From left: WAF Chief Operating Officer, Seru Soderberg, Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau and WAF Chief Executive Officer, Dr Amit Chanan [Source: WAF/ Facebook]

With the rapid expansion of the Nadi-Lautoka urban area, the government has unveiled a significant investment plan under the Water Sector Strategy 2050.

This plan includes approximately $397 million in water infrastructure and $1.22 billion in sanitation upgrades by 2050.

Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau says these measures aim to meet the increasing demand for water and wastewater services, particularly driven by growth in the tourism sector.

He adds that several key projects are already underway to modernize the ageing water infrastructure, some of which date back to 1959.

“The Warange to Saru Water Treatment Plant Pipeline Works, Warange Dam, and Saru Water Treatment Plant, which have experienced frequent operational issues due to ageing infrastructure and natural disasters, are receiving upgrades. The system’s raw water trunk mains, which have not undergone substantial improvements in the past 64 years, are being replaced with more resilient pipe materials to enhance water conveyance capacity and reliability.”

Tuisawau says the total cost for this project is $9.7 million, with completion expected by this December.

He further emphasized that the area, which faces a daily supply-demand gap of 5.4 million litres, is also seeing upgrades to its trunk mains.

The Minister adds that these improvements will address outdated infrastructure, providing greater operational flexibility between Nadi and Lautoka. The project, valued at $8.3 million is expected to take 44 weeks.

Tuisawau says these projects represent a major commitment by the coalition government, focusing on the long-term development of water and sanitation services.