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Savura Pipeline Slip, Milestones Achieved in Savura Road Water Restoration Efforts

Milestones Achieved in Savura Road Water Restoration Efforts - 10:12pm
Suva City, March 30, 2024 – The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) is pleased to announce several significant milestones in the ongoing repair and restoration efforts following the recent pipe damage along Savura Road.
 
At 11:00 AM today, welding works on the 600 main were successfully completed, marking a crucial step towards the full reinstatement of water services in the affected areas.
 
Following the completion of welding, backfilling and pipe stabilization works are currently underway, ensuring the structural integrity of the repaired pipeline.
 
Moreover, we are delighted to report that the damaged raw water line is now online, facilitating the resumption of water supply production at the Tamavua treatment plant.
 
It is important to note that there may be a lag in water treatment due to the initial influx of raw water, which is a standard operational procedure.
In conforming efforts, diving operations are in progress to ensure the integrity of the underwater infrastructure, further contributing to the overall restoration process.
 
As the restoration efforts progress, water services will gradually be restored to affected areas. While we anticipate significant improvements in water availability today, complete restoration may take some time as the system is pressurized for hydraulic stability.
 
Certain low-lying areas such as Rewa Street to lower Nailuva have started receiving supply and we working towards normalizing supply to all affected areas. I must reiterate that we are not yet at full treatment capacity and as such as and when you receive supply please store it.
 
The Water Authority of Fiji reassures residents that every effort is being made to expedite the restoration of water services. We will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves.
 
Continued Progress: Pipeline Repairs Advancing Along Savura Road - 10:54pm
Suva City, March 29, 2024 – The restoration efforts following the recent pipe damage in Savura have advanced well today, marking a crucial step towards the full reinstatement of water services for affected residents in the Suva-Lami areas.
 
“Today’s progress is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our partner’s team from Flame Tree Development Limited,” said Mr Seru Soderberg, Chief Operating Officer of the Water Authority of Fiji.
 
“We are pleased to confirm that one of the water mains has been successfully brought back online.”
 
Furthermore, the treatment plant is now receiving an inflow of 40MLD (Million Litres per Day), a substantial increase that enhances water availability for distribution.
 
“Our efforts have resulted in the restoration of production levels at the Tamavua facility to 50%,” Mr Soderberg added.
In parallel, repair crews are currently engaged in welding works on the 600 main, with expectations for it to be back online by tomorrow. This critical initiative is poised to further augment production capacity, bringing us closer to the goal of complete restoration.
 
“We anticipate that 100% production will be restored by tomorrow. However, it’s important to note that the supply system operates with a lag from the treatment plant.”
 
“Therefore, we’ve come up with a system recovery plan that starts with getting water to the areas farthest away first. This ensures that everyone has a fair chance at getting water and the network is fully charged to restore normal supply.”
 
“We also wish to point out that the current rainy conditions, turbidity is expected to increase and that does have an impact on our treatment capacity,” Mr. Soderberg stated.
 
“We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the affected residents in the Suva- Lami areas for their patience and understanding throughout this period of inconvenience,” Mr Soderberg concluded.
 
“Your cooperation has been instrumental in driving the success of our restoration efforts.”
 
Progress on Repairs to Pipeline Along Savura Road - 28 March 2024 - 01:30pm

#WATCH a further update on the progress of the repairs along Savura Road this afternoon (28/03).

In this video, WAF Chief Operating Officer, Seru Soderberg highlights the various phases that need to be achieved on the road before repairs to the broken DN600 raw water pipeline can be performed, this is likely to be carried out by tomorrow (29/03), weather permitting.

We also acknowledge the support of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ministry of Finance, Fiji, Hon. Biman Prasad DPM for taking time out to inspect the progress of works being carried out as well as efforts to normalise water supply to affected areas within the Suva to Lami areas. Hon. Prasad also acknowledged the importance of the Water Sector 2050 Strategy in identifying the long-term investment needed to build climate resilience in our critical water infrastructure.

https://www.facebook.com/WaterAuthorityofFiji/posts/pfbid03HoUoYuNsdBzpwNLdHxBJnvsJuXxfJ4uJ7JWQQ8ZZ2Ch2iQpiet3oW15yKaxCZbyl?__cft__[0]=AZVh7pPAT7on1Lbfv04COBpTLqlTehP9Nsda4aanUoSme8p4sTLlGiGVuU-5x-sdybGiT03F1v8IoE8D0a4CQwdryZ9H2rrzHWPro9GDjcYXGZZdiyJAYlznY9g_wAABSGcGQMBRc0nbLujRSXr7pyzlfJqr1pTJKz-Lcr5PLIq8bm0ghh1qEdUnBK7KF3eAMb4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Progress on Repairs to Pipeline Along Savura Road - 28 March 2024 - 01:30pm

The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) issues the following update on the continuous endeavours to mitigate the recent water disruption in the Suva-Lami area:

WAF is pleased to report that our operations team working with our contractor, Flame Tree Developments – Fiji Ltd, has made commendable progress in rectifying the affected pipelines.

Soil Stabilization works have commenced and are progressing well, albeit all progress remains subject to weather conditions.

The break in rain has allowed the team to progress faster with fixing works on-site. At this rate, if the weather holds, we hope to have the repair works completed by tomorrow. The next phase is to restore the raw water trunk mains towards Tamavua Treatment Plant.

Regarding Water Carting relief, WAF Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Soderberg affirmed, “While acknowledging the surplus in water requests beyond our current capacity, we assure the public of our utmost commitment to promptly address these demands, leveraging all available resources. We extend our gratitude to the communities for their patience and understanding during this challenging time.”

 

WAF acknowledges the invaluable support extended by the Director of the National Disaster Management Office (Fiji NDMO) for their assistance in providing additional water carting trucks which will assist water carting efforts to affected areas.

WAF maintains close collaboration with the NDMO team and wishes to emphasize that the progress of repair works at the Savura site is advancing satisfactorily.

However, it is imperative to note that the pace of progress is significantly influenced by weather conditions, as affirmed by Mr. Soderberg.

WAF Conducts Assessments of Savura Pipeline Slip, Repairs to Begin Soon - 27 March 2024, 11:45am

The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) teams have conducted assessments overnight on the damages to the DN600 raw water trunk main outlet along Savura Road from Headworks 3 to the Tamavua Water Treatment Plant, while the adjoining raw water main is intact, we cannot utilise it until the site is stabilised.

WAF Chief Operating Officer, Seru Soderberg said that the expected recovery will take well into the weekend, weather permitting.

“We hope to complete the repairs and get the water supply situation normalised as soon as possible. Once the repairs are completed, we will begin production gradually to recover the system and get the water supply normalised,” Mr Soderberg said.

Mr Soderberg said that repairs to the broken trunk main are subject to the stabilization of the site as it is currently saturated with water and unsafe for operating excavators.

WAF’s current focus is to ensure supply to the Colonial War Memorial (CWM) Hospital and all available water is being supplied to the hospital.

Meanwhile, WAF teams have started serving clean drinking water to the following six zones and will continue on a 24-hour roster until pipeline repairs along Savura Road are complete.

A total of 50 water tankers have been engaged to provide relief to the affected areas.

We urge customers to contact the WAF Customer Hub on 3346777 or shortcode 5777 so that requests are registered and facilitated through the clusters forecasted as per the table.

The Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) will stabilise the area once completed it will allow us to switch over to the pipe that was not damaged by landslide capacity and will however remain well below the required volumes and raw water.

WAF would like to also acknowledge our customers, and stakeholders, particularly the affected schools as well as the Director Fiji NDMO and the Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Education FIJI and their respective teams for their cooperation.

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