IF preparing for a wedding isn’t stressful enough, matters are made even worse when there is no access to water.
This was the reality Gurdayal Sharma faced as he spent last week fretting over the wedding of his eldest daughter.
The canefarmer from Tabataba Settlement in Ba had to cart about 10,000 litres of water to cater for the people who attended the wedding.
“If I don’t get my water tank filled, I won’t be able to have this wedding,” he said.
“So I have to pay $123 for the Water Authority of Fiji truck to fill up our tank.
“They told me I have to pay $23 for the water and $100 for the hiring of the truck.”
He said on special occasions, many of the Tabataba Settlement farmers had to fork out extra money to ensure there is enough water.
“This is a basic need but we are paying more for it.
“If we are not getting water from WAF then we are going to boreholes and the river.
“I have a river near my home but I don’t know what else is using the river.
“We see animals like horses and cows coming to the river to drink and we share the same water.
“We don’t have any other choice.” He claimed several requests had been made to the WAF Ba office for assistance.
“We need water and I have spent a long time trying to get water here. “What else can I do?”
Questions sent to Infrastructure Minister Jone Usamate and the WAF last Thursday, Friday and Saturday remain unanswered.
