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.