An eight (8) member high-level official delegation from Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau of Japan is scheduled to visit Fiji from 16th to 28th April 2014.
The arrival of the Delegation in the country will signal the commencement of a partnership program on the “Project to Support Reducing Unaccounted Water through Effective Control on Nadi/Lautoka Regional Supply”.
JICA, as the executing agency for technical cooperation of the Government of Japan, will implement the Project from February 2014 to January 2017, under the JICA Partnership Program in collaboration with Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau and the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF). The project was endorsed by all three (3) parties together with the Ministry of Works, Transport & Public Utilities earlier this year.
Under the partnership agreement, Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau officials will be attached to WAF West Regional Office periodically to train its engineers and technicians on controlling technology and know-how for effective water-saving measures, as well as assist in the formulation of a Plan for maintenance and management of water pipes at water supply trunk level. WAF staff will also undergo training conducted in Japan, over the course of the 3-year project period to achieve the Project aim of reducing unaccounted water, utilizing transferred technology.
This Project was initiated by an Alumnus of Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau who was dispatched to WAF as a JICA Senior Volunteer from September 2010 to September 2012, in order to follow up necessary maintenance of waterworks facilities which had been constructed under the Japanese Yen Loan Project; “Nadi-Lautoka Regional Water Supply Project”.
During the visit, the Delegation will pay courtesy calls to the Ministry of Works and WAF; as well as undertake initial waterworks facilities survey of the Nadi-Lautoka regional water supply.
Given the high rate of water leakages recorded in Fiji, it is envisaged that this collaboration between JICA, Fukuoka City Waterworks Bureau and WAF will be able to identify and address water leakage issues as well as improve the quality of water supply in the Western region.
JICA