Sewage overflow disrupts Suva businesses

A sewage overflow disrupted businesses and pedestrians along Cumming Street in Suva today after wastewater escaped from the sewer network, raising public health concerns and affecting trade.

Shop manager at Luck Wing Trading, Sheeksha Chand, said the problem had discouraged customers from entering the store and disrupted business operations.

"The water did not enter the shop, but the ongoing sewage issue is seriously affecting our business," Ms Chand said.

She said the problem had become a recurring issue during periods of wet weather.

"The smell discourages customers from entering our shop and has resulted in a loss of sales," she said.

Ms Chand also raised concerns about the impact on staff.

"It creates an unhealthy environment for our staff," she said.

Authorities respond

Suva City Council acting chief executive officer and chair Tevita Boseiwaqa said the affected area had been cleaned and discussions would continue to address the issue.

"We have cleared it out and will have a meeting on Tuesday to sort this out," Mr Boseiwaqa said.

He said sewer infrastructure fell under the responsibility of the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF), but the council would continue to assist where required.

"We can't really go in because it's not our area, but we are facilitating and providing support wherever needed," he said.

WAF said the overflow was caused by a pump failure at the Robertson Pump Station.

The authority said the failure occurred after large amounts of non-flushable items, including plastic bags, rags, wet wipes and clothing, became tangled in the pump control system.

WAF said response teams attended the site, repaired the fault and completed cleaning and disinfection of the affected area.

The wastewater system has since been restored to normal operation.

The authority is reminding the public not to dispose of wet wipes, nappies, sanitary products, plastics, cooking oil and other non-flushable items into the sewer network, warning that improper disposal is a leading cause of blockages, pump failures and wastewater overflows.