Fiji's total Land area is 18,333 km². There are two major islands - Viti Levu which is 10,429 km² and Vanua Levu 5,556 km². Other main islands are Taveuni 470 km², Kadavu 411 km², Gau 140 km², Koro 140 km². Most of the smaller islands are made of coral reefs and are low in elevation, thus unsuitable for habitation (Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics, 2010).

Topographically, Fiji is divided into three major classes: plains and valleys; low mountains and hills; and high mountains. These landforms are depositional—littoral or fluvial, erosional—fluvial erosion, mass movement or volcanic. Indigenous iTaukeis own 87.9% of the land while 3.9% is State Land. Freehold land comprises of 7.9% and Rotuman land is 0.3%. The capital is Suva and it is one of the two cities in Fiji. The other is Lautoka City and both are located on the island of Viti Levu where most of the population also resides. English is the official language of the country. However, iTaukei and Hindi (both languages) are also taught in schools as part of the school curriculum.

2. Methodology

As a social researcher, one cannot always collect data from everyone who is in the category being researched. Hence, there is random sampling of household to ensure that data is representative of the whole community that is being researched. Questionnaires were being distributed and observation made in the study area. Through the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, twenty five (25) questionnaires from the village of thirty six household (36) are being recorded and analysed. The average household numbers range from four (4) to five (5) people per household. Presented below are the findings on issues associated with freshwater accessibility. Almost all people interviewed had been residing in Kalabu Village their whole life.

3. Analysis and discussion of results

This data reveals that only a small proportion of people know exactly who controls water supply in Fiji. For a village that owns the land where the headquarters and main supplier of water in Fiji is located, this data is quite surprising since 80% of the people who answered the questionnaire reveal they do not know who control the supply of water.

The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) which began operation in 1^st January 2010, was established by the Government of Fiji to provide efficient and effective water and wastewater services in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner. This duty was formerly carried out by a government body known as the Water and Sewage Department (WSD). The authority is responsible for providing access to quality drinking water and waste water services to over 144,000 residential and non-residential metered customers reaching over 800,000 people nationwide. This includes Rotuma, rural areas and the outer islands. Nevertheless, not all areas in this location receive tap water due to certain barriers that is present to both the authority and the people.

There can be different reasons why there is a large portion of people in Kalabu do not know who controls water in Fiji and some of this can be due to:

• Less awareness and outreach made by Water Authority of Fiji and even the government to let the citizens know who controls the supply of water and the type of service provided;
• Changing of the management of water from government to private institution as in the present case for Fiji;
• People do not keep up with current affairs and recent trends of development. To some extent, there is a mindset that when it comes to decision making and authority over resources, people think it only has to do with those who are in control and have power.

• Water shortage in times of dry weather where water level in the reservoir decline
• Low water pressure at times especially in peak hours when most people are at home doing household work that are associated with water usage
• Water cuts due to pipe leakage and maintenance carried out
• Rivers being available but considered unsafe to drink due to water pollution and other reasons.

While analyzing the questionnaires, it can be noted that age plays a factor when it comes to the usage of river. Most people who are over fifty (50) years of age say that they do not use the rivers at all. Unlike the older generation, the younger generation prefers to use the river more often even though they have available water in their respective household. Most of this young people use the rivers for fun and a place where they can socialise with their friends and peers. The river provided a place for “hang out” and even at times it is a place where one can get freshwater fish, prawns and other food source that is present there.

• Reducing water bills and other reasons.
• Washing clothes in bulk that is said to be easier as there is more water compared to low pressure of water from the tap.
• Giving a chance to socialize and mingle in groups while washing clothes or doing other things.

There is interdependence and this is rooted by the core foundation of Fijian identity that is “lotu”, “vanua” and “matanitu” (religion, land and government). More than 50% of the household had their own water source. This means that more people do not share water source and is an indication of the availability of water in the area. However, the fact cannot be ignored that some household had to continue sharing water source due to financial constraints.

Thus, in Kalabu village, 52% of the respondents say that they have strategies and plans in place to help them reduce their water bills. Some of the common plans and strategies given by the respondents are as follows:

• Closing tap properly when not in use
• Using a basin to wash utensils to prevent tap from running throughout the entire period
• Repairing and maintenance of leaked pipes
• Filling buckets and bottles for drinking rather than opening the tap every now and then
• Minimizing the number of laundry times
• Using the river to wash clothes and bath for unlimited hours as it is free

Taking into account the location of reservoirs that is owned by the Water Authority of Fiji, it can be seen that a number of this reservoirs lies in the land owned by Kalabu village and that had been leased. There are agreements in place about this lease but there is a need to look closer into this agreement to see whether the landowners are really benefitting from the condition that is currently in place.

The data shows that most people believe that climate influence the supply of freshwater. Eighty percent (80%) of the respondents implies climate to be a major determining factor in the supply of freshwater. Discussion with the villagers also shows that there had been evidence of changes in the supply of freshwater in periods of heavy rainfall and the long period of drought. Often at times of natural disasters, such as tropical cyclone and flooding, water supply is severely affected. However, people had their own coping strategies that enable them to go through things when it affects them. Since most of the household rely heavily on agriculture, their livelihood is determined by changes in climate that shapes the supply of freshwater that influence agricultural products. There is scientific evidence which suggest that there had been frequent changes in rainfall and temperature pattern not only in Kalabu but Fiji as a whole. People in the village had some fair idea regarding climate change and this is owed to education. It is usually the younger generation who understand more about changes occurring with the weather pattern and with the knowledge gained from school; they disseminate the information to their elders and family members.  According to Sikeli Ladenona of Kalabu village “climate change is real and it affects us one way or the other”.

Like most problems, people have to find ways to solve it. In Kalabu village, some of the common solutions suggested by the people are:

• The need to have government assistance;
• Individuals to work hard and sort out the problem instead of relying on others to do things for them;
• Working together as a community and looking out for each other.

4. Freshwater Accessibility: Weakness and Strength in the Case Study Area

In the study area, there is strength present that can be used as success stories when addressing issues in relation to water. Firstly, the landowners had to be commended in allowing the former and now the current water governing body to use water resources present in their land to supply water to other parts of Fiji. In return for the use of water resources and their land, the villagers receive land lease. Over the past years, there had been no history of resource conflict between the water governing bodies and the landowners. Most villages and communities in Fiji have no access to water because of land issues where landowners demand a high return from the use of their land. In some cases, even the landowners do not have safe and clean drinking water due to the fear of not being compensated if their resources are being used.

During the interview in this village, it was revealed that when the first reservoir was proposed to be built on their land, the landowners were given the option not to pay their water bills. However, this was turned down by elders in the village who strongly believed in equality and hard work that all household will pay for their water bills. Together with that, the elders wanted the people not to rely on outside parties but work hard and strive for things themselves. Indeed, with the rising issue of climate change, it is important to note that more than 80% of people are aware of the issue. This is attributed to traditional knowledge for the elders and education by the younger generation. For this reason, adaptation and resilience method are being accounted for in case of access water from rainfall leading to flooding or in some cases drought that will result in water shortage.

In a developing country like Fiji, location of a place will determine the type of resources that the people can access and the possible service that can be provided. Located at a higher elevation, the people in Kalabu often experience water shortage. To make the matter even worse, there are leaking pipes that needs repairing and in most occasions there is often temporary water shortage. During the investigation, the people in Kalabu village who have had a lot of experience in water shortage say that it happens during “peak hours”. This is the time when almost all household tap water is switched on and as the distance grew away from the main water pipes, those household further on will not receive water until the previous households started turning off their taps. Such situation usually happen on Saturday when most people are at home doing their household work associated with water and during the morning when people rush to work, school and later on in the evening when household prepare meals and people have their bath.

Subsequently, this situation seems to be repeated every year and it seems to get even worse as the time it takes to wait for water to start running again in the tap when the other household turned their tap off becomes longer. In the same manner, even when water is running, the villages noticed that pressure seems to be low and this has also diminished over the years. This is a reason why most villagers prefer to wash clothes and do other activities associated with water in the nearby river. One does not have to be an expert in problem solving in order to see the root cause of this problem as majority of the villagers believe that population has increased over the years giving an increase in water consumption but the number of reservoirs remains the same.

Most people have very minimal knowledge about water issues at both local and national level, let alone issues affecting global water demand and supply. Studies have shown that people will only take action when they become aware of an issue. In Kalabu, one will be immensely surprised and impressed on the number of people that have access to electronic and communication devices. Almost all household have television, radio and above all, mobile phones. However, given all those devises, people have little knowledge of issues related to water. This can be proved when respondents are asked “who controls water in Fiji” and the response was surprising that more than half of the household in both the villagers do not know who controls water. Irrespective of location, water issues will be present in any place which means that people need to be aware on means and ways of dealing with these issues. In the same way, being knowledgeable about water related issues happening at local, national and at international level will make one realize the importance of drinking water and will influence them to conserve and sustain water even if there is abundance of it.

Water management acts and laws are not readily or easily accessible from certain locations and to certain citizens in Fiji. It is not surprising to see that few people do not wish to include the governing authority (WAF) when they need to inquire issues regarding water since they do not know the procedures and process to follow. Again, in Kalabu village where there is more development taking place, rivers and streams are adversely affected. There are legal actions that landowners and people can undertake to address this issue. However, it is sad to note that nobody is standing up for the protection of these resources simply because they thought there is no avenue to follow. The fear of going to the authority and presenting a case associated with legal jargons and processes puts people back in their comfort zone rather than standing up to the issue. Some believe that they cannot do anything about it as these are powerful organization they are dealing with. For example, the Housing Authority of Fiji (HAF) dumps excessive sewage from houses that comes under their jurisdiction into the Kalabu River causing massive environmental problem.

Freshwater accessibility is surely affected by development. The case study area as mentioned earlier in this had in one way or the other experience some form of development. A form of development that commonly exists is construction and those associated with modernization. In most cases, most development projects gets approved really fast in the village especially those that come in the form of aid. As a result, most of the development projects are cleared and given the “go ahead” sign without its implication on the environment being assessed. Industries are one that contributes a lot of adverse factors to any nearby water source. Hence, in the case of Kalabu village, this is happening as it is home to some of Fiji’s large industries including the Laqere quarry, Kinoya Sewage Treatment and Power Plant, Voko industries, Garment Industries and others. The area also has a Tax Free Zone and to make matters worse, all this industries and factories are located few meters away from rivers and streams that later make its way to the sea. This makes one wonder if there are actually laws in place to protect the environment and for this research, water.

Whilst the discussion in the preceding chapters, water will surely become scarce if individuals continue to practice unconventional and misuse water source present around them. For most people, it has become a norm to expect that water will always be there until and when a situation struck them where there is no water then only will they appreciate the value of water to life. Apart from drinking water and household use, freshwater in the case study areas is also used in the area of agriculture, flower garden, animal husbandry and other uses. A common sight present Kalabu is that agricultural activities take place along and near the river banks. A common view is the location of toilets near the river and it is important to keep in mind that this are rural areas and they are not connected to the sewer lines that is only present in limited location around the city. Hence, there are high chances that this waste will end up in the river or even seep to underground water source. Water bills is not always constant, there is a large difference in the sum of money to be paid when a household have occasions and celebrations from the period where there is none as there is more that needs to be paid. Most of the villagers wait for the water bills to arrive on the final date and hardly anyone makes their own calculation on a timely basis (week, fortnight, month etc.) based on the meter reading in their house. There is very little investment placed on freshwater and water sector as a whole. Investing in science and technology that will further improve freshwater accessibility is a need in the case study areas since population is increasing rapidly. Given the impacts of climate change, investment in the water sector is a need for the nation. Investors prefer to invest in areas that will give them a higher return. In Kalabu village, there is a need to replace the main water pipes where household connects their water meter too as it has shown evidence of rust that had been worn out over the years.

During the survey, responders from the study areas reveal that they sometimes buy bottled water. They were then asked with the question “if water should be sold at a price” and the response from the majority was that it should not be sold at a price. Hence, they were asked to give their reason and most of them say that water is a need and everyone has the right to access it. Interview with the people also concluded that all water sources were once a free good but due to “greed” some people place a limit on it in order to make profit. Hence, there is limited freshwater accessibility when it comes to certain location. Private institutions tend to increase water prices in order to maximize profits and in the end, it is the consumers who bear the burden to this. A factor that is worth thinking about is that, if all resources owners decide to privatize water resources present in their land, the whole country would suffer as prices would “skyrocket” and surely some people will not have clean and safe drinking water.

To add on, another issue that does affect freshwater is climate change. Climate influence the amount of water in both artificial and natural reservoirs. Evidently, all people are affected by climate change irrespective of their location and current water source. During the dry season, villagers noted that there is usually shortage of water. There are chances that if dry season persist and continue for a long time, there are danger in most reservoirs being depleted heavily as most water source feeding the reservoir will dry out.

5. Conclusion

Water is a key driver of economic and social development while it also has a basic function in maintaining the integrity of the natural environment. The nature and characteristics of freshwater is such that it affects all areas of livelihood. Irrespective of geographical location, resource available and limited options that people may face, it is for sure that individuals will take any means available to satisfy their need for water.

When it comes to providing water, it is not the duty of the authority alone or the government; individuals, given the available natural resources can explore means of generating clean and safe drinking water themselves. However, this does not mean that those who are involved in decision making regarding freshwater forgo a community simply because of its isolated and rural location. These decision makers have to keep trying and pushing until accessibility to freshwater is achieved and barriers eliminated for each and every communities. “Grassroot” parties such as citizens themselves have to be consulted and included when it comes to dealing with barriers surrounding freshwater accessibility. Therefore, freshwater is only one of the basic needs that affect and can change the way people live without doubt. It is of utmost important that issues associated with its accessibility must not be considered in isolation. Every individual irrespective of gender, race or religion has a right to freshwater accessibility without any form of discrimination since “water is life”.

6. References