'Every day feels like hell': Vunivere residents plead for water relief

The recurring water disruption at Vunivere Settlement in Seaqaqa, Macuata, needs an urgent and permanent solution, as 15 households struggle to meet their basic water needs.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and National Federation Party (NFP) leader Biman Prasad has urged the Ministry of Public Works and the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) to address the issue.

Mr Prasad said he hoped WAF had plans to resolve the problem and ensure rural communities affected by El Niño and dry conditions received lasting solutions.

“WAF chief executive officer is a very responsible and competent leader. I am sure WAF has plans to address this problem,” he said.

“If there are rural communities who need to be supplied with water carting, consideration should be escalated.”

Mr Prasad called on WAF to provide water carting and restore supplies to affected communities as soon as possible.

He said he hoped water supplies would soon be restored to the settlement, where residents depend on sugarcane harvesting for their livelihoods.

Resident Adit Kumar said the 15 households had been without water for more than a month.

Mr Kumar said they had experienced similar problems before the El Niño conditions and dry spell, and the disruption could not be attributed solely to the weather.

A few months ago, the same problem occurred, with WAF identifying a fault after repeated media coverage of the residents’ plight.

The community remains without a reliable water supply, leaving residents with no option but to collect water from other areas.

“We have to use our transport to go to other locations in Seaqaqa where water supply is normal to store water in our bottles, utensils and storage containers to satisfy our daily needs,” he said.

Mr Kumar said the disruption had affected sugarcane harvesting in Vunivere, a sugarcane-growing area in rural Macuata.

Meal preparation, bathing, washing utensils, brushing teeth and other household activities had also become difficult.

“Our lives are at stake here, every day feels like hell because we are left behind and government seems to be disinterested to hear our plea,” he said.

Mr Kumar said residents had contacted this masthead because they were frustrated by what they described as repeated unfulfilled promises from relevant government agencies to visit and address the problem.

He said other areas in the Seaqaqa district had a reliable water supply, while Vunivere continued to be affected.

Another farmer, Ilisoni Nate, shared similar concerns, saying recurring disruptions and unreliable water supplies appeared to have become the norm.

Mr Nate said the problem returned after each repair, with no permanent solution in sight.

Authorities

WAF was contacted by email for comment, but no response had been received when this edition went to press.

The Commissioner Northern’s office is working with the Ministry of Rural, Maritime and Disaster Management and WAF to help provide water carting services to affected communities.

The Divisional Planning Officer (DPO) Northern, Ruci Daveta, was informed of Vunivere residents’ concerns by email on October 16.

Ms Daveta said the request would be forwarded to WAF for intervention and relief assistance. “I will follow up with them (WAF) again,” she said.