The Water Authority of Fiji and the Government face an uphill battle addressing the country’s ongoing water woes.
Over the past 12 months, WAF and the Ministry of Public Works have diligently tried to patch up leaking pipes and upgrade sanitation systems while planning for a future that will include a resilient infrastructural network that could cater for the country’s growing population.
In Parliament recently, Minister for Public Works Ro Filipe Tuisawau outlined WAF’s operations so far and their vision to strengthen their systems in the face of outside forces like climate change.
Water production and non-revenue water reduction (NRW)
Ro Filipe said these two components were a key issue that the authority had embarked on from August 2023 to July this year.
“The WAF produced a total of 130,771 mega litres of water, demonstrating our capacity to meet the growing demands of our population,” he said.
“A key focus has been on reducing NRW. I am pleased to announce that, through diligent efforts, a reduction in NRW from 47 per cent in 2023 to 45 per cent in the first half of 2024 was achieved.
“This 2 per cent reduction may seem modest, but it represents a significant accomplishment, resulting from extensive work in leak detection, infrastructure maintenance and customer engagement.”
Increased water and wastewater connections
Ro Filipe said the authority successfully increased water connections by 2257 and wastewater connections by 96.
“This growth in connections is a direct result of the extension projects, which expanded the network to reach more households and communities.
“The increase in connections reflects the rising demand from customers to connect to reliable water and wastewater services and underscores the Government’s commitment to expanding access to clean water.”
Infrastructural achievements
The ministry also made strides in improving the aging infrastructure within the water sector.
According to Ro Filipe, some of these achievements included significant progress in enhancing urban water infrastructure.
“During the 2023-2024 financial year, a total of 31.57 kilometres of pipeline extensions were completed, benefiting close to 47,350 Fijians.
“A key highlight of this achievement is the Sawani to Viria pipe laying project, which involved the installation of 24.5 kilometres of new pipeline, directly benefiting 6500 Fijians.
“This project was made possible by the completion of the Viria Water Treatment Plant, a state-of-the-art facility that has a capacity of 40 mega litres.
“As a result of this project, areas that previously experienced intermittent water supply are now receiving consistent and reliable water services.”
Ro Filipe said another major accomplishment in the last financial year was the completion of the Nabouwalu Packaged Water Treatment Plant which is a two-megalitre facility serving more than 5400 Fijians.
“This represents a significant improvement in water supply in the Nabouwalu area, ensuring that residents have access to clean and safe water. We will soon see the commissioning of this project.
“In addition, WAF has successfully installed backup generators at 14 major pump stations.
“This critical infrastructure upgrade ensures that power supply is available during outages.”
Ro Filipe said that while urban infrastructure received major attention, rural communities were also getting much needed assistance from the Government and its partners.
“WAF has completed 10 rural water projects, benefiting various communities that previously lacked access to a proper water supply.
“These projects involved the construction of new water schemes and the installation of standpipes and shower heads, providing communities with a reliable and safe water source.
“The ministry continues to work closely with organisations such as Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation, Fiji Water Foundation, Vodafone Foundation, the LDS Church, the Australian and New Zealand governments and other development partners, to continue to support access to safe water in rural Fiji.
“These organisations have all made significant contributions in the access of safe and clean water.”
Ro Filipe said WAF’s rainwater harvesting tanks projects were also making a significant impact in rural and maritime communities.
“As part of our commitment to ensuring water security in remote areas, 3200 rainwater harvesting tanks were delivered across four regions, benefiting 15,755 households.
“Notably, the most recent deliveries included the tikina Yasawa areas which have faced drought-like conditions.
“We have also delivered to low pressure and intermittent supply areas, such as Sakoca, around the Tamavua area.”
Money
While outlining the steps taken by the Government through WAF to address Fiji’s water issues, Ro Filipe highlighted the investments given by the Government to put into motion their operations over the next 12 months.
“The significant initiatives and strategic plans that WAF has set in motion for the 2024-2025 financial year includes the $259million allocated by Government in terms of the current budget, which will ensure access to clean and safe water and these include $135million for capital expenditure and $123million for operational costs.
“WAF, with a significant allocation of $82.07million for its water program, is to address supply challenges and improve infrastructure across the region.
“A key priority within this program is the NRW initiative which has been allocated $5million.
“This is to address water loss through leaking pipes, which remains a significant issue.
“WAF is engaged in a performance-based contract for NRW reduction, specifically targeting the Suva-Nausori area.
“In terms of the asset management program with an allocation of $8.54million, the program is designed for optimal functionality of our systems, and we will include matters such as the Lami-Nausori wastewater masterplan, feasibility study for a new water source and treatment plant for the Nadi-Lautoka region, development of a masterplan for the Suva-Nausori water supply, ensuring the long-term sustainability and a masterplan for the Keyasi water supply and wastewater scheme.”
Future plans
As the Government continues to place significant efforts and funds into fixing Fiji’s water problems, Ro Filipe said they were, at the same time, looking to the future.
“The Government is expanding its risk for better water services internationally and we need to do that given the limitations of our national coffers.
“Water cannot be delivered without energy, so when we talk about climate financing, the water-energy nexus is crucial, and in this regard, opportunities must be efficiently utilised.
“We must continue to be reminded that for Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) such as Fiji, availability and accessibility of basic utilities such as energy and water are of paramount importance in terms of daily survival, especially for our grassroots, not only that, but of course water, energy and roads.
“There is a great community grassroot need to champion these water-energy annexes to alleviate poverty and it is a catalyst for transformational impact on daily lives.
“This energy-water nexus is a program that innovatively uses smart national level frameworks which can truly provide transformational catalysts, especially for maritime communities.”
