THE Kinoya Wastewater Treatment Site is sitting on a native land leased owned by two mataqali – mataqali Matanikorovatu with an area of 0.8903 hectares and mataqali Nawavatu with an area of 12.1405 hectares. This native land is leased by the Fiji Government and covers 13.03 hectares of land. The Water Authority of Fiji is seeking to strengthen wastewater disposal from the Suva area, by constructing and upgrading the current wastewater treatment in Kinoya to a higher standard so that it can better cater for the disposal needs of a growing Suva, and withstand the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events. The development of the existing site will focus on the repurposing of existing infrastructure, and the construction of infrastructure in order to meet the upgraded capacity and standards. While the upgraded wastewater treatment plant will predominantly be situated on the same site as the existing plant (13.03ha), additional land (.6166ha) is required to improve access and cater for future expansion. Thereby the total land for the upgraded treatment plant will be 13.6196ha.
Impacts on land
The ADB report states land acquisition impacts include upgrading of an existing access track, leasing of an additional access road and leasing of two additional parcels of land. The Kinoya treatment plant is currently accessed from the main entrance to the northwest of the highway to the site buildings. This access road will be upgraded and widened to approximately 8 metres. This upgrade will accommodate the approximate 20 sludge disposal trucks which are likely to transport waste to the site each day during operations. There is a proposal for a new access road, off Ratu Dovi Rd that will provide an additional access point to the plant site during construction, predominantly providing right of way for the sludge transporting trucks.
“Two additional parcels of land are to be acquired through long term lease from the Department of Lands (DOL). One of the clarifiers has been identified as siting outside of WAF’s lease. Acquiring this parcel of land will ensure all infrastructure is located within the lease and also accommodate the proposed new access road. The second parcel of land will be acquired to allow for future expansion and to provide a buffer for the neighbouring community,” states the ADB report.
Impacts on people and structures
Water Authority of Fiji has identified one house which is informally situated on leased WAF land and has an electricity connection, indicating an expected semi-permanent residence. The residence has been rented from a landlord who does not live on site.
“The residents of this house will be relocated and appropriate compensation made as the house is directly in the path of the proposed access road. A total of ten persons resides within the dwelling,” states the ADB report.
Consultation has been undertaken including a valuation of the dwelling. The residents have been provided three months’ notice period to vacate the property with last day set at July 31, 2025.
“A cut-off date of 25th April has been established and affected persons and community notified. Some displacement will occur of planted subsistence crops, including cassava and papaya which are located on leased WAF land,” the report adds.
The owners of those crops will be compensated according to the approved list of crops under the Ministry of Agriculture. A cut-off date of April 25, 2025 has been established. This information has been provided through direct consultation with affected persons, signage and community notices.
