SPC Geoscience Division

The Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) message has gone mobile in Fiji with the launch of a bus with the message ‘Water is Everybody’s Business’ running down the length of one side.

The 10 by 2 metre image depicts activities being carried out by a Global Environment Facility (GEF) sponsored IWRM demonstration project in the Nadi Basin and aims to raise awareness of the need for an integrated approach to improve water management and reduce risks from flooding.

Vinesh Kumar, Demonstration Project Manager, said that the bus launch was the start of a wider awareness campaign on how people from different sectors and backgrounds need to work together to improve water management and reduce the risks from flooding.

“Water doesn’t belong to one person or one sector. As it flows from mountain ridges to the reef it affects and is affected by many stakeholders,” Mr Kumar said. “Whether they are foresters cutting trees high in the catchment, farmers using water for agriculture, or communities and the tourism industry using water for drinking and recreation, everybody needs to play a part in improving the way we manage our water.”