Fiji PM Rabuka Downplays El Niño Impact: ‘Are People Dying? No. We Can Manage’

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has brushed off the
severity of the impact of the El Niño weather conditions
that are causing widespread drought across the
country.

Local media have been reporting extensively
on severe dry spells affecting several parts Fiji, including
its second largest Island, Vanua Levu, and the outer
maritime islands.

When asked
outside parliament in Suva by a Fiji Sun reporter
whether he was concerned about the s, Rabuka replied: “Are
people dying? No. We can manage.”

The Fiji
Meteorological Service has warned that the country is
forecast to experience below-normal rainfall for the
remainder of the year and into early 2027.

“El Niño
conditions are likely to reach very strong intensity and
persist through the remainder of 2026 and early 2027,” the
Fiji Metservice said in an update this week.

It is
advising farmers to prepare for drier conditions and the
public to conserve water.

According to local media, El
Niño is also increasing the risk of wildfires and water
shortages.

“Municipal councils are being urged to step
up enforcement against illegal burning and prepare
communities for prolonged dry spells,” state broadcaster
FBC reported on Thursday.

Fiji’s Meteorological
Services Minister Filipe Tuisawau told parliament on Tuesday
that 19 out of the 44 Water Authority of Fiji’s water
sources had reached critical levels as of Sunday, 1
November.

He told the Fiji Sun that the
government was “working towards declaring a national
emergency” as part of its response.

However, Rabuka
told the newspaper that Tuisawau would first need to get any
such proposal to
Cabinet.

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