Caption: Mrs Viniana Ledua of Painapiu Place is now able to wash her dishes at a convenient time. Photo: SUPPLIED.
October 27,2015. Residents of Painapiu Place in Nakasi will now be able to receive normal water supply during peak hours after the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) resolved the issue of intermittent supply in the area.
Tasked by WAF CEO, Mr. Opetaia Ravai, to carry out a hydraulic analysis and system investigation, WAF’s verification team determined that water supply pressure dropped to zero during peak hours, especially in the morning, leaving some Painapiu Place customers without any water supply.
“By carrying out a minor system reconfiguration and resetting valve settings, the verification team were able to increase the pressure from zero to a minimum of 5 – 10m during peak hours,” Mr Ravai said.
“In keeping with the policy of getting a minimum of 10m of pressure at customers’ meters, the team made further investigations to make this possible, only to find that a portion of the pipeline that was supposed to be feeding Painapiu Place had been blocked off some time ago due to a burst main.
“The residents were receiving their supply through a longer supply route. This, combined with throttled valves, contributed to the lack of pressure and intermittent water supply to Painapiu Place. The blocked off section of pipe will be reconnected. In the meantime, the pressure is sufficient to ensure that customers receive water during peak hours,” said Mr Ravai.
Painapiu Place is one of 10 intermittent supply areas resolved this year. Of the 67 ISAs identified in 2014, 13 remain to be resolved by 2016.
PACIFIC REACH LTD