One of the priority areas the Water Authority of Fiji will be working on is ensuring that Fiji's wastewater system is up to standards after the CEO, Dr Amit Chanan, revealed that 75 percent of households in the country are not connected to any wastewater network.
While speaking at the WAF’s Annual Customer Forum at the Holiday Inn, Dr Chanan says this is a significant environmental ticking time bomb if nothing is done about it.
He says 75 percent of households in the country are on septic systems.
Dr Chanan says there is no regulation, and none of our wastewater treatment plans is designed to receive septic sludge, but because there is no alternative, WAF has been receiving it.
The CEO also highlighted that an investment of $8.5 billion is needed to ensure that they have the level of service that the community desires.
He says out of that $8.5 billion, $5 billion is for wastewater.
He also says the Kinoya wastewater treatment plant upgrade project will cater for receiving septic sludge.
He adds they are also working in the West to upgrade their Lautoka treatment plant to have the ability to receive septic sludge because that is something they did not have the design or the capacity to do, but we can no longer turn a blind eye to this problem.
