A landslide at the inlet to the Wainibuku Reservoir has been identified as the main cause of water supply disruptions in the greater Suva-Nasinu areas.

Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) chief operating officer Seru Soderberg said the landslide occurred late last night.

He said the major fault on the Waila to Wainibuku 600mm and 450mm bulk water mains were the dislocated pipelines, with an approximate length of 40m dislocated.

“Based on our initial assessments, which were conducted because of the landslide, we can see that there are no faults on the pipes themselves. However, the force of the landslide has pushed apart or dislocated our pipework, causing significant damage which will take some time to safely repair,” Mr Soderberg said.

He said for safety reasons, WAF engineers would first work to stabilise the site before repair works could commence.

“Our approach at the moment is to conduct repairs to the 450mm main. The bigger challenge for us, however, is in regards to the 600mm, as landslide has made the site unstable.

“Our teams are currently mobilising to bring the needed materials to the repair site.

“We kindly request our customers to please bear with us while these critical repairs are being carried out, as the fault is beyond WAF’s control, and we reassure you that we are doing what we can as urgently as possible.”

Water carting trucks have been deployed to provide water to affected customers during this time.

Customers are advised to contact the National Contact Center on 3346777 or shortcode 5777 (all mobile networks) for water carting assistance.