It is a special day for the people of Naqumu Village in Seaqaqa, Vanua Levu as they for the first time now have access to improved Rainwater harvesting tanks to supply drinking water.
The people in the village had problems with drinking water and today that comes to an end with the official handover of the Rainwater harvesting tanks in Naqumu Village.
Naqumu villager, Kamla Prasad says that previously they relied on two water sources; spring water and rainwater.
However, Kamla adds that during the dry season the yield of water was at times not enough and it was difficult for the village to have enough water stored in times of need.
He says that the four new 5000l tanks for them is a sigh of relief and assurance that they now have a source of clean, safe drinking water.
Meanwhile, the people of Coqeloa and Raranibulubulu settlements in Labasa, Vanua Levu also now have access to improved Water Supply Systems.
The 460 people and 92 households in the 3 settlements had problems with drinking water for decades but now have three new water supply systems in Coqeloa Central, Coqeloa Number 3 and Raranibulubulu settlements.
The Raranibulubulu settlement is one of the many areas in Macuata, Vanua Levu that has been affected by drought in recent years.
Women previously had to walk to shallow wells within the vicinity to do laundry, leaving men to cart water in drums placed on wooden planks which were pulled by a pair of bullocks on a daily basis.
58 year old, Mohammed Rafiq of Coqeloa Central Settlement says that despite their efforts of carting water from their homes, they have always had difficulty maintaining their reservoir.
The projects in the four settlements were implemented by Rotary Pacific Water and funded by the Embassy of Japan under the Grant Assistance for Grass‑Roots Human Security Project of the Japanese Embassy.
The drinking water systems was officially opened by the First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in Fiji Tomoaki Miyamoto.
The total value of assistance for the project is FJ$177,806.
