Nine settlements and villages in Bua Province, Vanua Levu have been assisted by Rotary Pacific Water organisation.

Out of this, water projects and sanitation projects at Navere, Sasake, Wailele, Naiyevuevu and Cobue are nearing completion.

Rotary Pacific Water operations manager Ravikash Reddy thanked their donor, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through Rotary New Zealand World Community Services Limited. Many projects have been done.

“For example at Cobue settlement we are doing both sanitation and water project,” Mr Reddy said.

“In the past, families would pump water from wells using small surface pumps while others fetched water with buckets.

Some men carted water long distances using bullocks.

The drought of recent years has reduced the water level in all ground wells, forcing Cobue families to ration the little water they have.

“Three families in the community use pit toilets and the other 30 households have a mix of water seal and flush toilets in their homes,” he said.

“Community representatives asked for our assistance in 2014.

The location of toilets was mapped to ensure a safe distance of more than 50 metres from the borehole.

The promise of water was realised with funding from the New Zealand Aid Programme via Rotary NZ Community Services Ltd.”

He said out of the 22 projects this year, ten were assigned for the Northern Division.

“Through these ten projects we are assisting more than one thousand people including women and children,” he said.

“We are very happy that our niche role in engineering water and sanitation solutions for rural communities has delivered positive impacts to more villages, settlements and schools in Fiji.”