The Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources has invited the consulting firm Pennington Scott and the Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA) to provide tips for drillers to better develop Fiji’s groundwater resources.

• Pennington Scott is a multidisciplinary geosciences consulting firm. Specialising in the exploration and development of water resources. It is based in Perth, Western Australia.
• Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA) is a not-for-profit organisation with about 800 members who are drilling contractors, suppliers, consultants and regulators. Their businesses are active in the minerals exploration, mining, coal seam gas, groundwater and civil infrastructure sectors.

The association’s director for Tim Westcott and managing director for Pennington Scott, Don Scott are here to conduct a five-day workshop starting yesterday.

Acting Permanent Secretary for Lands and Mineral Resources Malakai Nalawa said the workshop allows an opportunity for the Ministry’s drillers, offsiders and supervisors to further their understanding on the context as to why bores are designed and located the way they are.

The training would reflect the importance of the work drillers do on a daily basis. It will contribute to how the department continuously strives for sustained groundwater development for residential and commercial purposes, said Mr Nalawa.

“Our Ministry drillers, hydrogeologists’, supervisors and managers will receive first hand advice from our training facilitators who are specialists and highly regarded in the Australian Drilling Industry.”

It is the first such drilling training programme to be conducted here in Fiji, he said.

The workshop will end on Friday with an A class exam.

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