TFL Staff Graduate As Water Champions
The Water Authority of Fiji’s Water Champion Programme has reached another level of achievement.
This is after eight staff members from the Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL) Customer Services took part and graduated from the one-day programme.
WAF chief executive officer, Opetaia Ravai said: “History has been created; you are the first organisation apart from schools to undergo this programme.
“Since its inception in 2014, the programme has only been offered to secondary school children. “The Water Champions Programme is designed to raise awareness and create an appreciation of water, to understand the whole process and know some facts about water, and to be the voice for water conservation.” Mr Ravai added that the programme educates participants on being water champions, advocates for water, while taking them behind the scenes to discover what happens - from the source, which is the rivers, to the tap. This helps people appreciate how water is delivered and the role the Water Authority plays in delivering safe drinking water. “I hope you go back as true water champions to create the awareness in people in your communities to value water and that you appreciate it that when you pay your water bills, it is the lowest water rate in the world, which is another challenge in itself,” said Mr Ravai. The one-day programme kicked off with an induction by the WAF’s Strategic Planning Unit (SPU) giving the participants an overview of WAF, the structure and the tariff rates for water.
This was followed by field visits at the Waimanu Pumping Station, Headworks 3, Casade, Savura Pumping Station, the Tamavua National Control Centre and Water Treatment Plant. TFL’s senior customer services representative, Inise Bilo, said the programme was an exciting one for her. “It was an eye-opener for me to see how water is treated, the raw water to the treated water and once it is all purified then the public starts to use it,” she said.
“To be able to see what it takes for water to be distributed to the public at large, it is a daunting task.” Another participant, TFL’s Customer Services – Team Leader, Alisi Vunibola said the visits to various depots and plants took her by surprise and she now views the Water Authority of Fiji from a different perspective. “We just know that when we open the tap the water comes out. But behind that, to see the actual work being done and after today’s experience then you see the very large infrastructure, which is probably a challenge to maintain in the years to come. “One thing I liked is how they managed the pumps, switching them on and off and checking the water levels,” Ms Vunibola said. The Authority hopes that other corporate organisations also participate in the program by allowing their staff to attend. Meanwhile, secondary school students will take part in a similar week-long programme with the Authority in the Central Division this week while students in the Northern and Western divisions will start next week.