TOTAL costs of damage and repairs to Fiji sugar infrastructure as a result of the January floods amounted to approximately $4.8m-illion, said the Inter-national Union for Conservation of Nature.
This included additional maintenance work required to cane access roads and tramlines and associated bridges which cost about $2.4m compared to the Fiji Sugar Corporation's $4m estimate.
A IUCN report said the floods damaged many drainage schemes in mangrove reclaimed areas due to breaks in the seawalls, scouring of drains, washing away of culvert crossings, flood gates, and flap gates.
Additional infrastructure costs to the drainage schemes in low lying coastal areas were valued at $2.4m. "There are 336 kilometres of main tramline, together with 184km of secondary lines," the IUCN report said.
In addition, there are about 5039km of cane access roads which are maintained by the industry using two thirds of co-financing by the government and a third by the growers," stated the report.
"Of the 5039km cane access roads, 23 per cent of roads were damaged which required various forms of repairs from grading, gravelling, drainage and/or culvert replacement.
"Many parts of the tramlines in low lying areas were washed away and parts of tramlines were blocked by debris and covered by silt or soil."of cane access roads and tramlines, including related bridges, except for Sigatoka, cost an estimated $2.4m. The report stated this was much lower than the $4m estimated by FSC which included all maintenance costs and not just the incremental costs due to the floods.