Call for better budget monitoring as communities still rely on river water despite increased allocations

A call is being made for government leaders to ensure more effective monitoring and implementation of national budget allocations, particularly in rural communities where people rely on river water for their daily activities.

National Executive Council of the Fiji Council of Social Services Vice President, Vani Tuvuki says water budgets have been increasing every year, yet there are still people in communities who are drinking, cooking, and washing using river water.

She stressed the need for practical, community-level engagement to ensure government funds truly reach the people who need them during a special session at the FCOSS Annual General Meeting and Women’s Leadership Panel.

She says it would be beneficial if the government worked with District Councils to ensure the budget is well implemented and genuinely reaches the grassroots.

While responding, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad says the Ministry of Finance, and its Monitoring and Evaluation team would be closely tracking how allocated funds are being used.

He says a substantial allocation has also been made to develop boreholes across Fiji in order to support those who do not have access to piped water.

He says in the last budget, nearly $6 million was allocated for water access through 1,700 boreholes — 1,000 in Viti Levu, 500 in Vanua Levu, and 200 in maritime areas.

He adds that while delays in implementation affected progress last year, the government has renewed funding in the 2025/2026 budget to speed up delivery, with hopes that significantly more boreholes will be drilled this year to support affected communities.

He says women are stepping up in leadership and that the government welcomes greater scrutiny from individuals and organisations to help ensure budget allocations are implemented effectively.