composition,
geographic isolation, a colonial history, and weak educational, technological
and financial resources constitute significant barriers to strengthening capacity
to access safe drinking water. High-technology, high-cost and complex
Northern (Western) models for mitigating water access problems often
prove inappropriate and unsustainable. The aim of this paper is to offer a
non-traditional approach for improving both sub-national environmental
analysis capacity and engaging in low-technology and low-cost mitigation of
vulnerability to waterborne disease at the village-scale. The approach involves
a combination of techniques, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
training, basin management, environmental health education at the grassroots
scale and working with civil society to support appropriate technologies. The
findings improve understanding of remote, rural and least-wealthy small island
conditions, offer guidance regarding environmental management in the
Western Pacific, and provide insight for developing outreach programmes with
the aim of improving conditions on similar islands globally.