Residents of Savusavu and nearby communities are expressing growing dissatisfaction with the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) due to persistent water disruptions that have left many households without a reliable supply for weeks, with the situation worsening since last year. Families are resorting to using rainwater, collecting from nearby creeks, and relying on bottled water to fulfill their daily requirements.
One affected resident, 86-year-old Rahima from Naverea, shared her struggles, highlighting the distress this situation has caused for the elderly and vulnerable members of the community. She has been without running water for nearly a week and emphasized the urgency of the matter, especially given the hot weather conditions. “Now we are just waiting for rain, but the buckets are all dried up,” she lamented.
Another local, Azmat Ali, indicated that families in the area are managing on limited amounts of stored water, exacerbated by the ongoing dry weather. He recounted a recent visit from representatives of WAF, who assured residents that water supply would be restored soon amid heavy rain, yet they continue to wait. “This area has actually been without water for the last 14 days,” he noted.
In Nacekoro, villager Virisila Kaseti described a similar plight, where residents are turning to nearby creeks for water, despite concerns about water quality and an apparent lack of communication from the WAF regarding the situation. The reliance on these sources is not without risk, as many residents face piles of dirty laundry and struggle daily to meet their basic water needs.
In response, the Water Authority of Fiji has announced that the water supply in Savusavu is on the path to recovery, attributing the gradual improvement to recent heavy rainfall and flooding that has cleared blocked intakes. Currently, production is at about 70 percent and is expected to rise to 90 percent in the coming days, bringing hope for a resolution to the water crisis plaguing the region.
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