Opetaia Ravai has been reelected for three more years as Chairman of the Pacific Water and Wastes Association (PWWA).
PWWA was established in 1994 to support the Pacific region in meeting its water challenges. It is comprised of 24 water utilities and 52 allied members made up of Government ministries. It also includes suppliers in Australia, New Zealand as well as those in the region.
His re-election followed the successful 7th Pacific Water Conference & Expo in American Samoa recently. The conference was focused on the need for sustainable water supplies amid increasing demand in the Pacific.
Mr. Ravai, who is Chief Executive Officer for the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF), told the 150 participants in his opening remarks that “we must think outside the box, we need to explore other avenues to sustain us by providing better services to our people.”
Representing PWWA, Mr. Ravai will be in the Bahamas from October 6-12 as a guest speaker at the Caribbean Risk Management and Natural Disasters workshop in the Bahamas from October 6-12.
He will speak on the Pacific challenge in natural disaster and risk management, using Fiji as a specific case.
“The water vulnerabilities of the small island nations in the Pacific and Caribbean are very similar. How we address them will is important to both WAF and PWWA for in comparing like problems we can benefit through shared solutions,” said Mr. Ravai.