10 Sep 2010

Call for prudent water management in Fiji after drought meeting

9:02 am on 10 September 2010

Fiji's Meteorological Service is calling for prudent water management following a meeting to decide whether to declare the country in a state of drought.

The manager of the Climate Services division says the planners at yesterday's meeting agreed that the whole country is affected by drought and it's now up to the interim Prime Minister to make it official.

Dr Sushil Sharma says the current drought's set to surpass the most severe in recent history, that of 1998.

"During the next two to three months will be the most critical, defining moments for the country because once you have surpassed a particular threshold you basically, things go haywire and worse and that very prudent management, co-ordination and planning is required particularly from now until November and that was my main message to all the planners there."

Dr Sushil Sharma says some areas of Viti Levu, including Suva and Nausori, are less affected than other parts of Fiji.