A national workshop on new water treatment system will be hosted by the Department for Water and Sewerage on Wednesday 16th January 2013 at the Holiday Inn in Suva.
The Ecological Purification System (EPS) Workshop will be officially opened by Commander Francis Kean the Permanent Secretary for Works, Transport and Public Utilities.
Local stakeholders such as rural water plant operators from villages, non-government organizations and statutory bodies such as the Water Authority of Fiji are expected to converge at the Meet to learn more about the Ecological Purification System.
This system is utilized in areas which have very basic or no water treatment and is widely used in rural areas of Japan. According to rural water statistics, 2710 rural water supply schemes throughout Fiji receive untreated water, thus it is envisaged that the low cost and rural-friendly EPS could be adopted and utilized in areas that rely on untreated water sources.
In collaboration with Fiji’s Water and Sewerage Department, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has also dispatched an expert to conduct training on the installation and operation of the EPS model. Dr Nakamoto is a leading scientist in Japan with over 30 years of experience working with rural authorities on the EPS technology.
During the training from 15th to 19th January, Dr Nakamoto will train staff of the Water and Sewerage Department, Water Authority of Fiji and NGOs on the design and construction of the EPS. The Water and Sewerage Department will then conduct pilot projects of the EPS technology in select rural areas around the country.
Given the increase in recorded cases of water-borne diseases in Fiji, the Workshop and Training has been hailed as a timely initiative, which transpired following a water resources conservation training conducted last year in Japan, under JICA’s Technical Cooperation Program.
All media personnel are welcome to attend the EPS Workshop on Wednesday 16th January 2013, 9am. Please refer to attached Program.
PRESS RELEASE