SCC Quick Response Team Work on Addressing Unlawful Burning

The Suva City Council is actively addressing the issue of unlawful rubbish burning at the Council’s Reserve Land located on Fletcher Road in Vatuwaqa.

SCC Acting CEO Mr Tevita Boseiwaqa said: “The matter was brought to the Council’s attention two days ago, and we have been working diligently to manage the situation in collaboration with the National Fire Authority (NFA). The NFA responded to the scene earlier this week and was able to reduce the fire’s intensity but failed to fully extinguish it due to the materials burning, resulting in persistent smoke from the debris.”

The Council’s Quick Response Team has been attending to the fire since Thursday, but these attempts were unsuccessful. Today, the Council deployed a steel-tracked digger to the site where the fire is still burning underground, and remedial works are in progress. 

SCC is in close communication with the Ministry of Environment to investigate and work on taking legal actions against the company and organization believed to have dumped old rubber tracks on the reserve land. The Council will also issue a litter notice to the individual responsible for starting the initial fire in due course.

In the meantime, we urge residents to be vigilant and avoid unnecessary burning to prevent incidents like this from occurring.

The Council appreciates the patience and cooperation of the Vatuwaqa community as we work swiftly to resolve this incident.