Kreetika Kumar 
The Coalition Government is scaling up the investment in the water sector with an increased budget of $250.8 million.
Finance Minister, Professor Biman Prasad says for the new fiscal year the Government has set aside a quarter billion dollars for the water system.
Professor Prasad says this is an increase of almost $60 million compared to the current budget, and this includes $118.1 million in operating expenditures and $132.7 million in capital expenditures.
He adds the Rewa River Water Project is expected to be completed by the end of July, with full commissioning expected by October.
“This has been a major investment, and we will see a major improvement in supply after the full commissioning of the project. Mr. Speaker, we are allocating $51.2 million for the completion of the project. The total cost of the project is approximately $400 million. I thank our financing partners, the Asian Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the Green Climate Fund, for their grant support towards the project.”
Professor Prasad says $53.9 million is allocated to improve water sources and implement new disaster-resilient infrastructure, including water treatment facilities with a focus on reducing leakages.
He says $6.4 million is allocated to improve wastewater operations and $4.8 million for asset management within the water authority.
Another $4.6 million is allocated for the digital transformation in the water sector, which will help manage water disruption.
He says $3.8 million is allocated for emergency response in the event of a water disruption and $7.9 million to focus on improving access to water supplies in rural areas, which has been neglected for some time as well.
Professor Prasad says given the magnitude of the challenge we have in the water sector, it is going to take time and cost over $500 million to replace the 40-year-old pipe system that is leaking underground.
He says they are working with the Asian Development Bank for a major institutional revamp of the Water Authority, including governance, investment planning, asset management, infrastructure replacement and upgrade reviews of water tariffs, and investment in our people to improve customer service management.
[ Source: Fiji Government]
