Over 45% of the water extracted in Fiji each year is lost before it reaches consumers, according to recent data from the Bureau of Statistics.
Since 2020, water extraction rates in the country have remained steady, fluctuating between 159,000 and 168,000 megalitres annually, with a slight increase in 2024 to 168,068 ML, an 8% rise. The bulk of this water comes from surface sources, accounting for around 140,000 ML, while groundwater and rainwater contribute between 2,800 and 3,700 ML, and 10,000 to 11,000 ML annually, respectively.
However, despite these stable figures, over 45% of the water that could meet Fiji’s growing demand is lost, mainly during distribution. Losses during the purification process are minimal, between 4.3% and 4.9% annually. In 2023, 6,144 ML was lost in purification, but a much larger 80,000 ML was wasted in the distribution system. This figure is expected to rise to more than 51% in 2024.
The Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) has attributed these high losses, known as non-revenue water (NRW), to widespread leakages in the country’s aging infrastructure. In the Suva-Nausori corridor, water losses currently stand at 47%, due to leaks and inefficiencies. To address this, WAF awarded a contract earlier this year to reduce NRW to the mid-20% range within five years. The initiative is part of a broader effort to minimise water loss, improve storage, and improve service reliability.
Households remain the largest consumers of distributed water, using between 49,000 and 52,000 ML annually, with a slight decrease projected in 2024 to 48,693 ML. In comparison, water consumption by government and commercial sectors remains stable, with the government using 4,900 to 5,100 ML annually and commercial use accounting for 13,200 to 13,700 ML.
Fiji’s environmental account for water, which monitors production and use, also provides data on the water supplied by WAF and alternative water sources for households. However, estimates for alternative water sources used by businesses were not included in the latest release.
Despite the high losses in distribution, Fiji manages to return nearly all of the extracted water to its natural sources, ensuring that the overall water balance remains stable.
