The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) is currently conducting various improvement works in the Western Division.
In the Nadi area, WAF crew members are currently installing five (5) air-valves to eliminate air locks in the reticulation system.
The Authority has also launched an investigation regarding the suspected theft of twenty-nine (29) air-valves which has been reported missing following a recent site-inspections. Based on preliminary site-checks by WAF crew members, a total of twenty (20) air-valves have been uninstalled from their chambers in Nadele to Votulevu Rice Mill, Malakua to Danny’s Shop – Korovuto in Nadi and another nine (9) air-valves have been removed from its chambers in the Varaciva and Waiwai areas in Ba.
While verifying the pipeline components and valve status from Nagado to the Votualevu Rice mill, in Nadi, WAF crew members identified a total of eleven (11) out of the fifteen (15) air-valves that were installed under the DN600 pipeline project was missing and are to assumed to be stolen, also missing are the slabs of the washout valves.
The DN600 pipeline project which was cross-connected at two locations (Votualevu Rice Mill & Nadele top) during the recent Nagado Water Shutdown in September was supposed to be tested last weekend (16th to 19th Nov) before commissioning the pipeline this week.
The project is aimed to boost water supply to the existing DN500 that caters for Nadi along the back road and towards the Southern end, this is part of the planned improvement works to the Nadi water system.
The matter is currently under investigation and has been referred to the Fiji Police Force.
WAF crew members are currently in the process of replacing these valves by transporting ten (10) valves from Suva to Nadi, the works are expected to be completed by Saturday (24/11).
Authority General Manager Customer Services, Sekove Uluinayau is pleading with members of the public in the Nadi and Ba areas to come forward with any information regarding the alleged theft of air-valves.
“If anyone may have seen or may have witnessed anyone illegally removing these assets, I humbly request you to contact Police on 919 or 917. That bit of information may assist us in a successful investigation and recovery of these missing air-valves,” said Mr Uluinayau.
Meanwhile, Mr Uluinayau is urging members of the public in Nadi and Lautoka to boil drinking water as customers may experience discoloured water in their water supply as a result of these works.
“We are committed with our work and it is unfortunate that some people take this as an opportunity to make some kind of gain out of this, little do they know that they are depriving water supply to the village or community in the elevated areas of Nadi or in Ba,” said Mr Uluinayau.