Caption: Ms. Teresia Savu (second from left) with other women of Mudu celebrate the commissioning of their ecological purification system (EPS) on Koro Island.
LOMAIVITI – More than 300 villagers from 60 households in the village of Mudu on Koro Island now have access to clean, safe and quality drinking water.
This follows the completion and commissioning of the Mudu Village Ecological Purification System (EPS) Water Project by the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Hon. Sakiasi Ditoka in June this year.
Villagers of Mudu have been dependent on unfiltered river water for daily consumption for years.
Mudu Village headman Mr. Iliesa Butuivalu described these years as hard times faced by their forefathers and the current generation.
“Before it was challenging because whenever it rained, our water source would be affected therefore water that come out from taps in our homes are dirty and not safe for drinking. Previously, we have always been told to boil all drinking water as there had been cases of diarrhea reported in the village due to the poor quality of water we were drinking,” Mr Butuivalu said.
Sixty-six-year-old grandmother Ms. Teresia Savu said as mothers, they were always worried about the health of their children due the quality of water they were drinking in the past.
“We used to have a very hard time before this assistance by Government came in. Whenever there’s no water, we’d have to walk for 15 minutes or hire a carrier to the neighboring village of Nakodu to fetch water for our daily use. It was difficult especially for women in the village,” said Ms Savu.
The Mudu Village EPS Water Project was completed at a cost of around $45,000 by the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management under its High Risk Water Programme.
“The villagers are very happy about this assistance by Government because we now know that we have clean and safe drinking water coming out of our taps. We would like to sincerely thank Government a lot for this help,” Mr Butuivalu said.
The objective of the project is to naturally purify the previous water supply system used by the village to ensure the provision of safe and clean drinking water to the community in Mudu.
“This assistance by Government has brought much relief to the villagers, especially for us women and our children as we now have access to clean and safe drinking water,” added Ms Savu.
In commissioning the project, Hon. Ditoka reiterated that water was a basic human right, and the Mudu EPS Water Project a ligned to Government’s overall commitment of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Caption: Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Hon. Sakiasi Ditoka opens a tap at Mudu Village in Koro to test the water quality following the commissioning of their ecological purification system (EPS).
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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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