Improperly disposed waste, including plastic bags, rags, wet wipes and clothing, caused a wastewater overflow along Cumming Street in Suva this morning.
The Water Authority of Fiji says the overflow was caused by a pump failure at the Robertson Pump Station, which receives and transfers wastewater from the surrounding catchment area.
WAF says the pump control float switches became entangled with large quantities of foreign materials that had entered the wastewater network, affecting the operation of the pumping system.
While the pump station is equipped with screening systems to capture such materials before they reach the pumps, WAF says the volume of foreign waste exceeded the screening capacity on this occasion, resulting in interference with the pump controls and a temporary failure.
WAF says their response teams attended the site immediately, rectified the issue, and completed disinfection and cleaning of the affected footpath and surrounding area.
The wastewater system has since returned to normal operation.
WAF is reminding people that the wastewater network is designed to carry only wastewater and human waste.
They say items such as wet wipes, diapers, sanitary products, rags, clothing, plastics, paper towels, cooking oils and other solid waste should not be flushed down toilets or disposed off into the sewer system.
WAF says improper disposal of these materials is a major cause of wastewater blockages, pump failures, manhole overflows and damage to critical infrastructure, creating public health and environmental risks.
