Water project brings relief to residents of Wailele and Saioni settlements

It was a day of celebration for the residents of Wailele and Saioni Settlements in the district of Dama, Bua, as their prayers have been answered following the commissioning of their new water supply system by the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development, Sakiasi Ditoka.

For generations, these families endured the daily hardship of walking at least 20 minutes to fetch water from a nearby well.

This water was used for drinking, cooking, and bathing, with men, women, and children often making multiple trips a day to meet their basic needs.

Wailele resident Paula Basoga Delaivalu vividly recalled the struggles his family faced, where his father and he would take their bullocks to the well to help carry water for the family.

He says he remembers growing up, they had to haul heavy buckets on their backs, and those were very hard times.

The 50-year-old resident expressed his gratitude for the new development.

He adds they never imagined they would see this kind of change in their small community, and this will change the lives of many.

Saioni resident Adi Titilia Adilavua says she lived through the struggles of not having consistent access to clean water, and now her son, who is in Year 3, has also experienced the same struggle.

She says if they do not fetch enough water the day before, they have to wake up at 6am, and rush to the river so her son can bathe before school.

Adilavua says for the women, it meant carrying bags of clothes down to the river to wash, and it was tough.

She adds they are grateful for this new development, and it is the start of a new chapter for their families.

The water project, which is funded through the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management’s Self-Help Programme (SHP), was completed at a cost of around $24,000 and will benefit over 180 residents across 43 households.

While commissioning the project, Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Sakiasi Ditoka says the initiative reflected the Government’s commitment to improving rural livelihoods.

He says access to clean and safe water is not a privilege; it is a basic human right.

Ditoka says these communities have waited far too long, and he is proud that through the Ministry’s Self-Help Programme, they are able to deliver real and lasting change.