Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo says the inclusion of water into the second Round Table talks this morning seeks to highlight its critical importance to Solomon Islands.
Opening the meeting this morning the Prime Minister says water in its many forms continue to be ignored by many as a key strategic resource for developing countries like Solomon Islands.
He says the reality is that water presents a multiplicity of challenges and opportunities for development.
Mr Lilo says Solomon Islands has witnessed the challenges caused by the Kongulai Water Source for Honiara residents, similar to those in Gizo, Auki and the other provincial capitals.
He says even rural dwellers experience strained relationships over the access to water resources between bush and coastal people.
Mr Lilo stressed that these are real challenges we will face today and well into the future.
He encourages each and every member of the Round Table and Solomon Islanders to talk meaningfully about water as a common resource.
Mr Lilo says this opportunity is given to ensure that water, as a strategic resource, is considered as a key component of development for the Solomon Islands in the future.
In a study published this week, researchers at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany warned that climate change will put further strain on the world's water sources, as warming temperatures and changing precipitation patterns expose more regions to drought and shortages.
The paper, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that an average global temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius — a best case scenario — would expose an additional 486 million people to new or more severe water scarcity.