El Niño: Government rules out water emergency

The Government will not declare a national emergency over worsening water shortages and the ongoing impacts of El Niño.

No additional funding will be provided to address the crisis for now.

Instead, the Government is preparing disciplinary measures to manage water consumption, including timed water supplies and restrictions on watering lawns. The measures are expected to be announced today.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka announced the position in Savusavu yesterday, describing the water situation as dangerous but saying it did not warrant a national emergency.

"This is a dangerous water situation or shortage of water, which calls for discipline; such as call for timed supply, the prohibition of watering of lawns and things like that," the Prime Minister said.

The Government will have to manage its response within existing budget allocations, with no additional funding being considered at this stage.

"It will have to be from within the budget, and we are looking at no additional provisions at this time because additional provisions mean moving from one head to another," Mr Rabuka said.

The worsening conditions have already raised concerns about water availability, with rainfall levels remaining very low.

Mr Rabuka referred to the seven-year El Niño cycle and said continued harvesting had affected underground water, which he described as the main source of running water. He also pointed to rising ocean surface temperatures and their effect on atmospheric heat.

The Fiji Meteorological Service has confirmed that the country is already experiencing severe drought periods.

Its director, Misaeli Funaki, told this masthead yesterday that the drought was already affecting Fiji, while the National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) expects severe drought conditions to continue from March to May 2027.