Drought announced in Fiji

Suva (Fiji) : Fiji's weather office on Thursday announced a meteorological drought for the country after some parts did not receive rain for 10 weeks.

According to Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, Fiji's Director of Meteorological Services Ravind Kumar said that the effects on agriculture is expected to worsen with the average to less than average rainfall predicted for September and October, Xinhua news agency reported.

The agriculture production will be low with the continuance of the dry spell. We need to see how best can we conserve some of those resources that can be used later, Kumar said.

The onus is on those Fijians living in the worst affected areas to conserve water and use the basic necessities wisely. Another area of concern is the threat of bush fires, given the dry conditions, he added.

More than 100,000 households in Fiji engage in agricultural activities including growing crops, raising livestock, fishing, freshwater aquaculture or marine aquaculture.