CONTAMINATED RIVER
But when will the effects hit residents fishing in it?
USP researchers say the Tamavua-i-Wai river has been exposed to toxic metals. However residents say they have not felt any effects while using the river to catch and consume fish. But they are concerned about the amount of rubbish polluting it.
For 20 years, Selai Mate has lived and survived along the riverbanks of Tamavua-i-wai. Her children and grandchildren also live in make-shift homes alongside her home.
University of the South Pacific researchers have found that settlers in Tamavua-i-wai are exposed to toxic waste materials that are discharged into the sea from the two industrial zones close to the area - Walu Bay and Wailada.
But 64-year-old Ms Mate says the real problem they face is the rubbish that gets washed up in front of their home. “There is not much difference that we’ve seen here over the years,” she said.
“We’ve been eating fish from the river every day, and no one has ever been poisoned. There are no skin diseases or any waterborne diseases that has affected us or our children.
“The only difference is that the size of fish we catch are now bigger, compared to the small ones we used to catch when we moved here 20 years ago.”
She added that they now caught different types of fish alongside their home. She said they also collected shellfish (kaikoso) from around the Suva Harbour, adjacent to the old Lami dump. “We eat the shellfish, but no one has ever fallen sick or poisoned.
“Also, for the 20 years we’ve been here, we’ve never been informed of the side effects of fishing in contaminated water. We only get students from USP, who come and use our boat, to go out and conduct their research, that’s it.” Ms Mate’s family is one of 20 households that live along Tamavua-i-wai. She is from Ketei, Totoya in Lau. She also has a home in Nadonumai – but prefers living in Tamavua-i-wai because of its accessibility to the sea.
Washed up rubbish
She said they constantly clear the rubbish that washes up in front of their home, but it does not solve the problem.
“Most of the time, the rubbish that’s collected in front of our home is from people living further up.
“My husband was the chairman of the committee here and we’ve brought up the issue so many times, and advised community members to dispose their rubbish properly.
“We have a rubbish truck that collects our garbage, but people still throw their rubbish into the water.”
Food
An everyday menu on the plate for her family is fish - caught right in front of her home.
“There is no excuse for people living along here to be hungry or run out of food. We have this river that runs right in front of our homes and land to plant our food. Laziness will only starve your family and bring more problems,” she said.
Another resident, Vasenai Adi, who has lived in Tamavua-i-Wai for 10 years, said everyone is fit and healthy. She is originally from Namena in Tailevu.
“We have realised that we are now getting bigger catch. But we have never had someone to share with us that the river we use to survive is contaminated,” she said.
Ministry of Environment Permanent Secretary Joshua Wycliffe said they would request and invite the Tamavuai-Wai community to participate and engage through a Think Tank.
The litter prevention Think Tank was recently launched by the ministry. It raises valuable contributions through research, academic and community participation.
Collaboration Key
University of the South Pacific’s Acting Director of the Institute of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Technology and Engineering, Isoa Korovulavula emphasised the need to collaborate to tackle marine pollution.
“Moving water reduces the risk of residents being poisoned, this is because the sediments from toxic waste will float and not settle,” Mr Korovulavula said.
“For fish, they are migratory species, so if residents cook them well, the likelihood of them falling sick is less.” He said heavy metal pollution was likely to affect the future generation compared to bacteria, which had immediate effect on people.
“A sign of heavy metal pollution is when women, who may consume fish in contaminated waters, give birth to a deformed baby. Now researches use hair strands to test the level of mercury in a person or breast milk.” Mr Korovulavula said they returned to the communities to inform them of their findings, however, this was not an ongoing study.
Tomorrow
Captain Jonathan Smith tells about what he finds underwater in Suva harbour