JOSAIA RALAGO
Long walks to the communal well or the creek is now a thing of the past for residents of Dreka in Cakaudrove.
This is following the commissioning of a Government funded borehole project that guarantees clean, reliable and safe drinking water for Fijians in the area.
An elated 71-year-old Santa Wati who has been living in Dreka for the past 50 years said this was an iniative that has brought her so much joy.
“I moved here ever since I got married five decades ago and I have to say that water shortage has always been one of our main challenges,” Mrs Wati said.
“There is a well that we drink from and for that I have to walk for quite a considerable distance to fetch water and sometimes we use bullocks to help me but most time I carry it on my head.”
“When the well dries up during drought, we turn to the creek as our water source. But today, we can just turn the taps in our home which is more efficient and has made our life so much easier.”
Ms Wati added that she was grateful to the Government for ensuring that they too have access to quality drinking water.
Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Ashneel Sudhakar said under the Constitution, everybody has a right to clean, quality drinking water and sanitation.
“It is a very joyous occasion for members of the settlement and also for the Government that there’s a new water project that we are opening today as you know that our Constitution provides that everybody has a right, whichever community they are from, they have a right to clean water and sanitation,” Minister Sudhakar said.
He said there were other communities in the country that lack a water recirculation system and the Government was working towards granting these communities a safe and reliable water source.
The $52,000 project will benefit 78 Fijians living in the area.