Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
negative (Fiji Water Company LLC 2008a). However, the benefi ts of FIJI
Water's green efforts seem less clear to the residents of Vatukoula, and
the impact of such efforts at an international level are not always felt by
the domestic labor constituents of multinational companies. In fact, just
months after our initial study, we learned that the Vatukoula community
experienced a serious diarrheal outbreak due to contaminated drinking
water, which hospitalized close to forty people and killed four children
(B. Deskin, personal communication, March 31, 2008). How could this
be happening so close to a place where pristine artisanal water is being
bottled and shipped to the far reaches of the globe?
FIJI Water's website states that they “have taken direct responsibility
for providing water access to the villages that surround their source in
the Yaqara Valley” (Fiji Water Company LLC 2008b). Unfortunately,
this promise has not yet extended to the several thousand residents of
Vatukoula, many of whom have family members who are directly
employed by FIJI Water, and who have been struggling with the mining
company and government for years to get a treated drinking water
supply in place in their community.
During our 2007 study, we found that another major environmental
concern of Vatukoula residents is inadequate solid waste management,
specifi cally the unsanitary conditions at the open dump site located in
the community. A visit to the dump revealed yet another connection
to nearby FIJI Water. Reels of discarded FIJI Water labels were in use by
farmers as makeshift fencing along the dirt road approaching the dump
site. Piles of packaging materials and discarded industrial plastic pellets,
the same pellets used by FIJI Water to create their plastic bottles, were
observed at the dump site. FIJI Water bottles were also everywhere, too
many to be consumer waste. The mayor of neighboring Tavua Town
later explained that indeed FIJI Water was dumping their industrial waste
in Vatukoula and was paying the former mining company $1,100 FJD/
month to do so. Romeo Kivi, a resident of Vatukoula, also noted that it
was common knowledge that FIJI Water dumps their waste at Vatukoula;
unmarked trucks can be seen passing his village daily carrying the dis-
carded materials.
A representative of FIJI Water attempted to clarify this situation: “FIJI
Water does not pay the gold mine to use the dump; the mine requests
payment from any contactor who wishes to use the dump and in our
case Tavua Plant Hire is contracted to dispose of our general waste from
the plant. Tavua Plant Hire pays Vatukoula Gold Mine $1,500/month
to use the dump, which is the closest offi cially sanctioned landfi ll to our
