THE prolonged drought affecting Fiji could compromise the National Fire Authority’s ability to respond to fires as water sources continue to dry up, chief executive officer Sowane Puamau warns.
Mr Puamau said the El Niño-driven drought was becoming a national challenge, with declining water levels posing a serious concern for firefighting operations.
“The challenges that we are experiencing now, is a national challenge in terms of the impact of El Nino that is causing lengthy droughts across the islands,” Mr Puamau said.
“That has also impact on the level of available water sources in Fiji.”
He said the drying of ponds and falling water levels in rivers could affect the authority’s ability to access the water needed to control fires.
“We have heard from the minister’s message today, that ponds are drying up, rivers are getting shallow now, and we have also heard from National Disaster NDMO on warning the people on how to use water sensibly.”
Mr Puamau warned that if the drought persisted, the impact on firefighting operations could worsen.
“So should this drought continues, it will also definitely affect our service delivery because water is our main source of equipment in terms of firefighting.”
He urged members of the public to conserve water and avoid unnecessary wastage, warning that the country could no longer take its water supply for granted. Mr Puamau has also called on households and communities to repair leaking taps immediately and report water wastage.
“When you have a leaking tap, it is recommended that you fix your tap immediately, because times are hard now. It’s not like before where we have adequate water sources.”
He said water was often seen leaking continuously in villages and urban areas, adding that such wastage needed to stop as Fiji faced difficult drought conditions.
“Those are type of things need to be avoided to keep us safe during this very difficult time in terms of El Nino and drought that we are experiencing.”
