Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[Source: Water Authority of Fiji/Facebook]
Water Authority of Fiji Chief Executive Dr. Amit Chanan highlighted that efforts to provide water to affected areas are being hindered by challenges within the community.
Dr. Chanan points out that these issues are particularly common in Sakoca, along Khalsa Road in Nasinu, where residents frequently experience intermittent water supply.
He explains that while WAF is assisting by providing water carting services and other initiatives, the lack of cooperation among community members is hampering these efforts.
Dr. Chanan says they have tried to provide water tanks, but local politics within the communities continue to hinder these efforts.
“We had also used the idea which I think you had originally suggested to put some tanks in the community level. But what we found was we ended up in the local politics of not in my house, why in his house? why not in my house? So we reduced the number of those just to avoid the nuisance value of that. So but they still remain some of them in the critical locations.”
However, he says they remain committed to reaching affected communities by carting water as best they can.
“We also recently have started deploying 4x4s with a tank on the back because they can go further into those narrow streets than the tank is good.”
Chief Operating Officer Seru Soderberg says that to alleviate water issues in Sakoca and other elevated areas, WAF has a project in the pipeline for Colo-i-Suva that aims to address these challenges.
The Water Authority is pleading with customers in these areas to bear with them as they work to resolve the issue.
