A RESEARCH conducted by student nurses at the Fiji School of Nursing has helped improve the lives of many families living in a settlement in Tailevu.
The survey by student nurses on Kaleli settlement in Buretu concluded that a high number of residents contracted skin diseases because of poor sanitation and contaminated water supply to households.
With the help of the roko tui Tailevu's office, a team from the Water Authority of Fiji's rural water scheme was deployed to the area to install water meters in their bid to eradicate and control skin diseases and water-borne diseases in the area.
The project saw 12 households get access to clean and safe drinking water and a water meter system.
"Residents now receive water supply from the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) through the installation of a water meter," WAF's communications officer Kelera Serelini said.
Before the construction and installation of the water meters for the 12 households, residents of the settlement relied on three water tanks for drinking and cooking purposes.
When the water tanks dried up, residents had to collect money to pay for a punt to transport water from Kiuva Village.