[Photo: File]

National warning issued as Fiji enters prolonged dry season.

Fijians have been urged to conserve water as the country enters a prolonged dry season, with below-normal rainfall expected to continue for the remainder of the year under developing El Niño conditions.

Minister for Meteorological Services Ro Filipe Tuisawau says while the Water Authority of Fiji continues to maintain water supply across most of its systems, the authority has activated its dry-weather contingency plans nationwide to manage increasing pressure on water sources.

According to the Minister, the Fiji Meteorological Service has advised that rainfall is expected to remain below average through to the end of the year, with the driest conditions anticipated between October and December.

Ro Filipe says WAF is closely monitoring 44 major operational water sources across the country, many of which are already producing less water than treatment plants require during normal operations.

He says to maintain supply, WAF is relying on supplementary pumping, managed water flows and other contingency measures, warning that more stringent actions may become necessary if dry conditions persist.

The Minister says WAF has stepped up its drought response across all three regions.

He says they are installing additional pumps and temporary pumping stations, upgrading pump sites to operate at lower water levels, increasing monitoring of stressed water sources, managing water pressure and pumping schedules, accelerating repairs to leaks and burst mains, and deploying water carting services where required.

He says rehabilitation of water intakes, development of additional water sources and longer-term drought resilience projects are also continuing.

Ro Filipe acknowledges that some consumers may experience reduced water pressure or intermittent supply as WAF balances water distribution across its networks.

He says these measures are necessary to allow reservoirs and trunk mains to recover while ensuring water remains available to as many people as possible throughout the dry spell.

The Minister is calling on households, businesses and institutions to reduce water consumption by using water only for essential purposes, repairing leaks promptly and avoiding unnecessary activities such as washing vehicles, watering gardens excessively or filling swimming pools, particularly during peak demand periods.

He is also encouraging large water users, including hotels, resorts, commercial establishments and industries, to implement water conservation measures such as leak detection, water reuse where practical and reducing irrigation.

Ro Filipe says the public should continue following official updates from the Water Authority of Fiji, the Fiji Meteorological Service and the National Disaster Management Office as conditions evolve.

He has directed WAF to provide regular public updates on water source conditions and to give advance notice of any expected changes to water supply.