'Are people dying? No. We can manage': PM Rabuka on El Niño
He says Fiji can manage impacts of prolonged dry conditions.
Thursday 05 November 2026 | 10:00
Emergency water carting to Cikobia Island by the National Disaster Risk Management Office and the Office of the Divisional Commissioner Northern. Inset: Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
Photos: Ronald Kumar / NDMO
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji’s past resilience will help the country overcome the effects of El Niño as people in the Western and Northern divisions grapple with prolonged dry spells.
Asked outside Parliament whether he was concerned the El Niño drought could cause food shortages and increase prices, Mr Rabuka said: “Are people dying? No. We can manage.”
He said the Government expected El Niño to end by next month or February at the latest.
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“But it comes around in seven years, so we have learned,” he said.
“We learned before, and then we de-learned. Now we’re learning again.”
Minister for Public Works, Transport and Meteorological Services Ro Filipe Tuisawau said the Government was working towards declaring a national emergency.
“That’s currently in process with the National Disaster Management Office via the Ministry of Rural Development,” he told this masthead yesterday.
Ro Filipe said he had been told an announcement would be made by the end of this week.
“It will be good that that is declared so that the whole of Government machinery comes into motion,” he said.
This would include the disciplined forces, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) and the Fiji Police Force.
However, Mr Rabuka said Ro Filipe would have to take the proposed declaration to Cabinet.
Mr Rabuka said the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development was already carrying out support work as if an emergency had been declared.
What the numbers show
In Parliament on Tuesday, Ro Filipe said 19 of the Water Authority of Fiji’s 44 water sources were at critical levels as of November 1.
About 24,600 people were receiving intermittent water supply or relying on water carting.
The Northern and Western divisions had reached the “Crisis Response” stage.
The Vaturu Dam, which supplies Nadi and about 70 per cent of Lautoka, could fall below its critical level around November 8 or 9.
If dry weather continued, 75 per cent of water sources could be at critical levels by the end of this month.
Ro Filipe urged Fijians to avoid washing cars and watering gardens, and to fix leaking taps.
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