Faaite atoll in the Tuamotu archipelago of French Polynesia has had a desalination plant since last October. Funded by central and local government, it will enable islanders to purchase drinking water for about six cents a litre.

Desalinated seawater is a big improvement. Until now residents depended on collecting rainwater, so dysentery was rife.

Unlike the Tuamotu coral atolls, there are plenty of rivers and aquifers in the mountainous islands in the other archipelagos. On Faaite drinking water poses other problems, largely related to infrastructure and upkeep.

"We are paying the price for political patronage," says Hirohiti Salmon, deputy mayor of Papara, population 10,000, where water shortages are commonplace. If people voted the right way, they were let off paying their water bills, which were ridiculously low anyway. Now local councils are being forced to improve their service. By 2016 they will have to supply drinking water at a price that covers costs.

So the local authorities are refurbishing the mains, fitting meters and increasing prices. This is a touchy topic for voters, particularly as the piped water is not yet up to scratch. But it is the only solution, according to the head of the water department.

"Fitting meters and monitoring consumption avoids the need for excess capacity and chlorination of four times more water than is really needed. We also use less electricity for pumping," says Marie-Laure Lai Koun Sing. "We can thus afford to carry out regular upkeep."

Last year 95% of the tests performed by the village of Tumaraa, assisted by the water department, met requirements, up from only 25% two years earlier. Charges to residents are governed by a sliding scale, depending on how much they consume.

This story originally appeared in Le Monde