Caption: Vatuyalewa elders, (L-R) Moses Halafaki and Kolonio Cagi enjoying clean, safe water at the
turn of a newly-installed tap.Photo: SUPPLIED.
July 17, 2015.The 15 families living in the Vatuyalewa settlement, Nasinu, now have access to a clean, reliable
water supply, thanks to the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF).
In commissioning the new water supply, WAF CEO Opetaia Ravai said that for 56 years the
people of Vatuyalewa have relied upon rain water and a bore hole for their daily water needs. On
Thursday, 25th June, that all changed.
With the turn of a tap, the settlement, comprised of some 65 adults and children, has access to
water, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In a $296,000 project, WAF has installed the more
than 700 metres of pipeline that now connect the settlement to the Tovata reservoir and the WAF
reticulation system.
Vatuyalewa residents,74-year-old Sukulu Vakaloloma and 72 year-old Kolinio Cagi, agreed that
the new water project had come as a blessing to them after years of using the bore hole, an
unsafe water source, ”full of toads.”
Ms Vakaloloma said they used to walk for miles in the highlands to fetch water from streams or
rivers to do their washing, but now, such a challenge has ended following the commissioning
of the water project.
Mr Cagi said that the residents of Vatuyalewa now enjoyed proper piped water from the comfort of
their own homes.
Ms Vakaloloma and Mr Cagi joined in expressing their sincere appreciation, thanking the Government
and WAF CEO, Opetaia Ravai and his team for providing clean and safe drinking water.
Vatuyalewa is situated at almost the same elevation as Tovata reservoir, so as well as installing the
pipes to connect the settlement to the Tovata water supply, WAF has also installed a booster pump
and water storage tank.
This ensures that everyone in the settlement will receive water, even if their house is at a slightly
higher elevation than the reservoir.
WAF