Residents of Savusavu are calling on the Water Authority of Fiji for answers, as they have been without water for the past three days despite experiencing heavy rain.
Savusavu resident Aren Nunnink says he believes poor management upstream is causing the intake to become blocked every time there is heavy rain.
He says that nowadays in Savusavu, when there is heavy rain, residents do not get water.
Nunnink says he has been a resident of Savusavu since the 1990s and they did not face this type of situation with water in the past.
He adds that areas at higher altitudes are not getting any water, while those at lower altitudes are facing intermittent to low supply levels.
He is also calling on the government of the day to look into this serious issue and find a long-term solution.
Insert: Nunnink on govt, 20th Jan 26.
Meanwhile, residents say water cuts have now become a regular and unacceptable reality for the people of Savusavu, as entire communities are being left stranded with no water supply and, worse still, with no alternative sources of water provided.
They say that in extreme heat, families are being told to endure days without water, while authorities repeatedly hide behind the same excuse that heavy rain has blocked the intake.
According to Member of Parliament Ketan Lal, this explanation might be acceptable once, but it is completely unacceptable when it is used week after week while no permanent solution is delivered.
He says that for weeks now, Savusavu has been facing the same crisis repeatedly, yet there is no visible sense of urgency, no effective contingency plan, and almost no water cartage deployed to assist affected communities.
Lal says this is not just mismanagement; it is neglect by the very people who receive millions to ensure the people’s basic needs reach citizens.
He adds that water is a basic human necessity, and denying communities access to water without providing alternatives places public health at risk, undermines dignity, and unfairly punishes families, the elderly, children, and small businesses.
Lal says the people of Savusavu deserve answers, not excuses.
He says they deserve leadership that anticipates problems, invests in resilient infrastructure, and responds immediately when essential services fail.
He is calling on the relevant authorities and the Minister responsible to urgently intervene, restore a reliable water supply, and ensure that water cartage is provided without delay whenever outages occur.
Lal adds that he did call both the Minister for Public Works and the Assistant Minister, with only the Assistant Minister returning the call, but still no solutions were found.
Lal says Savusavu must not be treated as an afterthought, as access to water is a right, not a privilege.
The Water Authority of Fiji says that over the past few days, persistent heavy rain and flooding have significantly impacted the raw water sources feeding Savusavu’s water treatment facilities.
They say flood debris and silt accumulation led to blockages at all three raw water intakes, temporarily reducing the volume of raw water reaching the treatment plant and, in turn, affecting water production and supply to some areas.
WAF says these challenges were further compounded by flood-affected access roads, which delayed their teams’ ability to safely reach and clear the affected intakes.
The Authority adds that despite these difficult conditions, their teams worked continuously as soon as access was safely restored.
They say that as of midday yesterday, the blocked intakes have been successfully cleared, with raw water inflows and treatment operations recovering to approximately 70 percent of normal capacity.
WAF says this has allowed supply to be restored to most low-lying areas of Savusavu, with restoration efforts continuing for remaining areas.
It says that based on current progress, WAF expects water supply to be restored to around 90 percent of affected customers later this evening, with full restoration anticipated by tomorrow, weather permitting.
The Authority adds that in the meantime, customers have been kept informed through SMS alerts and the WAF Viber platform, and water cartage trucks remain deployed to provide temporary relief where required.
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