Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has acknowledged the scale of the drought affecting Fiji, with communities facing water shortages and hundreds of thousands of litres of water being transported by road and sea to meet demand.
Mr Rabuka said the drought was serious and its impact was being felt by families, farmers and businesses across the country.
The scale of the Government’s response is reflected in the deployment of 67 water trucks, which have delivered more than 885,000 litres of water by road since October 30.
A further 810,000 litres were delivered by sea between September 30 and October 30, according to figures presented to Parliament.
Mr Rabuka said the Government had been warning for months about the impact of El Niño and the challenges prolonged dry weather could bring.
He said the Water Authority of Fiji, disaster management teams, regional development officials and other Government agencies were working to maintain supplies and assist affected communities.
“The scale of this drought is serious. We cannot control the weather or make the rain fall, but we can prepare, mobilise our resources and do everything possible to protect our people,” he said.
Mr Rabuka said the Government would continue strengthening its response as conditions could become more difficult in the months ahead.
He also called for greater international climate financing, saying small island nations such as Fiji could not carry the growing burden of climate change alone.
