Pupils miss school

Persistent water supply disruptions in parts of Suva have led to students being forced to miss classes. The water issues are severely impacting students' normal learning and daily lives, creating significant challenges for their education.

In Delaivalelevu, outside of Suva, student Jone Veikauyaki was unable to attend school due to the area's water outage. His father, Yate Veikauyaki, stated that the frequent water cuts have been affecting his children's education, causing concern for their academic progress.

"We only have a small amount of water left for drinking," Mr. Veikauyaki said. "Piles of clothes are building up, the dishes are unwashed, and the toilets are not flushed. This makes it difficult for us to send the children to school." He also mentioned that while previous rainfall had been helpful, it has now stopped, and rainwater harvesting has been depleted, unable to meet the family's water needs, including washing, cooking, toilet use, and drinking water.

In Lami Village, some students were also absent from their classes yesterday due to water supply problems. Sera Ralawa, a student at Dudley High School, was one of them. Her brother, Sefanaia Jitoko, stated that the children, including his 10-month-old baby, have also been affected. "Piles of clothes are building up, and the toilets need to be flushed," he said. "There are 15 of us living together in our extended family, and it is very difficult without water."

Mr. Jitoko stated that the water outage is a long-standing and unresolved issue. "This is not a new problem for us. We have been experiencing this for many years. We have been speaking out about this issue, but there has been no improvement. It is very sad that this problem is affecting our children and their education," highlighting the urgent need for a sustainable solution.