A rarely proactive Fiji
They told us to harvest rain, a public comment that was issued unabashed, in the face of decades of concerns. But the long-standing problem at Savura needed an equally long-term solution that, all the while, was devoid of all or any grain of political will.
The numerous calls over the years, from concerned residents - the very people they were to serve - resulted in nought, until it was all too late.
They promised to send water trucks, which, in an act that smacked of lip service, never turned up.
And when there was no more rain to harvest, they turned a deaf ear to the mountainous pleas for some watery respite.
Savura is known for the copious volumes of rain it collects almost all year round.
It is home to water treatment plant that serves the needs of the capital city.
The fact that it’s populace - many of them property owners - now live without tap water is a crying shame.
It is a terrible reflection on the grave state of neglect demonstrated by Water Authority of Fiji, who for years expected nearby residences of Wailoku to just grin and bear with the eternal excuse of blockage at water treatment pumps, and age-old infrastructure.
But that is not the peoples’ problem; the very people who pay you to accord them the rightful duty of service, which is not to sleep on the job in your lofty towers, or even globe trot for plaque collection.
The sorry sad situation reeks of great falsehood for a public service that is one of the basic human rights owed to mankind.
To deny as much is negligence of a high order. In the meantime, they tell us - the stranded lot on the other side of the broken road at Savura - an interim access route is available, but only for four-wheel drive vehicles.
The average resident affected by the broken road and busted water pipe do not have the means to afford such luxury vehicles, leave alone water tanks. Water Authority of Fiji could have done better if it responded favourably years ago to the infinite concerns from Savura residents.
To save face now as it scrummages around for some band-aid solution is plain lame.
In fact, it’s a crying shame.
Water Authority of Fiji has no defence against the recent mess.
The authority can not use the forces of nature as yet another of its multitude of excuses.
They can not say this one caught them off guard. They have nothing to hide behind now as they face the reality that is gnawing wide open at Savura Road - the results of which have crippled half the capital city to bring it to its knees.
The jobs of the likes of line minister Ro Filipe Tuisawau and his chief executive officer, Amit Chanan, are on the line; the latter notified long before the former arrived. They must be held to account for the extreme misery they’ve put the country through. .