Central Honiara Member of Parliament, Gordon Darcy Lilo, has questioned Deputy Prime Minister Bradley Tovosia’s decision to remove the Solomon Islands Water Authority (SIWA) from the State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) schedule, downgrading it to a statutory body.
The decision was explained by Tovosia, who is also the Minister of Mines, Energy, and Rural Electrification, during a motion in Parliament on Thursday. He cited SIWA’s non-performance on key projects as the primary reason for the downgrade, clarifying that the SOE Act was not the issue.
Lilo, a former leader involved in the early formation of both SIWA and the Solomon Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA), expressed surprise and skepticism.
He emphasized that the SOE Act deals with financial and governance matters, while SIWA’s issues are largely contractual.
“The minister has no involvement in SIWA’s formation, and I don’t believe his reasoning for downgrading it,” Lilo said.
“The problems are not related to the SOE Act; you are messing up the institutions.”
Tovosia defended the Cabinet’s decision, stating that it was necessary to strengthen SIWA’s ability to deliver essential services.
He noted that the Authority has consistently underperformed in key areas, such as failing to achieve the deliverables of its 5-year Action Plan (2017–2022) and falling short of national development goals and international commitments like the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6).
Tovosia outlined several issues contributing to SIWA’s decline, including outdated infrastructure, high water losses, and frequent service disruptions. Despite resources and partnerships aimed at improving the water supply, the Authority has struggled to execute critical upgrades.
Poor coordination between SIWA and key government ministries, including the Ministry of Finance, and recruitment processes plagued by a lack of transparency, have raised concerns about the leadership’s competence.
Delays in key water projects, such as those in Kongulai, Noro, and Tulagi, have further undermined the organization’s effectiveness.
Financial mismanagement has also led to inconsistent service quality, with many citizens, particularly in peri-urban areas, still lacking reliable access to clean water.
Tovosia highlighted these issues as unacceptable for a utility responsible for providing such a vital service.
The Cabinet decision to remove SIWA from SOE status, effective August 16, 2024, aims to revitalize the utility and push forward projects under the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project.
Tovosia assured that the move does not affect the workforce, though senior management roles will be re-evaluated to ensure qualified leadership.
SIWA’s core functions under the SIWA Act, such as water resource management and infrastructure maintenance, will continue, and the new Board will ensure the utility fulfills its contractual obligations.
Tovosia added that previous board members lacked the capacity to drive necessary improvements, leading to stagnation within SIWA.
