Riya Mala 
[ Source: Fiji Government / Facebook ]
For more than 40 years, families in Marasa, Nadi, have struggled to access clean and safe water.
Residents had to rely on a nearby creek or travel more than three kilometres to collect water for their daily needs.
During dry periods, some families were forced to buy drinking water, while others depended on neighbouring households.
Now, that long-standing struggle has come to an end for five households, with around 25 people gaining access to a new borehole water supply.
The $9,400 Usuf Borehole Water Project was funded through the Government’s Multi-Ethnic Grant Programme for the 2025–2026 financial year.
The project was commissioned today by Multi-Ethnic Affairs Minister Charan Jeath Singh.
The Minister says the project is about more than infrastructure, as it provides relief to families who have faced difficulties accessing an essential service for decades.
For the beneficiary families, many of whom are sugarcane farmers, the new water supply is expected to reduce the daily burden of collecting water and provide greater security for their households.
Marasa resident Nizam Ali says the community has waited more than 40 years for access to clean and safe drinking water.
He says the new borehole will make a significant difference to the daily lives and livelihoods of residents.
