Bonriki Inundation Vulnerability Assessment - Economic analysis of water management options for impacts from inundation and climate variability under current abstraction rates, Bonriki water reserve, South Tarawa, Kiribati

Report summarising results of Cost benefit analysis to provide information to the Government of Kiribati on the potential costs, benefits and policy issues related to freshwater management options for the Bonriki Water Reserve. This economic analysis provided an assessment of the costs and benefits of using either rainwater or reverse osmosis desalination to fully supplement the Bonriki groundwater so that a target daily water volume (1,700 kL/day) can consistently be produced by the Government Public Utilities Board (PUB) in the face of threats to the supply. The resulting least-cost option was then used in scenario analysis to estimate the cost of seawater inundation (and rainfall variability) to the PUB in terms of their effect on overall water production costs.

The Bonriki Inundation Vulnerability Assessment (BIVA) project aimed to improve understanding of the vulnerability of the Bonriki freshwater reserve to coastal hazards and climate variability and change. Improved knowledge of risks to this freshwater resource will enable better adaptation planning by the Government of Kiribati. This BIVA project was supported by the Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science Adaptation Planning (PACCSAP) programme.