National Federation Party President Pio Tikoduadua is calling on the Water Authority of Fiji and its leadership to stop wasting time doing public relation stunts and focus on providing reliable water supply to the people of Fiji but the Water Authority of Fiji is stressing that they are already building to reduce the considerable strain on infrastructure through the Viria Water Project.
In a statement, Tikoduadua says WAF has failed to provide reliable water supply to the people and that is the fact of the matter.
Tikoduadua stresses that no amount of excuses or childish attacks and deflection can cover that up.
He says he has been personally inundated with calls from constituents about their lack of water supply.
WAF Board Chairman Bhavesh Patel has already stressed that there has been a massive rural to urban drift and now hundreds of thousands of people live in the Suva to Nausori corridor which has put a considerable strain on the current infrastructure.
He says this drift was foreseen and plans were put in place to find a new source of raw water and build a new treatment plant.
Patel adds WAF, from the year 2010 to 2014, started working with consultants to determine the viability of a new source for what is now the Viria Project when it was discovered that the original source site at Kasavu, Nausori has saltwater intrusion.
He says site sampling works were in progress at Delaidamanu in 2014 when it became known that there was going to be mining activities upstream of the source hence the new source at Viria was identified in 2015.
Patel further says after the new source was confirmed, the Asian Development Bank provided WAF with technical assistance and feasibility study to reconfirm the Suva Master Plan before WAF started working with ADB and the Fijian Government to secure funding.
He adds preliminary design commenced in 2017 and the final construction public tender was called in 2018 and awarded in April 2019.
Patel adds from then works commenced at the Viria Project Site for F$270 million.
The WAF Board Chairman says COVID-19 has further delayed the project but construction works started again in December, 2021.
He adds they are building infrastructure to reduce this strain – the Viria project being the major one which will increase supply capacity in the Suva-Nausori area by 40 million litres per day.
Patel stresses this is the kind of forward planning which was not done in the past.
He says on top of this, there are many other infrastructural upgrades being done around the country.
Patel adds it is also important to note that the money is not just spent on projects as one off things, but includes maintenance and upkeep, with necessary repairs and upgrades carried out over time.
He says new upgrades and treatment plants have been commissioned in Namau, and further projects set to be commissioned in 2022 include Nagado, Waiwai, Savusavu, Vunidawa, Nabouwalu and Pacific Harbour.
The Chairman of the Water Authority of Fiji Board Bhavesh Patel says contrary to the misleading statements by the Leader of National Federation Party Biman Prasad, WAF is now more transparent than ever before and the figures Prasad cited are mostly incorrect, however, Prasad says despite all the allocation in the budget, Water Authority of Fiji has not been able to solve water problems.
Patel says all accounts of spending are publicly available for anyone to view through their annual reports and in the Auditor General's report as their accounts have been audited until the 2017 Financial Year.
He adds that every cent of spending is accounted for and every contractor they engage is now processed through the tender-link system and strict protocols are followed when tenders are received, evaluated and awarded.
WAF's Chairman says the series of numbers put out by the NFP are incorrect.
Patel highlighted that from 2010 to the 2019/2020 financial year, they have connected more Fijian villages and settlements to water than at any time before and they have invested in 611 projects in the rural areas and 949 in urban areas.
He says in the rural region, they have spent $83,912,550 since 2010, investing in 611 projects.
Patel adds that from 2010 to 2021, $1,096,473,886 has been spent for urban infrastructure, with 949 projects benefitting more than 659,824 residents so far.
Meanwhile, Professor Prasad is questioning how the Water Authority of Fiji has used over $1.6 billion allocated for capital investment in the last 10 budgets since 2012.
Prasad says he is asking these questions after WAF admitted it needs $3 billion to improve infrastructure.
He adds in the last ten budgets since 2012, WAF was allocated almost $2.3 billion.
Professor Prasad says out of this, more than $1.66 billion has been capital grants or for investment into infrastructure improvement.
He is asking if the Government fully honoured its budgetary commitment.
The NFP Leader says the WAF Chairman should look at how WAF is managing the water crises and not get into politics of why they are so incompetent in dealing with the issue.
WAF says they recruit qualified people such as engineers to maintain and upgrade their system however Prof Prasad says qualifications are important but experience is vital
The Chairman of the Water Authority of Fiji, Bhavesh Patel also highlighted that they recruit qualified people such as engineers to maintain and upgrade their system, however, NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad says qualifications are important but the experience of personnel is vital to ensure a constant flow of water and to overcome challenges caused by deteriorating infrastructure.
Patel says the qualification requirements for their personnel have always existed and have not just been introduced as Prasad is falsely claiming.
He adds they are talking about treating water that people consume and it can be a life or death situation if it is handled by unqualified people.
Patel also questions if Prasad is suggesting that WAF start employing people without any qualifications and let them play with people’s lives.
He says water treatment requires qualified specialists.
WAF's Chairman highlighted that on one hand, Prasad is saying WAF needs to do more and on the other hand, he is suggesting they do not need qualified people to maintain their systems.
Meanwhile, the NFP Leader had earlier stated that experience is needed in an organisation like the Water Authority of Fiji which is vested with the important responsibility of providing clean and safe water 24/7.
Prasad had questioned whether it is true that WAF is planning to get rid of more workers by making it compulsory that only those with qualifications will have their contracts renewed.
Professor Prasad says WAF is saying only those with qualifications will have their contracts renewed.
He is questioning why WAF is allegedly ignoring the expertise of workers with 20 to 30 years of hands-on experience.
Professor Prasad says the unkind and uncaring WAF Board, totally devoid of compassion, care and concern for both its customers and workers, seems only interested in ticking the boxes to show it is conforming to the heartless Government’s vision.
WAF says turbidity is beyond their control as human activity is the main factor however NFP Leader says whenever it rains, turbidity is being blamed for water cuts
The Water Authority of Fiji says turbidity in raw water is beyond their control and the best way to mitigate this is for all involved to work together and educate farmers living upriver on soil management however NFP Leader Professor Biman Prasad says whenever it rains, turbidity is being blamed for water cuts.
WAF Chair, Bhavesh Patel says Prasad has asked why this was not an issue in the past.
He says Prasad should be able to figure this out as he constantly claims to be an expert and touts his qualifications as a professor.
Patel says multiple villages and communities that are located upstream of the intake and the residents are involved in farming activities, either for their main source or supplementary source of livelihood.
He adds the supply capacity is being exceeded by current demands which places great stress on their nfrastructure and this is why the Viria project is being constructed.
Patel says it is not true that water carting trucks only respond to the list that truck drivers have provided and they provide water for the entire area during such times and do not pick and choose households.
Meanwhile, Professor Prasad is also asking if WAF has changed its filters regularly to minimise or prevent turbidity.
He says they have also established that a particular water carting truck only responds to the list that they are provided with.
Prasad adds this means that if a consumer is unable to contact WAF, he or she will not receive water and has to depend on the generosity of the truck driver to get an emergency supply.
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