Government will “as much as possible over the long-term” ensure extraction and export of groundwater is not “over extracted” and affect “our people and country”.
Fiji’s Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Jone Usamate said this while responding to Opposition MP Simione Rasova’s question on how the Government could better assist companies that were involved in the extraction and export of groundwater, considering the amount of money received from its exports.
He said the Mineral Resources Department (MRD) had helped companies in trying to get land and also making sure there was water where they needed to extract.
Mr Usamate said one of their main concerns was trying to get a firm grip on the amount of water in the aquifers.
“Because in future, it is theoretically impossible for us to over extract water from our aquifers,” he said.
Mr Usamate said water from aquifers came from rainwater.
“So we have to look at the amount of replenishment that is going into the aquifers and look into that in relation to the extraction.
“This is a process that is being undertaken by the MRD because water is a vital resource. There are countries around the world that fight over water.”
