The ‘real’ water deal

The water crisis along the Lami-Suva-Nausori Corridor needs to be addressed immediately. It is a real life issue which has been haunting consumers for years.

It is now an everyday issue affecting thousands of lives.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, on Tuesday said; the water woes in the Suva-Nausori, Lami corridor is real, rain in the last 30 days has been low.

While the PM spoke about the past 30 days, some along the Lami-Suva-Nausori corridors have been living with low and poor water supply for years. Daily supply is intermittent to most consumers. They get water daily from 4am to 9am and 4pm to 9pm.

Whatever they fetch from the tap are stored in drums, containers and used sparingly for home needs such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, shower, sanitation, etc.

Some resort to creeks, wells, water tanks and rain to meet their daily needs.

Others resort to re-use methods including the use of laundry water or water used to clean utensils for toilet use.

People, plants and animals need water to survive. There’s no life without water. It’s a paid service, so the supply to consumers should be uninterrupted. The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) has now rationed water, starting with car wash outlets.

The best advice from WAF: once you have water supply, please store it.

Consumers are urged to:

■ Avoid water usage for car washing

■ Avoid watering of plants and gardens

■ Avoid irrigation

■ Avoid topping up of swimming pools

■ Avoid washing of driveways and footpaths, etc.

Government allocated $204.3 million in the 20222023 Budget to WAF to improve its service.

While upgrades continue, the Waimanu Water Catchment at Sawani, Naitasiri has recorded reduction in daily volume collection.

From 883.77 million liters per day (MLD) from 2012 to 2022, to 281.69MLD from last month to date. That’s a loss of 602.08MLD.

Work on the $270m Rewa River Water Supply Scheme since 2019 and Viria Water Project are expected to pump an additional 26MLD into the SuvaNausori system when completed in June.

That gives hope to a combined population of 330,000 which relies on WAF water supply.

Until then the Ministry of Health and Medical Services has advised that water for drinking should be boiled.

Its Permanent Secretary Dr James Fong said the water crisis was the best time for diseases to breed and people could get sick.

He said sicknesses such as diarrhea and bathing in dirty water could cause skin diseases.

Dr Fong advises the general public to practice proper hygiene and set health priorities that wouldn’t get them ill during the water crisis.