Project Brief
Sector:
Project
Summary
Title
Outer Islands Roads and Airfields Upgrading
Implementing
Agency
Lead Partner
MPWU
Financing
Taiwan: $1,567,566
Breakdown
Funding requirement for 2015:
Salaries and subsistence allowances:
Fuel
Repairs and maintenance of plants:
Communication cost:
Travel and transport:
Hire of plants (PVU):
MIA, MCTTD, ROC, Island Councils
Total
Duration
Development
Objectives
Outputs
335,837.52
Years: 3 years
Start date: April
End date: Dec 2016
2014
Promote economic opportunities and social activities by
facilitating improved conveyance and transportation infrastructure
for the outer island communities.
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Project
Background
125,000.00
150,000.00
25,000.52
2,000.00
1,500.00
32,337.00
460Km of road levelled, widened and provided with drainage
capability
20Km of airfield surface levelled and compacted
Conditions of roads and airfields on the outer islands have
deteriorated badly over the years and more so with the heavy
rainfall experienced with the El Nino event of the recent past
months.
Students were not attending school as road condition in certain
parts of the islands became inaccessible by vehicles. Health
workers were unable to attend to communities and patients could
not visit health centres. Copra cutters could not access their lands
to collect nuts or transport them to the villages or collection points.
Conveyance of general goods and food stuff became difficult and
unreliable. Air travel and medical evacuation to Tarawa sometimes
failed or unreliable due to the conditions of the airfields on the
outer islands.
The road and airfields project expects to address these issues.
Three sets of heavy plants and machines and respective operator
teams were to be deployed on separate islands concurrently. One
team in the northern group, another in the central and the third in
the southern group.
The Northern team was delivered to Butaritari in April 2014 and
approximately 57% (as of mid-November 2014) the road
component is now completed with the remaining roads in some
areas of the northern part of the island still to be completed.
The second set of heavy plants and operators were delivered to
Tab. North in mid-December 2014. The team is already setting up
base and concluded and signed an agreement with the Island
Council on what inputs the Council has to provide to the project.
Work on the road is already commencing in January.
Plants and equipment for the third teams are to be procured as
soon as fund is disbursed from the ROC’s allocation for 2014.
This team will be deployed in the central Gilberts in the first
quarter of 2015.
At the end of 2014, only about $336,000 remains in the project
account and it will be necessary to top up if the three teams were
to all continue on the different islands in 2015.
A Supplementary project document for Outer Island Heavy Plants
was submitted to the DCC to make up for the costs not included in
the original “Heavy Plants and Machinery project” and have to be
paid from the OI Road & Airfields Upgrading project. Such costs
as hire of landing craft to transport heavy plants to the outer
islands and some cost components of the second set that were not
included. It is imperative that the Supplementary Prodoc on Heavy
Plants be re-submitted to DCC for consideration if the Outer Island
Roads and Airfields Upgrading project is to continue without
disruptions in 2015.
Status
Fourth
Quarter 2014
Butaritari road is now approximately 57% completed (as of last
quarter 2014).
Tab. North – project plants and operators team delivered in midDecember 2014. Road work just started.
General
The Butaritari component has been delayed for over 4 months now
due to constant failure and breakdowns of old plants and
machineries. To speed up the implementation, a larger excavator
was hired from PVU and sent to Butaritari.
Only $335,837.52 is available in the project account and more
funds would be needed in order for the work to continue for the 3
separate teams in 2015.
Coordination
Issues
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Project
Monitoring
Issues
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Communication with the outer island teams to monitor
progress and address delays is always difficult.
Radio sets will be purchased and installed on the islands
implemented and another set located at the MPWU office to
monitor and coordinate the work with the outer island teams.
Significant delay in the implementation of Butaritari;
Outer Island teams have on-site supervisors who reports
regularly on progress and difficulties;
MPWU senior staff will monitor progress by HF radios and by
site visits.
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