Water restored after weeks of disruption in Seaqaqa communities

Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) has confirmed that a leaking 100mm water main pipe at Navudi in Seaqaqa caused weeks of unreliable water supply for three rural communities of Vunivere, Tadravula and Batiri.

The authority responded following concerns raised by residents over the impact of the disruption on their daily lives.

Fiji Sun highlighted the issue on Wednesday after visiting Vunivere Settlement, where residents expressed concern over the continued lack of a reliable water supply and its impact on households.

WAF confirmed the disruption affected elevated areas of the Vunimanuca scheme, explaining that the leakage reduced reservoir levels and affected supply to higher-lying properties.

"Our Seaqaqa operations team walked the length of the line to trace the suspected rupture, located it and completed repairs on Wednesday," WAF said in a statement.

Vunivere resident Atish Kumar welcomed the restoration of water services after weeks of difficulty.

He said families had been forced to spend extra money on fuel to travel to areas with reliable water sources.

"We had to waste our fuel to drive around in search for water and cater to our daily needs," he said.

"Our wives, mothers, daughters can now easily manage household chores because water is basic necessity that is used everywhere".

Mr Kumar urged WAF to carry out regular inspections of the repaired line to prevent similar disruptions.

He also thanked this masthead for highlighting the issue through the article titled 'No water, No school' published on Wednesday.

To support restoration efforts, two 5000-litre water carts continued filling the Vunimanuca reservoir, while two additional water cart trucks were deployed to assist residents during repairs.

"As with any water system, when pressure drops during a burst or leak, elevated customers are affected first and are the last to be restored as the network re-pressurises," WAF said.

The authority thanked customers for reporting issues and assisting WAF in responding quickly.

"We are grateful to our customers, who are our eyes on the ground; we encourage residents to continue notifying us of any supply issues," WAF said.

Mr Nate said he would now focus on preparing for the new sugarcane harvesting season following the restoration of water.

He said the disruption could have continued if the issue had not been highlighted.

"I have been calling and lodging water disruption complaints to WAF Seaqaqa and Labasa, but, there was no repairs until the media intervened to be our voice," he said.

He added that his grandchildren would now be able to attend school without water problems.