Namadi Heights residents battle years of water shortages and neglect

Residents of Namadi Heights have been struggling with severe water supply challenges for years which includes low pressure and limited supply during the daytime, leaving many frustrated and forced to find costly solutions.

In an interview with fijivillage News, 68-year-old Ramendra Chandra of Namadi Heights says most of the time, water is only available at night after 6pm.

He says there is no supply and occasionally, water pressure is low during the day.

Chandra further says whenever it rains heavily, the authorities claim the issue is due to turbidity or unclean water, which prevents the reservoirs from being filled.

He says the issue has been ongoing for years but has worsened significantly in recent times and to cope, he has purchased new motors and installed two water tanks at the back of his house.

He says as a landlord of a rental property, he has managed to put up with the expense but is concerned for others in the community who cannot afford water tanks or pumps.

He believes upstream pollution or illegal developments in the river might be contributing to the turbidity problem and suggests that authorities should investigate the situation using drones or helicopters.

He says the water trucks sometimes come to the area but leave quickly, making it difficult for residents to access water.

When asked about the challenges they face, he says his wife has to wake up at 4.30am to cook before the water supply cuts off at 6am.

He further says the lack of water for washrooms has also been challenging, particularly for him as he is not in good health.

He also raised concerns on the planning behind the Viria Water Treatment Plant, saying while the plant was built, no infrastructure was developed to ensure proper water delivery to areas like Tamavua, Nasinu and other affected locations.

He believes the authorities lack foresight and have failed to upgrade old infrastructure, which has not kept up with the growing population.

He questions why full pressure is available at night but not during the day and suspects authorities are diverting water to different areas at different times.

He calls for better filtering systems to address turbidity issues and for authorities to investigate any upstream pollution.

He urges the authorities to act quickly to address this basic and essential need.

We have sent questions to the Water Authority of Fiji.