At a University of the South Pacific seminar in Fiji, Dr Shaneel Chandra, a senior lecturer in chemistry at CQUniversity in Australia, called for clearer evidence on the chemicals entering Fiji’s environment, their sources and what happens after release. The event, titled “What’s in our waters? Hidden pollutants, smarter sensors and the future of coral reefs,” was reported by The Fiji Times on 29 October 2026.
The report did not provide a headline project value, treatment-plant capacity or measured concentration of a contaminant in Fiji, and it did not establish that Fiji’s seafood is unsafe. Instead, it focused on the monitoring and treatment capability needed to determine whether potentially harmful substances are entering waterways and affecting marine ecosystems.
Key takeaways
- Dr Shaneel Chandra raised concerns at a University of the South Pacific seminar about identifying emerging pollutants and protecting marine ecosystems before potential problems become harder to manage, according to The Fiji Times.
- Medicines, shampoos, sunscreen and body lotions were identified as potential sources of emerging contaminants whose chemical components can enter wastewater systems when products are washed off, The Fiji Times reported.
- Treatment systems in Fiji may not be equipped to remove every chemical entering them, while upgrading systems to address a wider range of chemicals can be expensive and technically demanding, The Fiji Times reported.
- Low-cost, solar-powered sensors could transmit selected water-quality data in real time, but they cannot detect every chemical and must be validated for their intended purpose, The Fiji Times reported.
- A 2024 research report examined emerging contaminants associated with wastewater-treatment-plant discharges but did not measure contamination in Fiji’s waters, The Fiji Times reported.
What happened
Chandra’s seminar began with the path taken by chemicals from everyday household products. Medicines, shampoos, sunscreen and body lotions can contribute chemical components to wastewater, and some substances may subsequently reach rivers, coastal waters and the ocean depending on discharge locations and treatment, The Fiji Times reported.
Conventional treatment plants were described as processes developed before many emerging contaminants became a recognised concern. Chandra said treatment systems in Fiji may not remove every chemical entering them, although he stressed that his message was not proof that Fiji’s seafood is unsafe, The Fiji Times reported.
His central distinction was between identifying a potential pollutant and demonstrating its effects. Concentration at a specific location, persistence and possible harm may still require further work, making targeted sampling, laboratory analysis and exposure assessments necessary, The Fiji Times reported.
A 2024 report co-authored by Chandra and colleagues at CQUniversity provided broader scientific context on emerging contaminants associated with wastewater-treatment-plant discharges. Its findings were not measurements of contamination in Fiji, and the report noted that breakdown products, persistence and effects on environmental and human health remain insufficiently understood, The Fiji Times reported.
Monitoring and the limits of sensors
Chandra discussed low-cost, solar-powered sensors that could transmit water-quality data in real time, helping researchers and authorities track selected indicators and identify when more detailed investigation is needed. The report warned that no single sensor can detect every chemical, that technologies must be validated for their intended purpose and that laboratory analysis remains necessary for many contaminants, The Fiji Times reported.
For small island countries, specialised environmental testing can add costs and delays, making frequent and comprehensive monitoring across multiple locations more difficult. The seminar therefore framed the challenge as both understanding environmental conditions and building capacity to detect changes early enough to respond, The Fiji Times reported.
Specification Read
The scale of any affected facility was not reported. The source supplied no wastewater flow in megalitres per day, no equivalent flow in cubic metres per day, no population equivalent, no BOD or COD concentration, and no named plant or procurement package, so a design capacity or treatment class cannot be inferred from this seminar. For operators developing municipal wastewater treatment requirements, the reported issue bears on the receiving-water and tertiary-treatment portions of the treatment train: screening, primary treatment and biological treatment would address bulk wastewater, while advanced treatment or validated contaminant-removal processes may be needed where compliance assessments identify a relevant risk. The source did not specify a particular advanced process.
If your plant looks like a municipal wastewater facility with a wastewater flow in m³/day, BOD/COD in mg/L, an emerging-contaminant compliance obligation and discharge to sensitive coastal waters, this event means that chemical monitoring and treatment performance should be included in the scoping basis rather than assumed from conventional removal performance. It also supports screening equipment and process suppliers for the stages where flow and loads can be measured, alongside laboratory and targeted-sampling requirements that sensors cannot replace.
For industrial buyers, the source did not identify an affected industrial facility or quantify contaminant loads, so it does not establish a need for chemical wastewater treatment capacity. However, the reported concern about medicines, personal-care products and other household chemicals makes influent characterisation relevant when assessing emerging contaminants. Further reading on heavy-metals removal methods for industry can support a separate site-specific assessment rather than a conclusion based on this seminar.
FAQ
What capacity and contaminant loads should be used for a Fiji wastewater upgrade?
The source did not report flow, population equivalent, BOD/COD levels or contaminant concentrations for any specific facility. Those inputs must be established through site-specific sampling and analysis before equipment is selected. The report says the seminar did not provide measurements in Fiji’s waters, and it identifies targeted sampling, laboratory analysis and exposure assessments as necessary steps for determining significance.
Will real-time sensors replace laboratory analysis for emerging contaminants?
No. Low-cost, solar-powered sensors could transmit selected water-quality data in real time and help indicate when detailed investigation is needed, but not every chemical can be detected by one sensor. The source says monitoring technologies must be validated for their intended purpose and that laboratory analysis remains necessary for many contaminants, so a monitoring specification should include both sensor applications and laboratory requirements.
What does the seminar imply for treatment-plant upgrade costs?
The source establishes that broader contaminant removal can be expensive and technically demanding, and that specialised testing can add costs and delays for small island countries. It provides no project cost, equipment price or budget range for Fiji. A buyer would therefore need current vendor quotations and site-specific treatment targets before comparing options; the seminar alone is not a cost estimate.
How should suppliers be selected for a wastewater system serving coastal waters?
The source supports a performance-based approach: define the contaminants and receiving-water risks through sampling, validate monitoring technologies for their intended purpose, and retain laboratory analysis where sensors are insufficient. Supplier comparisons should also identify where advanced treatment is required within the treatment train, but the source does not prescribe a specific technology, capacity or procurement method.
