Two passenger/cargo ships, Nivaga II and Manu Folau, provide round-trip visits to the outer islands every three or four weeks, and also travel between Suva, Fiji[8] and Funafuti 3 to 4 times a year.

The investigation of groundwater dynamics of Fongafale Islet, Funafuti, show that tidal forcing results in salt water contamination of the surficial aquifer during spring tides.

[9] The degree of aquifer salinization depends on the specific topographic characteristics and the hydrologic controls in the sub-surface of the atoll.

About half of Fongafale islet is reclaimed swamp that contains porous, highly permeable coral blocks that allow the tidal forcing of salt water.

[10] During World War II the occupying Japanese conducted extensive swamp reclamation to create an air field.

[13] In November 2013 the World Bank announced US$6 million in funding to improve the operational safety of the Funafuti International Airport and associated infrastructure.

[14] When the airfield, which is now Funafuti International Airport, was constructed during World War II, the coral base of the atoll was withdrawn to use as fill to create the runway.

In the low areas of Funafuti, the sea water can be seen bubbling up through the porous coral rock to form pools with each high tide.

[15][16][17] Since 1994 a project has been in development to assess the environmental impact of transporting sand from the lagoon to fill all the borrow pits and low-lying areas on Fongafale.

[21] The project was carried out in 2015, with 365,000 sqm of sand being dredged from the lagoon to fill the holes and ultimately improve water and living conditions on the island.

[7] The implementation of the TCAP on Funafuti is proposed to be a land reclamation project on Fongafale, which will start from the northern boundary of the Queen Elizabeth Park (QEP) reclamation area and extend to the northern Tausoa Beach Groyne and the development of the Catalina Ramp Harbour.