Heavy rainfall and flooding disrupted water sources across Samoa, affecting water supply in several areas, according to the Samoa Water Authority (SWA).

In a public notice issued on Sunday, the authority said ongoing heavy rain affected most water catchment intakes, which may lead to intermittent or reduced water supply to homes.

“We hereby advise all customers that due to the ongoing heavy rains, water supply to your homes may be disrupted as most of the water intakes have been affected,”  said the authority  notice 

SWA said water production has been reduced to prevent debris and contaminants from entering filtration systems, warning that supply disruptions could continue if flooding persists.

Affected areas include several water intakes, including Tapatapao. Visual updates showed heavy rainfall impacts at the Alaoa area and the Vailele intake.

The public has been advised to harvest rainwater where possible and to boil all water before consumption. The authority apologised for the inconvenience and said response teams are monitoring the situation.

Some areas continued to receive water, while others, including Sapunaoa in Aleisa, faced supply outages.

Heavy rainfall also caused flooding at the Fagalii Ford, where fallen trees blocked the crossing as the river overflowed.

Meanwhile, the Samoa Meteorology Division issued a weather update at 5 pm Sunday, iissued heavy rain warning, a flood warning, marine warning and a strong wind warning.

The weather office said that Tropical Disturbance 08F (TD08F) continues to move further southwestward near the Tongan group and dissipated into a low-pressure system. Meanwhile, an active convergence zone linked to this weather system remains over Samoa, bringing deteriorating weather as observed across the group. 

The system is expected to bring occasional rain with heavy downpours, strong and gusty northwesterly winds and thunderstorms through tomorrow morning. The strengthening northwesterly winds will continue to generate rough seas and strong currents, with wave heights likely to exceed 3.5 meters at times.

The Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority (SFESA) also issued a public advisory, urging people to avoid crossing flooded roads, stay away from coastal areas, and continue monitoring official weather updates.