Fongafale
| Fongafale | |
|---|---|
| Island | |
 | |
  Fongafale | |
| Coordinates: 08°31′S 179°12′E / 8.517°S 179.200°E | |
| Country | Tuvalu |
| Atoll | Funafuti |
Fongafale (also spelled Fogale or Fagafale) is the largest of Funafuti's islets in Tuvalu.[1][2] It is a long narrow sliver of land, 12 kilometres long and between 10 and 400 metres wide, with the South Pacific Ocean and reef on the east and the protected lagoon on the west. The north part is the Tengako peninsula and Funafuti International Airport runs from northeast to southwest on the widest part of the island with the village and administrative centre of Vaiaku on the lagoon side.[3][4]
It contains the Tengako peninsula.
In 1972 Funafuti was in the path of Cyclone Bebe. Cyclone Bebe knocked down 90% of the houses and trees on Fongafale. The storm surge created a wall of coral rubble along the ocean side of Fongafale and Funafala that was about 10 miles (16 km) long, and about 10 feet (3.0 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) thick at the bottom.[5]
Villages on Fongafale
There are four neighbourhoods (officially villages, which appear as one contiguous urban area):
- Alapi
- Fakai Fou
- Senala
- Vaiaku
Vaiaku is the most important, most southern and most western neighbourhood, which includes the Vaiaku Lagi Hotel (the only hotel of the country, there are also a few guesthouses), some shops, a fuelpump station, Tuvalu's only commercial bank, and the general post office.[3] The villages has a surface area of more than 0.65 square kilometres and have about 4,000 inhabitants.
Parliament of Tuvalu and government buildings
The official buildings are located on Fongafale and include the Parliament of Tuvalu, the offices of the government ministries, the house of the Governor General of Tuvalu, the Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau, the Tuvalu Meteorology Service, the offices of the Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation and the Tuvalu Media Corporation.[3] The Tuvalu Media Corporation operates radio services and also publishes Sikuleo o Tuvalu - Tuvalu Echo (previously: Tuvalu Echoes), a fortnightly newspaper and a news website.[6]
The Princess Margaret Hospital,[3] the Fetuao Lima Church, Tausoa Maneapa (city hall), co-operative shop and a primary school are also on the island.
Transportation
Air
Tuvalu's only (and thus international) airport, Funafuti International Airport, is located here.[3] It only offers Air Fiji flights to Suva, Fiji.
Land
There are four taxis, and motorbikes are available for hire.
Water
Access to the Funafuti Conservation Area is by boat; the Conservation Area is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) across the lagoon from the main island of Fongafale.
There are port facilities on Fongafale. There are two passenger/cargo ships, Nivaga II and Manu Folau, which provide round trip visits to the outer islands every three or four weeks and which also travel between Suva, Fiji[7] and Funafuti 3 to 4 times a year.
Aquifer salinization of Fongafale
The investigation of groundwater dynamics of Fongafale Islet, Funafuti, show that tidal forcing results in salt water contamination of the surficial aquifer during spring tides.[8] The degree of aquifer salinization depends on the specific topographic characteristics and the hydrologic controls in the sub-surface of the atoll. About half of Fongafale islet is reclaimed swamp that contains porous, highly permeable coral blocks that allow the tidal forcing of salt water.[9] There was extensive swamp reclamation during World War II to create the air field that is now the Funafuti International Airport. As a consequence of the specific topographic characteristics of Fongafale, unlike other atoll islands of a similar size, Fongafale does not have a thick freshwater lens.[9] The narrow fresh water and brackish water sheets in the sub-surface of Fongafale islet results in the taro swamps and the fresh groundwater resources of the islet being highly vulnerable to salinization resulting from the rising sea-level.[9]
A survey of the pits that have previously been used to grow Swamp taro (Cyrtosperma chamissonis), (known in Tuvalu as Pulaka) established that the pits were either too saline or very marginal for swamp taro production, although a more salt tolerant species of taro (Colocasia esculenta) was being grown in Fongafale.[10]
Over-extraction of groundwater and pollution
In addition to the increased risk of salinized by the sea-level rise, the freshwater lens is at risk from over extraction due to the large population that now occupies Fongafale islet; the increased extraction can be exacerbated by a decrease of the rainfall recharge rate associated with the climate change.[8] Water pollution is also a chronic problem, with domestic wastewater identified as the primary pollution source.[11] Approximately 92% of households on Fongafale islet have access to septic tanks and pit toilets. However these sanitary facilities are not built as per the design specifications or they are not suitable for the geophysical characteristics, which results in seepage into the fresh water lens and run off into coastal waters.[11]
A project involving the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) is constructing composting toilets and improving the treatment of sewage sludge from septic tanks on Fongafale in order to reduct the leakage from septic tanks into groundwater and the ocean and lagoon.[12]
In November 2013 the World Bank announced US$6 million in funding to improve the operational safety of the Funafuti International Airport and associated infrastructure. A 800,000 litre water cistern will be constructed to improve storage of drinking water.[13]
References
- ↑ Map of Funafuti. Tuvaluislands.com.
- ↑ Admiralty Nautical Chart 2983 Tuvalu - Funafuti atoll. United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Map of Funafuti Centre - Fogafale Motu. Tuvaluislands.com.
- ↑ Lal, Andrick. South Pacific Sea Level & Climate Monitoring Project - Funafuti atoll. SPC Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC Division of SPC).
- ↑ Resture, Jane (5 October 2009). Hurricane Bebe 1972. Tuvalu and the Hurricanes: ‘The Hurricane in Funafuti, Tuvalu’ by Pasefika Falani (Pacific Frank).
- ↑ "Tuvalu-News.TV". Retrieved 31 October 2012.
- ↑ Fiji shipping agent, Williams & Gosling.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nakada S., Yamano H., Umezawa Y., Fujita M., Watanabe M., Taniguchi M. (2010). "Evaluation of Aquifer Salinization in the Atoll Islands by Using Electrical Resistivity". 30 (5) Journal of the Remote Sensing Society of Japan. pp. 317–330. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Nakada S, Umezawa Y, Taniguchi M, Yamano H. (2012 Jul-Aug). "Groundwater dynamics of Fongafale Islet, Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu". 50(4) Ground Water. pp. 639–44. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ↑ Webb, Dr Arthur (March 2007). "Tuvalu Technical Report: Assessment of Salinity of Groundwater in Swamp Taro (Cyrtosperma Chamissonis) Pulaka Pits in Tuvalu". Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission, EU EDF8-SOPAC Project Report 75: Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Fujita M., Suzuki J., Sato D., Kuwahara Y., Yokoki H., Kayanne, Y. (2013). "Anthropogenic impacts on water quality of the lagoonal coast of Fongafale Islet, Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu". Sustained Science (Springer). Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ↑ Andrew McIntyre, Brian Bell, and Solofa Uota (February 2012). ""Fakafoou – To Make New": Tuvalu Infrastructure Strategy and Investment Plan". Government of Tuvalu. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
- ↑ "World Bank to help Tuvalu finish air facilities upgrade". Radio New Zealand International. 4 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
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