December 8, 2021
NFP Leader tells Infrastructure Minister and WAF Chairman
“Stop threatening people in parliament and lecture politicians about science because you both have failed miserably to uphold the constitutional right of the people to have access to clean and safe water”.
This was the comment by National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad after thousands of people in the Lami to Nausori corridor were without regular water supply in their taps for the third consecutive day.
Professor Prasad said whenever it rains, turbidity is being blamed for water cuts. But he pointed out there were no water cuts before last year during heavy rain, flooding and cyclones.
“The question is why? What has changed? Why the deterioration to the extent that water cuts have become a perennial problem being faced by thousands of people?”
“Why the science of WAF Chairman failed to interrupt water supply during downpour more than two years ago? And even if there were water cuts, they were for a few hours, not days as being currently experienced”.
“The problem is that WAF is totally bereft of accountability and transparency just like the Fiji First government. What happened to millions of dollars that have been invested to improve water supply infrastructure?
“Has WAF changed its filters regularly to minimise or prevent turbidity? How and from where WAF has procured equipment, goods and services to ensure quality and longevity of its infrastructure?”
“Forget about supplying clean water in the taps, people have to repeatedly ask WAF to send water carts. We have established that a particular truck carting water only responds to the list the truck operators are provided with”.
“This basically 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 emergency supply”.
“The government claims it is adequately resourced to fulfil fundamental constitutional right of the people to have access to clean and safe water. So why is WAF’s emergency supply is conditional? Why blame turbidity caused by heavy rain for water cuts in an age of technological advancement?”
“Our message to both the Minister and WAF Chairman is to stop lecturing us about genocide and science respectively and do the job required of them”.
“People have had enough of excuses”.