SUVA, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Fiji will face a prolonged dry spell which is expected to continue for the next three months until November.
Families and farmers are urged to take precautions to save water as the government organizes water carting programs for rural and maritime areas.
Fiji's Director Meteorological Services Ravind Kumar said on Wednesday that while June to August were Fiji's driest months of the year, the expectant lower than average rainfall over the coming months was a cause for concern.
He said over the past two months, areas in Fiji's Northern and Western divisions have experienced about 40 to 60 days of no rain or very little rain as the dry spell currently experienced was expected to continue.
The forecast for the period from August to October for most parts of Fiji is less than average rainfall.
Kumar has advised that measures should be put in place to conserve water where possible and in the interim to use water wisely.
Dominika Bola, a housewife in Tailevu province, said they had received carted water supply to fill their water tanks.
She said the water truck came from Fiji's capital of Suva, and they were grateful to have water in their once dried tanks.
The community where she lives, a two-hour drive from Suva, does not have piped water supply. Instead, they relied on rain water for washing, cooking, drinking for both humans and their crops and animals.
The couple own a few livestock and have a greenhouse for their flowers. They also have a vegetable farm and supply leafy vegetables to the local market.
She said living without water during the dry spell was a complete challenge as they needed to ration their supply to ensure they did not run out.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development, National Disaster Management and Meteorological Services in Fiji has activated a water carting response program in the next two-months to counter the dry weather spell around the country.
The ministry has advised those in affected areas on Wednesday that a water supply operation will be carried out during the next two months.
There have also been organized planned water supply distribution programs for the next two weeks in the maritime areas.
