Children and families of Vatuyalewa settlement now have access to a clean water supply.

Fifteen families from Vatuyalewa settlement in Nasinu now have access to clean water supply after relying on rain water and a borehole for their daily water needs for the past 56 years.

74-year-old Sukulu Vakaloloma, a resident of Vatuyalewa settlement, said they used to walk for miles in the highlands to fetch water from streams or rivers to do their washing.

Vakaloloma said the new water project has come as a blessing after years of using the borehole which was usually full of toads.

Water Authority of Fiji CEO Opetaia Ravai said with the turn of a tap, the settlement, comprised of some 65 adults and children, now have access to a reliable water supply.

Ravai said in the $296,000 project, WAF has installed more than 700 metres of pipeline that now connects the settlement to the Tovata reservoir and the WAF reticulation system.

WAF has also installed a booster pump and a water storage tank that will ensure that everyone in the settlement will receive water even if their house is at a slightly higher elevation than the reservoir.