The Water Authority of Fiji has confirmed that the water tanks which were under the care of the Kubulau District School Council had insects in them and the water which caused 5 students to fall sick had E.coli bacteria in it.
They say the station nurse report has confirmed that the students were given medication and their illness was not linked to diesel as falsely claimed by the Fiji Times.
Authority CEO Barry Omundson says they have washed the contaminated tanks with chlorine and undertaken repairs to ensure the tank, which is under the care and responsibility of the school council, was safe to use for the students.
He says the safety of all Fijians, especially children, is of the highest priority and as soon as they received the request from the headteacher, teams were dispatched to provide clean and safe water to the area.
Omundson says water is treated with the utmost care to ensure its safety and it is tested to ensure it meets drinking water standards.
Meanwhile, the Authority says a lab testing team has been deployed to Namosi to verify claims of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the water catchment and results of the tests will be provided after investigations.
They have reminded all Fijians that water from unfiltered and untreated sources should be boiled for at least 1 minute after it reaches boiling point.
The CEO has also confirmed that the $18 million Namau Water Treatment Plant project has been commissioned and this has allowed their team to commence connecting to Tailevu and surrounding areas.
Omundson adds that areas like Waidalice in Tailevu and other parts of elevated area were difficult to access because their old system was not big enough to cater for the terrain and altitude.
The CEO adds the old reservoir was located at a lower altitude and did not afford them the hydraulic capacity required to supply water to the higher areas.
The work is expected to be completed in 2021.
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