Opposition MP Rinesh Sharma has challenged the Coalition Government to account for its 1,700-borehole programme announced two years ago, questioning how much work has been completed as Fiji battles worsening El Niño conditions.
Mr Sharma said then Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad announced in October 2024 that the Government would construct 1,700 boreholes nationwide, with 1,000 planned for Viti Levu, 500 for Vanua Levu and 200 for the maritime islands.
Close to $6 million was allocated for the programme, which was expected to be delivered over approximately two years.
However, Mr Sharma said the Government had yet to provide a comprehensive update on how many boreholes had actually been drilled, their locations and when the remaining work would be completed.
He said the last progress figure provided in March 2025 was that 41 new borehole sites had been identified, with completion expected by July that year.
Mr Sharma said subsequent Government statements acknowledged delays, renewed funding in the 2025/2026 Budget and referred to airborne surveys in June 2026 to identify suitable sites, with each borehole estimated to cost almost $26,000.
He said his visits to communities across the Western Division on October 23 and 24 revealed drying dams and creeks, families relying on water carting, livestock without water and crops failing.
Sugar cane farmers were facing declining yields, vegetable growers were losing produce and businesses were absorbing the additional cost of trucked water, he said.
“This is exactly the situation the borehole programme was meant to prevent,” Mr Sharma said.
He said groundwater supplies could provide communities with an alternative to rainfall-dependent water sources.
Mr Sharma called on the Government to table a full account of the programme, including the number of completed and ongoing boreholes, expenditure to date and a delivery timeline for the remaining projects.
He also urged the Government to involve the private sector on a larger scale if the Ministry of Lands lacked the capacity to deliver the programme.
“The people of Fiji did not ask for a target. They asked for water.
“Government made the announcement, Government allocated the money, and Government must now show the results,” he said.
