Visitors and residents in Naqara, Taveuni, are being left without a proper public convenience facility, with market vendors renewing calls for authorities to address the long-standing issue.
Market vendor Adi Ana Aliti said the absence of a public convenience had been a concern for many years, forcing some visitors to rely on nearby businesses or find alternative options.
She said vendors often joked with visitors asking for a public convenience that they would have to use the bushes because no facility was available.
“For years, we have been requesting that a public restroom be built in Taveuni because there is currently none available,” Ms Aliti said.
“In the 54 years that I have lived in Taveuni, there has never been a proper public restroom facility for residents and visitors to use.”
She said repeated requests had been made to relevant authorities, but the community was still waiting for action.
Ms Aliti said people currently had to pay $1 to use a restroom at a nearby store, adding that a public convenience was a basic necessity for a busy area where people gather for shopping and transport. She said Taveuni’s reputation as Fiji’s “Garden Island” and its growing number of visitors made the need for a clean and accessible public convenience even more important.
