Most farming communities in the Northern Division have been grappling with low to no water supply since last month, forcing families to pay an extra $70 weekly for water trucks from other places.

These communities along Vatudova and Tabia, which have depended on rainwater and boreholes for decades, do not have government-metered water supply.

Cane farmer Tota Ram says the situation has worsened due to the current dry season in the Northern Division since May.

He says that water tanks are empty and water sources have completely dried up since last month, leaving residents to now entirely depend on government water carting.

“We have been facing water issues for a very long time in this area. While the government is giving us like 2000 liters in two to three weeks, it’s very little. We have already given our names but are still waiting for the government supplies to come and fill the tanks, but they never came.”

Another cane farmer, Dharma Pillay, says the lack of water supply has been a challenge, especially with laborers on his farm during the cane crushing season.

Pillay says he has even had to buy bottled water and vegetables from the market.

The farmers remain hopeful that the government will soon address the urgent need for water supply extension pipes to reach every household in the area, which has been neglected for the past 50 years.

Meanwhile, the Water Authority of Fiji is working on plans to supply water to farming communities, including Vatudova and Tabia, in the coming weeks.