Riya Bhagwan 
[Photo: Riya Bhagwan ]
“We rejoice when it rains,” says Yasawa-i-Rara Turaga-ni-Koro Maikeli Dagatu, as the remote northern Yasawa community continues to grapple with ongoing water supply challenges.
Rainwater remains the only reliable source of safe drinking water for villagers, who carefully store and manage what they collect to meet daily needs.
Village elder Naelesoni Toqitoqi says the community receives just two to three hours of water supply a day, with households relying on government-provided tanks for drinking water and shared communal tanks for other uses.
He says that while the communal tanks are supplied by a borehole, the system only provides water for a short period before needing time to refill, forcing villagers to carefully ration their usage.
The situation highlights the ongoing struggle faced by many maritime communities, where access to clean and reliable water remains a daily challenge.
