Caption: Assistant Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Hon. Jovesa Vocea with the women of Wauosi Village in the interior of Navosa following the commissioning of their Ecological Purification System (EPS) yesterday.

SUVA – Villagers of Wauosi in the district Namataku, Navosa are adamant that their newly commissioned Ecological Purification System (EPS) will help mitigate the risks of contracting water-borne diseases they have long been exposed to for years.

About 48 households and 170 villagers of Wauosi now have access to clean, safe and quality drinking water in their homes.

Government, through the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management had stepped in to assist the village through its High Priority Water and Sanitation Programme.

Under the project, the Ministry invested $42,000 to improve the water source and supply for the village of Wauosi.

Village headman Mr. Manueli Rokoua thanked Government for their improved water source, and said the village would strengthen its Water Committee to ensure that the project would be well looked after.

“We are very grateful to Government for this huge assistance. The improvement to our water source will really address and solve the health issues faced by the villagers over the years as a result of the quality of drinking water we previously had. We thank Government a lot for coming in to aid our village,” he said.

“The women here in the village are very happy about this new development. We can now be at peace knowing that our children and households will now have access to clean water, safe for our consumption daily compared to what we used to drink in the past,” said Wauosi Village women’s group leader Ms. Kalesiana Qumuqumu.

In commissioning the water project, Assistant Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Hon. Jovesa Vocea said Government was committed to ensuring that every Fijian had access to clean, safe and quality drinking water.

“Water is essential for our daily needs, especially when we have children going to school. This is a good progress for the community here at Wauosi. This project is part and parcel of Government’s commitment to providing safe and clean drinking water for communities in Fiji, and achieving our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), considering that access to clean and safe drinking water is one of our important SDGs,” Hon. Vocea said.

Caption: Children of Wauosi Village in the district of Namataku in the interior of Navosa celebrate their newly commissioned Ecological Purification System yesterday.

-ENDS-

The Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management is responsible for implementing development strategies that bring Fijians living in rural and maritime regions the same level of access to essential services and economic opportunities as anywhere else in the country. We coordinate and implement the Fiji Government’s rural and maritime development initiatives with a mission to empower Fiji’s rural sector. We also spearhead disaster risk reduction initiatives at national and sub-national level including disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. We have offices for each of Fiji’s 14 provinces including Rotuma, leading the Fiji Government’s rural development and disaster risk management operations.

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