Villagers of Salia and Narocivo on Nayau Island are celebrating the arrival of clean and safe drinking water after years of hardship, with the recent commissioning of two boreholes as part of the government’s rural water program.

For many villagers, the struggle for reliable access to water has been a long one and now, with the installation of boreholes, there’s renewed hope for healthier living at the island.

“I mean their cry has been for many years, some of them beyond a decade. And so, with these two commissioning on Nayau Island, they’ve been grateful and they’ve showed that today they welcomed us and we’ve just simply come here to re-emphasize the need for them to ensure that the surrounding areas are maintained, that there are no animals that come anywhere near the Bore hole site, because we want this project to be used by this generation as well as generations to come” Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources, Filimoni Vosarogo emphasizes.

Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources, Filimoni Vosarogo, during a visit to the island re-emphasized the community’s role in caring for the new infrastructure.

“What we think that would happen from now on is a greater care, a greater degree of welfare of the villages. We’ve delivered; we’ve walked halfway to make sure that we meet their needs” Vosarogo says.

“We came here to emphasize that they must come the other half so that we can ensure that there is longevity in these projects” he continues.

A nurse at the island of Nayau, Timoci Bulitavo, echoed the positive change already visible in the community due to this infrastructure.

“So, when we have safe drinking water, we have less patients in the hospital because they’re drinking safe and clean water” Bulitavo highlights.

“I’m hoping that the two villages tend to keep in mind what the minister has said today, the usage of the water source and keeping it clean, the area, the area where the borehole is, for them to keep it clean and also, during rainy season” he reiterates.

With this life-changing resource now at their doorstep, the villagers are reminded that good health starts with simple habits-keeping the water source clean, using it wisely, and standing together to safeguard their future.

By Joeli Ragoneliwa