Name: Helen Manukia

Student Id#: S11191287

Campus: Laucala
GE304 Assignment 3: Research Report
Finding concerns with resource management and conservation in a community on the island of
Fiji will be discuss in this essay. One of the island's main concerns is its limited supply of water,
which is additionally managed despite facing numerous issues. The second part in the process is
to determine the methods that the people of Fiji utilize to address their issues, and the final step
is to suggest or provide strategies to reinforce any potential answers. The essay will conclude
that the effects of climate change on the island are causing serious issues with water supply.
There aren't many groundwater levels lenses on Fiji's islands and atolls. Fresh water from ground
wells has long become a staple source of supply. Climate change has caused this water supply to
be insufficient. Several wells are now no longer usable due to salt water contamination as a result
of rising sea levels, [CITATION Nun97 l 1033]. Water shortage is presently being made worse
by the lack of water sources, climate change, and population growth, [CITATION Loc09 l 1033].
Due to its geographical land extent and location, Fiji is currently experiencing a challenge with
access to safe water.
Initially, freshwater is a critical issue for each and every population on the island of Fiji,
particularly those that reside in urban areas where, in contrast to the outer islands, safe well water
is available. As everything gets worsened, these concerns are growing as a result of climate
change. Plants and crops are perished because the groundwater become salty, and rainfall season
were shifting and are now very rare. Individuals start to feel anxious about getting freshwater
since a sea level rise has an impact on their primary sources of freshwater consumption. Well
water is being utilized for other things besides drinking and cooking because it is already tainted.
These other things include cleaning, washing, and watering tiny plants. For instance, the
residents of the village of Vusama rely on rainfall to irrigate their crops and restock the water
table with drinkable water. Long drought spells have impacted negatively on agricultural output,
leaving the people with less food. In recent years, severe weather has become more common and
strong in Vusama, particularly protracted dry spells. The Vusama region most recently suffered
exceptional drought conditions between October 2016 and February 2017 (less than 30 mm of
precipitation over 5 months), [CITATION Pea18 l 1033]. Several families have times of food
insecurity as a result of crop failure and constrained family budgets. However, there are several
biophysical limitations due to the village's position that limit how much precipitation Vusama
may get. Navakavu, on the other hand, is a traditional Fijian entity made up of five villages
including Muaivuso, Nabaka, Waiqanake, Namakala, and Ucuinamono. It is situated on Viti
Levu, the main island of Fiji, about 13 kilometers west of the capital city of Suva. As a result of
utilizing and consuming polluted water from their waterfall, children and elderly members of the
community developed skin diseases on the island within three months of not having access to
pure water, [CITATION Gat09 l 1033]. As the residents of Navakavu had relied on a
desalination plant for many years, and because it was accidentally damaged last year, the island
suffered severe consequences, they were looking for a long-term solution to their water
problems.
In addition, the Fijian population has developed several methods for collecting rainwater in
barrels or water tanks. This was not a long-term solution because the island does not have
enough area for the government to transport large water tanks. Since they are unable
to accommodate a single water tank in their designated places, the majority of households also
lack iron roofing. These folks relied on well water, but regrettably, because to the effects of
climate change, they could no longer utilize it. As part of the World Bank's rehabilitation of
water project, the government uses the villages of Narata and Rararua to supply water to the
island. The government's provision of water to the residents of Moturiki Island in Lomaiviti is
now their primary source of access to a reliable, consistent, and clean water supply, [CITATION
07 l 1033]. The residents of Moturiki, on the other hand, rely on a desalination plant that the
government provides and also use tanks to collect rainfall. Although it was only for a short
period of time, but these strategies helped the people of Fiji survive. 
Finally, if this suggestion were to be implemented, Fiji's water shortage would be completely
resolved. However, before doing so, the government could perhaps think about moving residents
of Lami to one of the outer islands because Lami's excessive population was a major contributor
to the country's pollution and water shortage. Hence, relocation to their respected islands can
help in keeping Lami's water supply steady. Second, instead of replacing rainwater barrels with
water tanks, the government could advise residents of Narata and Rararua to install underground
storage tanks. Households that have subterranean water storage will be more likely to experience
dry spells. In order to ensure that people can remain to obtain clean water, the government must
acquire numerous desalination plants with plenty of replacement parts for Narata and Rararua.
These plants won't be used every day but rather only when absolutely necessary. Although it
may be costly, the government ought to be responsible for it because it is absolutely necessary
for the needs of its citizens. Additionally, the project to build a new water intake on the Rewa
River, a water treatment facility, a pumping station, a reservoir, and a transmission main to
connect the new water supply to the Water Authority of Fiji's current distribution system must be
maintained and should only be delivered during drought period. As a result, residents of Lami
should think about conserving water by using their underground tank during wet season as the
government will not supply water during wet season. Government and communities should
collaborate to raise people's understanding of water issues so they can potentially conserve as
much water as they can.
In conclusion, despite the effects of climate change, the people of Fiji, particularly in Moturiki,
have opportunity to access to clean water. Nevertheless, their government has made it possible
for this to happen. People in Fiji start to worry about water scarcity since it contributes to so
many other issues. It is also obvious that the Fijian people made every effort to safeguard their
water and protect it from climate change, but there were no long-term solutions due of their
constraints. Communities experience water shortage when they are unable to meet their water
needs because of poor infrastructure or insufficient supply. The government should engage with
its people to address water scarcity by developing a solid system for restoring safe water. Despite
all the pain the people endured, potential solutions were readily identified. People should use
subterranean tanks for preserving rainfall in place of water tanks. Because they were victims here
and there, I advise people to comply and adjust to the facts of climate change. Their assistance
will be gratefully acknowledged. In order to better understand how residents of the Fijian region
are coping with and adapting to climatic changes, it is important to identify who and what are
vulnerable, how they respond to pressures, and to what extent they are able to do so. Fresh water
is essential for maintaining human health and sustaining life. People cannot reach their potential
without safe water because they will constantly run into problems.

References:
Nunn, P. D., & Mimura, N. (1997). Vulnerability of South Pacific island nations to sea-level rise.  Journal of
coastal research, 133-151.

Locke, J. T. (2009). Climate change‐induced migration in the Pacific Region: sudden crisis and long‐term
developments 1. Geographical Journal, 175(3), 171-180.

Pearce, T., Currenti, R., Mateiwai, A., & Doran, B. (2018). Adaptation to climate change and freshwater
resources in Vusama village, Viti Levu, Fiji. Regional environmental change, 18, 501-510.

Gatty, R. (2009). Fijian-English dictionary: With notes on Fijian culture and natural history.

南太平洋海域調査研究報告, & ーモツリキ島を例にして. (2007). Problems and prospects for islands at

the margins: a case study of Moturiki Island, central Fiji. 南太平洋海域調査研究報告, (47), 41.