More than 500 villagers of Mataniwai Village in Macuata and sugarcane farming families in nearby communities now have consistent access to safe and clean drinking water.
This comes after the commissioning of their village water project by Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu yesterday.
[Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, Inia Seruiratu, has first-hand experience of the improved water supply after the commissioning of the water project in Mataniwai in Macuata]
The project was completed under the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management’s Self Help Programme.
The Government provided funding worth $16,500 for material costs while the community members provided manpower to layout piping systems and upgrade the reservoir.
Mataniwai Village headman Sailosi Tuidrokadroka says villagers of Mataniwai had been facing water problems for a long time.
He says their reservoir had started leaking for the past 15 years, so sometimes they have had to close the reservoir just so they could cater for their village alone.
Tuidrokadroka says by doing this, those in their neighbouring communities would not get water. While speaking during the commissioning, Seruiratu reminded villagers of Mataniwai that developments must be jointly done between government and villages.
Seruiratu says the government has its responsibility to carry out developments and people also have their responsibility.
[Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, Inia Seruiratu, pictured with female community members in Mataniwai, Macuata after the commissioning of their improved water supply system]
He says it was the government’s hope that the newly commissioned water project would bring much relief and also improve livelihoods of Fijians who would benefit from the project.
The Self-Help Programme assists rural dwellers in the construction of basic amenities and other small projects.
The programme encourages communities to initiate their socio-economic sustainable development projects on a cost-sharing basis with government, and by doing so, it aims to instill a sense of community ownership over these initiatives.
