Restaurateur complain of poor drainage

A restaurant owner at Vatuwaqa, Suva is complaining about lack of waterways management by the Suva City Council (SCC).

She claims blocked drain outside her Sunita Investment Restaurant on Karsanji Street in Vatuwaqa, is an ongoing problem during heavy rain.

Restaurant manager Sanjeshni Devi said, “The drain overflows whenever it rains, causing flooding in front of the restaurant.

“When the rain stops, the area is left with a strong, unpleasant smell.

This has been happening for a long time and is now affecting our business.

“When it rains, water floods the front of our restaurant.

When it dries the smell is very bad.

We lose our business when customers com plain and don’t want to come inside,” she said. Ms Devi said she has lodged com plaints to the Suva City Council numerous times.

She said council workers came on Monday, inspected the drain, and told them they would return with equipment to clean it, but they did not come back.

She said rubbish thrown into the drain by people in the area could be causing the problem.

Response

SCC acting chief executive officer Tevita Boseiwaqa said council teams had attended to the site earlier in the week and assessed the issue.

He confirmed that immediate action would involve flushing the drain to clear the blockage.

“We will do what we can to reduce the impact, starting with flushing the blocked drain,” Mr Boseiwaqa said.

Mr Boseiwaqa said the drain blockages were often caused by irresponsible rubbish disposal.

“We have noticed that many blockages are caused by people throwing rubbish into the drains. Sometimes kitchen waste from restaurants also ends up there,” he said.

“Everyone has a responsibility to dispose of waste responsibly and keep drains clear. “The maintaining of proper drainage is also a shared public responsibility.”

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