WAF received $1.12 billion over 5 years and most of this has been spent on the Viria Project - Prasad

WAF received $1.12 billion over 5 years and most of this has been spent on the Viria Project - Prasad

By Navitalai Naivalurua
Tuesday 21/03/2023
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad says that over the past 5-years, $1.12 billion has been allocated to the Water Authority of Fiji, of which $421.7 million was for operating expenditure and $705.1 million for capital expenditure.

Speaking at the Ideation workshop for Fiji's "Water Sector Strategy 2050", Professor Prasad says majority of the funds has been going towards the construction of the Viria Project which is expected to be completed soon.

He says in the 2022/2023 budget only $204.3 million was allocated to WAF, whereby $89.2 million was for operating expenditure and $150 million was for capital expenditure of which $60.3 million was for the Viria Project.

He adds over the years water and sanitation sector has been facing major challenges of maintaining and upgrading the existing infrastructure.

The Minster says the previous government has not spent an adequate amount of money or funds over the years on maintenance of Fiji’s infrastructure and as a result this government recognizes that they are on a catch up mode.

Professor Prasad says majority of Fiji’s infrastructure was built during the time when resilience to climate change was not probably on the minds of our people as it wasn't build to withstand the impact of climate change.

He adds public infrastructure is the foundation of any country's development and success and maintaining such assets in good condition is also critical.

FEATURE NEWS
Porn Taskforce proposes law to ban 17 years and under from accessing pornography
Children 17 years and under will soon be banned from accessing pornography online after the National Taskforce to Address Pornography decided to under...
57 minutes ago
LATEST NEWS
Rabuka calls for positive global representation of Fiji by diplomats
Ambassadors and diplomats have been reminded to move away from the old dirty joke describing them as loyal servants sent abroad to lie for their ...
11 minutes ago

5.6 offshore earthquake occurs 38 kilometres North East of Tubou
Fiji has recorded an offshore earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter Scale at about 10.10am this morning. The Mineral Resources Ministry’s ...
1 hour ago

Fijians in Vanuatu share updates but connectivity challenges continue
As getting in touch with family in Vanuatu is still difficult following the magnitude 7.3 earthquake yesterday, Fijians in Port Vila have been able ...
2 hours ago

Cabinet approves drafting of Medicinal Cannabis legislation
The drafting of the Medicinal Cannabis legislation, which will be undertaken in consultation with the Office of the Solicitor – General and the ...
4 hours ago

Warwick Resort closely working with authorities to determine cause of incident
The Warwick Resort says they are working closely with the authorities to determine the cause of the unfortunate incident regarding seven guests ...
5 hours ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
yb
IN DEPTH
Vanuatu Earthquake
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake, which struck at a depth of 57km, occurred 30km to the west of the capital Port Vila at 1.47pm, according to the US ...
2 hours ago

Investigation into alleged drink spiking incident at Warwick Resort after 7 guests get sick
Minister for Tourism Viliame Gavoka confirms that 5 guests have been discharged following an alleged spiked cocktail incident at Warwick ...
2 days ago

Cape Town 7s 2024
South Africa has been crowned the HSBC Cape Town 7s Men’s Champion after beating France 26-14 in the Cup Final this morning. The win is the ...
10 days ago

TOP