The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) has stated that there are many property owners along Cumming Street in Suva that are illegally connected to the WAF wastewater network, which also include road drainage.
WAF chief executive officer Dr Amit Chanan said the Suva central business district (CBD) had a record of being the highest source of infiltration of stormwater into WAF’s sewer systems.
He said a smoke test inspection was conducted on Sunday where the team was shown firsthand the many property owners along the street that were illegally connected to the WAF wastewater network.
“Our data shows that every time it rains in Suva CBD, our sewer pumping costs go up because we have to pump illegally connected stormwater that ends up filling our sewer network,” Mr Chanan said.
“This is adding a significant ongoing operational cost for the authority and we must catch those who fail to do the right thing.
“If you are not sure about it, please check it because we cannot afford the extra cost and this burden the Water Authority in terms of electricity charges as well as the quality of the water that has to be treated at our wastewater treatment facilities.”
Mr Chanan said with the introduction of infringement notices announced in the 2022-2023 national budget, they would be strengthening enforcement and compliance to curb those breaches to protect its assets and the environment.
Smoke testing involves forcing smoke-filled air through a sewer line.
The smoke under pressure fills the main line and then follows the path of connections, quickly revealing any illegal stormwater connections.
This exercise assists WAF in identifying these problems and developing strategies that will ultimately lead to the increased capacity of the existing wastewater network in Suva CBD by reducing sewer overflow during rainy weather, and increasing the overall efficiency of the wastewater network within the Suva CBD, Mr Chanan said.
The authority will carry out more smoke tests in the coming weeks.
