Water treatment is an issue that we will be focusing on as it is vital to life – Ro Filipe

Water treatment is an issue that we as a government will be focusing on as water is vital to life in terms of socio-economic development and biodiversity.

Minister for Public Works, Ro Filipe Tuisawau has stated this at the Dialogue on Climate Change and Water Security at the Holiday Inn today adding in terms of climate change they know it is a critical issue not just for Fiji but the region as a whole.

Ro Filipe says water security is a critical issue for all of us as we move forward and that is to have safe access to drinking water.

Chairman, Rotary Water Foundation Nalin Patel says this year with a budget of $1.3 million they are looking at 16 water projects and 60 sanitation units.

Patel says Rotary Water Foundation’s principle activity is to facilitate the implementation of water projects in needy communities in Fiji to provide expertise skills in delivering safe clean and sustainable water to the needy communities, schools, health centres and nursing stations.

Vodafone Head of eCommerce and Digital Financial Services, Shailendra Prasad says climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is a holistic challenge that affects every facet of our lives.

Prasad says the impacts of climate change amplify existing vulnerabilities and hinder progress and one of the critical areas where its effects are felt the most is water security – a fundamental resource that underpins human survival and development.

He says however, it is not a future that we are bound to accept, it is a future we can shape.

Prasad adds from renewable energy solutions to smart agriculture practices, from data analytics to climate modeling, technology offers tools that can help us mitigate the effects of climate change and at the same time adapt to its impacts more effectively.