Where’s the stand-by water tank for Parliament?

Questions are being asked on whether the Parliament has sufficient infrastructure for stand-by water tanks that would have allowed today’s Parliament session to go ahead as it was stood down due to the planned water cut for the Suva to Nausori areas from midnight.

Speaker Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu had said due to an OHS matter, the Parliamentary Complex will also be affected, and whilst there will be a standby water truck in Parliament, this will not be enough to ensure full hygiene standards for the Parliamentary Complex.

The Parliament had agreed to stand down today’s parliamentary proceedings.

While responding to Opposition MP Ketan Lal’s call for schools to be closed today, Ratu Naiqama had also said the Parliament will be closed as they have been advised about it and they have done this to ensure everyone is comfortable.

As schools are open today and heads of schools and teachers were encouraged by the Minister for Education to ensure that there is an appropriate level of water backup for schools, questions are being asked why similar arrangements cannot be made for the Parliament as enough time was given by the Water Authority of Fiji for possible disruptions.

Questions are also being asked on what contingency plan does the Parliament have in case of a power outage as Parliament had to be cancelled the last time there was an outage. The Office of the Speaker is yet to respond to our questions.