CLEAN, SAFE WATER FOR NATOLEVU SETTLEMENT
For the first time in 91 years, more than 50 villagers of Natolevu settlement near Nadarivatu in Tavua now will have access to clean and safe drinking water.
This was made possible through a $50,000 funding by the FIJI Water Foundation working with the Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation, to install a new borehole.
The villagers relocated to their current site in 1928 from their original village at Rabulu, along the Kings Road. Since that time, they have largely relied on water provided intermittently by the Water Authority of Fiji.
Benefits to the villages
“Villagers will no longer have to walk 150 meters to the nearby river to do their washing or bathing,” said Geoffrey Smith, director of external relations and community engagement for FIJI Water.
“A new 10,000-litre storage tank powered by a solar pump will bring clean and safe water right into the comfort of their homes for the first time.”
Main challenge
“Because Natolevu is largely a farming community that lies within Tavua’s red zone where access to clean and safe water remains a challenge, this new system comes as a big blessing,” said Neil Maharaj, executive officer for Rotary Pacific.
“The new water source complies with national drinking water standards and will be a catalyst for improved sanitation facilities in the settlement.”
Initial work on the project began in 2017 and was completed in November 2019. Water from the new borehole will be pumped out by power provided by solar panels along with a backup generator.