The Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) has strongly rejected claims that toxic or untreated material was dumped into the Ba River following the recent fire at the Rarawai Mill, stating that all processes were managed in full compliance with environmental standards.
FSC said the river remains safe and that their own testing confirms no signs of contamination.
“We reassure the public that no toxic or untreated material has been discharged into the Ba River,” the Corporation stated.
The Corporation confirmed that on Thursday, October 2, a “small number of dead fish” were observed along the riverbank opposite the factory. FSC said it took immediate action, collecting river water samples for internal laboratory testing.
“The test results confirmed that all parameters were well within acceptable environmental limits, showing no abnormalities or evidence of contamination attributable to the mill.”
The fire at Rarawai Mill on September 17 halted normal operations for several days. FSC said that all material in the process house was safely stored in tanks during the shutdown. Once temporary power was restored on September 19, some of the stored material began to deteriorate due to the downtime.
“To manage this safely and in an environmentally responsible manner, a portion of the processed juice was transferred to the Lautoka Mill for further processing,” the Corporation explained.
“The remainder was directed to the effluent treatment ponds where it underwent proper treatment and secure containment.”
FSC further clarified that some residual material in holding tanks caused minor frothing, which led to limited overflow on the process floor.
“This overflow was promptly contained and diverted to pollution ponds for proper treatment. We emphatically reject that there was any consequential overflow into the river,” the Corporation said.
The Rarawai Mill is equipped with three effluent treatment ponds, each fitted with electrically powered aerators to ensure biological breakdown of any liquid waste. The Corporation emphasized that these systems remained operational and effective.
“Under normal operating conditions, all liquid effluent is directed to the treatment ponds for aeration and controlled breakdown before being safely stored.”
