Water Authority assures new project to end foul smell.

The Water Authority of Fiji’s (WAF) general manager special projects officer, Taitusi Vakadravuyaca, has confirmed that the four miles sewerage pipeline at Centrepoint is a project that WAF was currently working on.

Mr Vakadravuyaca while presenting submissions to the Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday said they were undergoing a procurement workshop for the project.

They were also looking at contractors who were going to be part of the project.

The authority’s general manager planning and design, Nemani Waqanivalu, said the contract of the project was awarded last December to Equipment Hire Unit in conjunction with Construction Solution for around $1.4 million.

In regards to the foul smell in the area, Mr Waqanivalu said the odour from the four miles bridge was from a small temporary pumping station, and all the waste water that comes through the main plant sewer discharges into the pumping station.

He said WAF would fix this as the construction of the new pipe bridge starts this year.

With the new project, Mr Waqanivalu said there would be no retention of waste water.

WAF talks more projects

Special projects officer Mr Vakadravuyaca said the Fijian Government, with the WAF, had an obligation to provide access and adequate supply of clean drinking water for all Fijians.

The ultimate goal is to achieve 95 per cent coverage of the total population by 2025 from the current 88 per cent since 2016.

He said rural schemes allocated has significantly increased to $27 million demonstrating Government’s commitment to rural communities. The allocation will deliver 176 rural projects, benefiting approximately 49,780 of the rural population.

Major projects include:

n the Rewa project, which is the Fiji urban water supply and waste water management project set to be completed by 2021. It would ensure an increase in service coverage and improve reliable water supply 24/7 to the 340,000 population in the greater Suva area.

n In the areas of waste water, the national coverage is low at 44 per cent and WAF is currently engaged in consultation works for its biggest waste water treatment plant in Kinoya. This will serve the Nausori-Suva corridor and has been expanded to 150,000 households and would be further expanded to the 277,000 households.

n A feasibility study would be undertaken in 2028 for the development of water and waste water infrastructure in Savusavu through a grant from the government of Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Mr Vakadravuyaca said WAF went through challenges as it was transiting from a Government department and inherited more than 40 years of infrastructure.

He said there was a high customer expectation and demands with rapid growth and commercial development, with a significant increase in the rural and urban workforce migration.

Edited by Naisa Koroi

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