WAF network hit by TC Ana, Yasa
SUVA experienced 263 water main disruptions and Labasa had 159 water main disruptions over the past three months, Infrastructure Minister Jone Usamate said in his ministerial statement in Parliament on Wednesday.
He said tropical cyclones Yasa and Ana, one of which was a Category 5 storm, damaged a lot of the Water Authority of Fiji infrastructure.
“In total, 21 water systems were affected during TC Yasa and TC Ana nationwide,” he said.
“Due to flash flooding, high turbidity, main burst and landslides, the water systems were affected and thousands of customers were without water supply.”
Mr Usamate said WAF operated a network that was built over half a century ago and because of the age of the infrastructure, facets of the network were now unable to meet present demand hence the need for upgrade and improvement.
“Subsequent improvements to the system have also put a large strain on some of the older assets leading to burst mains and critical failure and affects the delivery of services, as such, these costs contribute to increases in repairs and maintenance costs. We still have a lot of old-aged infrastructure that had served its purpose and most of the reticulation system was built along the coastal line in response to the population demand.
“Given the infrastructure and its position, these structures had been the hardest hit and continue to be vulnerable.”
Mr Usamate said for the greater Suva area, supply was expected to improve later in the next year (2022) once the Rewa River Water Supply Scheme was commissioned.