Businesses in Western Province have been warned against raising the prices of bottled drinking water during the current severe drought.
Reports that shops in Gizo, Noro, Munda, and surrounding communities are inflating prices due to soaring demand prompted swift action from the provincial government.
In a strongly worded notice, Provincial Secretary Collin Potakana warned that the administration will immediately suspend or cancel the business licences of operators caught price-gouging, deceiving customers, or hoarding bottled water.
“Price-gouging, deceptive pricing, and hoarding are direct breaches of standard business licence conditions,” Potakana stated.
In Honiara, a carton of drinking water (12 bottles) costs between $30 and $40. In Western Province, residents reported as high as $70 for a carton of water.
Potakana said the provincial government is working with the Consumer Affairs and Price Control Division of the Ministry of Commerce, Industries, Labour and Immigration (MCILI) to issue a formal Price Control Order.
While acknowledging that operators face higher transport and supply costs, Potakana emphasized that essential commodities – especially drinking water – must remain affordable during public emergencies.
Under the Western Province Business License Ordinance 2012, non-compliant operators face formal breach notices, licence revocations, and statutory referrals to national authorities.
Members of the public are urged to report instances of price exploitation directly to provincial authorities.
The water crisis comes as Western and Choiseul provinces continue to recover from the widespread devastation caused by recent Cyclone Maila.
This week, Opposition leader Manasseh Sogavare raised serious concerns over the government’s preparedness, calling for immediate, strategic interventions.
Sogavare urged the national government to distribute drought-resilient seeds and launch a targeted food relief program for rural farming families facing crop failures.
He emphasized that affected communities cannot survive on calls for patience alone and required urgent water supply operations, additional storage tanks, and repairs to water infrastructure.
The GREAT coalition recently activated emergency response mechanisms through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Disaster Management alongside the Solomon Islands Meteorological Services.
Its relief strategy includes deploying water distribution missions and assessments across heavily affected island locations, including targeted water drops to outer regions like Rennell and Bellona.
Additionally, the government continues to roll-out its SB150 million recovery plan to address community restoration and infrastructure repairs following the impacts of Cyclone Maila.
