A NEW $250,000 market facility that will be more flood-proof and protect vendors' produce from being destroyed in natural disasters is under construction in Rakiraki Town.
The new facility, funded by the Ministry of Local Government, will protect the vendors and the whole market facility from future flooding, said Rakiraki Town Council's acting special administrator Seini Raiko.
But Ms Raiko said during the construction of the new facility last year, the destruction caused by Tropical Cyclone Evan resulted in more work needed to be put in to its construction.
"Right now, the market is built on a flood-prone area and so we decided to build something that would protect the vendors and their produce from future flooding," she said.
"But then Tropical Cyclone Evan hit and it has given us more work today.
"And for us to build something that will be fully-equipped to be able to weather natural disasters, we would need more funding from government.
"I have placed a request to government for more funding for us to be able to build a facility that can withstand the elements."
Ms Raiko said an additional $120,000 would be needed to complete the project.
Meanwhile, grog seller, Aruvinesh Krishna Gounder said he was looking forward to see the finished version of the market.
"I have been a market vendor for quite some time and this area specifically has only been an area that always flooded.
"I hope that this new building will be able to give us more space to sell our produce but most importantly be protected from floods," said Mr Gounder.
Vegetable seller Ranadi Nasulibawa said she hoped the council would come through with their promise to the vendors.
"This is a big problem for us.
"We don't have a proper shelter and we need something like this during bad weather," she said.