No water, no electricity

By Aruna Lolani 08 August 2017, 12:00AM

People can live without electricity.

But without a steady supply of water, they cannot.

Ask the Tauailoto family at Tiavea-uta and they will tell you how hard it is to have to fetch water from across the road everyday.

Speaking to the Village Voice, 50-year-old Tauailoto Leuma, said his family recently moved from Apia to the village.

“When we moved here, water was the first thing we had to work on getting,” he said. “At the moment, we’re using this other family’s tap water, but you know, I hope to have our own supply soon so the kids won’t have to cross the road everyday to fetch water. 

“Nowadays no one is safe anymore and with so many fast cars passing by almost every minute, I get worried about the safety of my kids when they go to fetch water.”

The family also doesn’t have electricity.

“But we can cope with that. We just light the kerosene lamp to get through the night but it doesn’t happen like that for water. It’s not as easy as surviving without electricity and that is why we are trying to achieve this goal, having water that belongs to us.

“Also, we don’t really worry too much about electricity because it’s expensive, well everything is expensive now, but electricity can wait.”

Tauailoto said he went and pleaded for help in this matter and he was given some documents to be signed by the faipule and family chiefs.

“It’s a lot of hard work but we are still doing it because it has a great meaning to our lives.

“So when we are done with this stage, then I am going to try and save money for the installation fee of our water because the cost is $200.

“My eldest son is the only one who works, so plus the money we get from our crops, we still have a long way to go.”

He has nine children and his youngest is still a baby. Tauailoto’s wife Lina added that it has only been four months since they have been trying to make this work.

“I guess we try to understand our situation sometimes because we have just moved here and also everything depends on money.

“We already paid our $20 for the first payment in order for them to assess the place. 

“We haven’t requested help for electricity yet because we are focusing on getting water first.”

By Aruna Lolani 08 August 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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