Residents in the Tamavua and Namadi areas are voicing their frustration over ongoing water supply troubles that have become a significant issue. Despite frequent heavy rainfall, the community continues to experience water shortages, with the latest disruption happening last Saturday. Locals express their dissatisfaction with the Water Authority of Fiji’s (WAF) repeated explanations regarding low water levels or water quality issues.
Epeli Rabua, a veteran resident, noted, “This never used to happen 15 years ago, but now we sometimes go without water for nearly two weeks. Even with continuous rain, they tell us the water level is low or the water is dirty. It’s already 2025, and nothing has changed.” He emphasized how these disruptions affect daily life, causing him to be late for work or miss days entirely due to the struggle of searching for water.
Another anonymous resident mentioned that while the community has somewhat adapted to these challenges, the frustrations persist, especially concerning the timing and availability of water cart services.
However, there is a glimmer of hope as Minister for Public Works, Transport, and Meteorological Services Ro Filipe Tuisawau has announced ongoing infrastructure projects designed to tackle these issues. The Suva-Nausori corridor requires 173 million litres of water daily, which surpasses its current supply capacity. The $40 million Viria Water Treatment Plant is poised to add 40 million litres per day to the system, addressing current shortages and supporting future population growth.
Additionally, the Princes Road Water Infrastructure Project aims to enhance water supply reliability in elevated regions, including Tamavua and Tacirua. This initiative focuses on replacing the existing pumping system with a gravity-fed system, thus improving resilience against high turbidity events.
Key elements of the project involve installing a 1.43km gravity pipeline, a 5.72km rising main pipeline to the Colo-i-Suva Reservoir, two steel tank reservoirs, and a 4.58km gravity pipeline to Khalsa Road Junction. Residents remain hopeful that these developments will finally resolve the long-standing issue of unreliable water supply in their community.
This situation illustrates the importance of infrastructure development to meet the needs of growing populations, and with the government’s efforts aimed at resolving these critical issues, there is hope for a sustainable water supply in the future.
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