RESIDENTS who live along the Mua-Wiwi corridor, including Naselesele Village, on Taveuni have gone four consecutive days without water.
The long dry spell has caused intermittent and unreliable water access.
Resident Marisiale Tale said the situation had moved beyond inconvenience and posed a serious risk to public health, hygiene and daily life.
“This isn’t just an inconvenience, it is a serious threat to public health, hygiene, and the basic ability of our families to cook and clean,” he said.
Despite repeated complaints and calls for support to authorities, Mr Tale said the residents have met broken promises and minimal action.
“We were told an extra water carting truck was coming, but it never arrived.
“Families in high-elevation areas have been left completely abandoned.”
Mr Tale said stop-gap measures of water carting had become unreliable and unsustainable. “Water carting is a Band-aid solution that’s costly and failing.
“We don’t need another temporary tank to patch a long-term failure. We need real infrastructure investment.”
Residents across the affected areas are demanding immediate intervention and a transparent, permanent solution to the supply breakdown.
“We pay for a reliable service, and we demand one,” Mr Tale said.
“We are tired of waiting for a drip that never comes while it promises to evaporate.”
Mr Tale called on government officials to personally visit the affected areas.
“Come to Naselesele Village and meet with the Matei to Wiwi community to discuss this issue.
“We have insights and ideas that can lead to an enlightened and sustainable solution,” he said, claiming the community’s patience was wearing thin.
Questions sent to Water Authority of Fiji chief executive officer Seru Soderberg remained unanswered when this edition went to press last night.
Dry spell cuts classes short
A PROLONGED dry spell has forced schools in the North to end classes early. Divisional education officer Ronald Krishna said some schools had operated for only half a day because of issues related to water availability.
“They have been knocking off half a day due to the issue of the water catchment, or there’s no water at all,” he said.
Mr Krishna said the safety and well-being of the students were the priority of the Education Ministry.
Villagers of Nasesele on Taveuni rely on a nearby stream as their main source of water during a prolonged dry spell affecting the area.
“Teachers and school management are to ensure students are safely transported home in the event of early dismissal.”
When asked specifically about Naselesele Primary School on Taveuni, he said he was unaware of any early closure.
“I am not aware of Naselesele Primary School knocking off early, but I think that our office in Savusavu has been notified.”
However, a resident of Naselesele Primary School, Marisiale Tale, said the school closed at midday on Monday because of the ongoing water crisis.
“The long dry spell has affected the village. There is a tank in the school, but there has been no rain in the last few months to fill it up, and there were no water carting trucks available to refill the tank,” he said.
Mr Tale said repeated attempts to reach the authorities for water carting had not been successful.
“Every time we contact the authorities for water carting, there are none.
They are on the other side of the island, providing water elsewhere.”
