Efforts to extinguish the Vunato Rubbish Dump fire will be intensified, with the Lautoka City Council bringing in an additional excavator and water truck and moving to 24-hour operations.
Minister for Local Government Maciu Nalumisa says he visited the site yesterday after Parliament and found that pockets of fire were still burning.
Nalumisa says while only one excavator was being used yesterday, the council has been directed to hire an additional excavator and another water truck to strengthen firefighting efforts.
While speaking to fijivillage News, he says teams will now work around the clock, with the target of extinguishing all remaining fires by today.
Nalumisa acknowledges the efforts of the council, its staff and the National Fire Authority in working together to contain the fire.
He says masks are also being distributed to residents because smoke coming from the dump is toxic, with the distribution beginning yesterday and continuing today.
Looking beyond the current fire, Nalumisa says one of the major challenges is the early detection of fires, particularly during the dry season.
He says there have been allegations that some people collecting recyclable materials at the unfenced site may have deliberately started fires.
Nalumisa says the council will strengthen security at the dump and change the personnel responsible for guarding the site.
He says the council will also work with the National Fire Authority to provide basic firefighting training and teach security personnel how to use fire extinguishers so they can respond quickly when fires break out.
Nalumisa says a longer-term solution is being considered, with work underway towards establishing a Western Regional Sanitary Landfill over the next three to five years.
He says this would also assist with the remediation of the Vunato dump site.
