The chairman of the National Disaster Council (NDC), Mr David Hiba Hiriasia, said the Government remains committed to its shelter recovery commitments in Western and Choiseul Provinces, after Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI) raised concerns about the SBD$75 million Tropical Cyclone Maila Recovery Fund. Mr Hiriasia, who is also Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, said he welcomed public interest in transparency and accountability in the recovery work.
Following Cabinet approval, the Government set up the National Disaster Council Special Fund for Tropical Cyclone Maila shelter recovery, Mr Hiriasia said. No funds have yet been accessed from the Special Fund, he said, but procurement and material sourcing are already going ahead through existing government arrangements, and the NDC, working with hardware suppliers, now has the materials for the first 20 houses in Gizo and is buying and preparing more.
"Appropriate financial, procurement and accountability processes have been established to ensure public funds are used lawfully, transparently and for their intended purpose," he said. He described the programme as the first shelter recovery effort of its scale in more than 20 years through a dedicated disaster recovery funding mechanism.
The NDC is also working with the Western Provincial Government and other stakeholders to check damage assessment reports and beneficiary lists, Mr Hiriasia said, so that eligible households are captured and help reaches the worst affected. "The validation process also provides safeguards against duplication, favoritism and political interference," he said.
He said affected households would begin seeing results within the next two months. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) should also hand over its Shelter Recovery Project for Simbo next week, he said, with final arrangements still to be settled.
On the El Niño-induced drought, Mr Hiriasia said emergency water assistance has been delivered to Rennell and Bellona Province with support from the Australian Government, and Western Province, particularly Gizo, is the next priority. The vessel ADV Reliant is due to carry approximately 400,000 litres there in the coming days, he said, urging people to conserve water as dry conditions are expected to last through November and December.
Source: Statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet and published on the Solomon Islands Government portal on 6 November 2026. https://solomons.gov.sb/ndc-chairman-responds-to-transparency-solomon-islands-on-sbd75-million-cyclone-maila-recovery-fund/