Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) is urging its customers for patience and understanding as they access, repair and restore 10,000 kilometers of power lines around the country after Tropical Cyclone Ana.

Chief executive officer, Hasmukh Patel said: “It will take at least two to three weeks for the whole of Fiji to have full restoration of power supply,

“Essential services like hospitals, medical health centers, water pumping stations, water treatment plants, Central Business District (CBD), commercial areas will be firstly restored and then we will get into the residential areas,”

Assessments teams are yet to complete their findings and a tentative plan is set in place on how power supply will be restored in each area.

Mr Patel said approximately 400 EFL workers were working simultaneously to ensure assessment and repair works were done well.

The power in Lautoka and Nadi has been fully restored while parts of the Central and Northern Division are yet to be restored.

Water restoration and works

Meanwhile, the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) teams are working to the best of their ability to normalise water supply with timelines dependent on location and damage experienced during the Tropical Cyclone Ana.

The Naboro and Suva Nausori water supply have received 80 per cent water restoration.

Rakiraki, Ba and Lautoka have received 85 per cent restoration however certain parts in Vanua Levu, Navua, Nayagi borehole system and the Kadavu Island metered scheme are yet to be restored.

Tavua and Sigatoka are at 50 and 25 percent restored.

The authority also informed customers that it may have no choice but to switch-off the standby Genset powering the raw water pump station at Waila to prevent damages.

Switching the raw water pump station generator off will, of course, be a last resort, yet customers should be prepared if the situations worsen.

The Waila water pump station draws water from the Waimanu River and pumps it to the Waila water treatment plant and if there is a need, the authority wouldl have to switch off the Genset.

As a result, the entire Wainibuku water supply system will be impacted, and customers living in the following areas may experience interruptions to their water supply.

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Patel: Power restoration to take two to three weeks