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The Water Authority of Fiji said increasing demand has pushed the Tamavua Water Treatment Plant well beyond its original designed capacity, prompting urgent measures to stabilize supply and improve reliability for affected communities.

WAF Chief Executive Seru Soderberg said the Tamavua plant was built to treat 60 million litres of water a day, but rapid development and population growth along the Suva- Lami corridor have lifted demand to around 75 million litres daily.

“This particular program, once we bring it alive, it will reduce the pressure on the Tamavua Water Treatment Plant by about nine million litres a day.”

As a result, the plant is currently operating above capacity to meet consumer needs.

To ease pressure on the system, Soderberg said the Colo-i-Suva programme will play a key role by reducing demand on the Tamavua plant by about nine million litres a day.

The project will transfer load from Tamavua to the Viria system, allowing additional water storage and improving reliability for communities along the upper Princess Road ridgeline, Delainavesi, Vugalei, Lami Town and as far as the Togalevu Naval Base.

He said this will also create room to extend services while complementing the government’s non-revenue water reduction programme, which aims to cut water losses over the next three to five years.

In addition, construction is underway on a new 20-megalitre water treatment plant at Tamavua, with physical works expected to be completed later this year. Once commissioned, the new facility will increase total treatment capacity to 80 million litres a day.

Soderberg further said the added capacity will allow WAF to better manage high turbidity conditions and ensure consistent water supply to communities that are often affected during the monsoon season.

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