Equality Insights Rapid: Examining Water, Shelter, and Environment in the Context of the Tongan Volcanic Eruption

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption in January 2022 caused immediate and lasting impacts across Tonga. In the context of this significant event, the focus of this research brief examines the Water, Shelter and Environment dimensions of the Equality Insights survey implemented in Tonga between May-June 2022.

While the survey was conducted within four months of the eruption and tsunami, the majority of questions presented asked respondents to recall information for the past 12 months, and therefore may reflect other considerations beyond the impacts of the volcanic eruption. The results provide important insights on the experiences of households and individuals which may support ongoing recovery and future disaster preparedness planning.

A key objective of this research brief is to explore how the results for the three dimensions of Water, Sanitation, Shelter, and Environment interrelate, as well as the distribution of dimensions across key demographic areas of interest (age, gender, disability, and location). Results pointed to significant levels of air and water pollution as well as water insecurity.