‘Hassle for regular water supply to continue’

PEOPLE in the greater Suva-Nausori area experiencing low water pressure or intermittent supply will have to hassle for regular water sources for one more year.

In a statement, Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) chief executive officer Amit Chanan said the Rewa River Water Supply Scheme which would enable WAF to cater for extra demand would be completed by May 2023.

He said the project would add an additional 40 million litres per day in the Suva/Nausori water system.

Dr Chanan said more than 360,000 people had moved into the Suva-Nausori corridor over the past 10 years, with no new source of water.

“As a result, we are currently producing two million litres per day less than the requirements of the greater Suva-Nausori area — 164 million litres per day versus the 166 million litres per day demand,” he said.

“This requires us to balance our supply — we supply some water to a particular area in the morning, and in the afternoon, we give water to another area.

“When you experience low pressure or intermittent supply, it is because our teams are carrying out valve operations to fill up reservoirs somewhere.”

He said although this was understandably frustrating for customers living in these areas, this was the best solution until the Rewa River Water Supply Scheme was up and running.

“We would like our customers to understand that until the Rewa River Water Scheme is complete, these are necessary measures so they at least have regular access to water, even if it is not 24/7.”

Dr Chanan said the project had been designed with a long-term view to improve service delivery in the region as a whole, not just the Suva-Nausori corridor.

“This project will also relieve pressure on other parts of our infrastructure that are being stressed by the current demands, and as a proactive measure, there are provisions in place by which this can be expanded to a further 80 MLD, in case of even greater demand in the future.

“In the interim, we once again ask for the patience and understanding of our customers. Beyond balancing operations, we also deploy our water carting teams where needed to address the current issues.”