The Water Authority of Fiji is disappointed by the public’s treatment of some of its infrastructure.

Chief Operating Officer Seru Soderberg says although WAF belongs to the public, he stresses that their wastewater system is being misused by individuals for improper waste disposal.

He expressed frustration, stating that communities are suffering due to the careless actions of a few.

Chief Operating Officer Seru Soderberg [File Photo]

Soderberg highlights the misconception that polluting the wastewater system causes no harm, when in reality, it significantly increases WAF’s operational costs.

“There’s a pump that’s downstream that’s going to get damaged. WAF, and everyone sitting here pays for that pump to be replaced. We have to disinfect the overflow, and there’s obviously the inconvenience to those residing around that area.”

Soderberg says the findings are alarming and urges the public to act more responsibly.

“Complaints from Narere claim that the wastewater pump station overflows constantly, but every time we inspect, we find rags, clothes, blankets, bones—whatever you can think of—in the system. In one instance, someone even used a manhole to dump cut grass and burn it there.”

Soderberg also expressed concerns about businesses illegally connecting to the wastewater system, revealing that a survey found 90 percent of these connections were unauthorized.