It was a momentous day for the villagers of Saqani in Cakaudrove after the commissioning of the Ecological Purification System (EPS) by the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, and Natural Disaster Management Sakiasi Ditoka.
The new water system has been hailed as the dawn of a new era for the 150 villagers, students of Natadra District School and Government officials serving in the district - who will benefit from the project.
42-year-old Unaisi Daugunu opened the tap outside her home, and allowed the water to seep through her fingers before taking a gulp of the purified drinking water that the villagers now have access to.
Daugunu says one can clearly tell the difference in the taste, and how clear the water is and this is an indication of the quality of water they now access.
She says it is a known fact in the village that every time it rains, their water source is contaminated and when they open their taps, there is discoloration in the water so there is always a need to always boil drinking water.
She adds water-borne diseases from consuming contaminated water after a wet spell is a common occurrence in the village, and they are positive that this would put an end to it.
Daugunu expressed her gratitude to the Government for ensuring that they too could access consistent and quality drinking water.
Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Sakiusa Ditoka while commissioning the new Ecological Purification System, reminded the people of Saqani the importance of having a clean water source.
Ditoka says water is a basic human necessity and the government is implementing strategies to supply clean water for villages around the country.
According to Ditoka, the recent studies by the Government have seen a sudden increase in water-related diseases and they trying to solve this by implementing projects like this.
He reminded the villages in Saqani that the scope of the projects is determined by the financial allocations from the Ministry of Finance, hence most of the pipes used are stand-up pipes.
Ditoka also reminded the villages that help is also given to those who want to make a living from the sea and the Ministry can accommodate requests for fiber boats or engines if the need arises from villages.
Furthermore, Ditoka reminded the villages about the Rural Outer Island program initiative where the Ministry looks at the financial needs of villages, Mataqali or Tokatoka, and ways they help them attain their various needs financially.
Ditoka reiterated the importance of communication and reminded the villages to discuss their needs with the District officers, he would then take the matter to the Commissioner's Office, and then they would take it to the Ministry to execute their needs.
He urged the villages to enjoy the beauty of dialogue and to communicate a lot so that things would be archived for them.
The total cost of the project was $40,000.
