AFTER four years of pleading with authorities, Savudrodro villagers could only watch helplessly as floodwaters washed away their village hall convenience into the river last year. Savudrodro Village headman Pauliasi Sekove said villagers were now worried that the village hall, which sat close to the riverbank, would soon follow the same fate as its toilet facility.
Mr Sekove said they were scared of holding meetings in the hall because it was unsafe.
“Four years ago when we pleaded with authorities, they visited the village, took photos of the danger posed by the riverbank, did measurements and returned,” he claimed.
“There was no work done to convene and address our plea. “Now that the structure has been washed into the river, officials are still coming to see the ruin and do their measurements. “The village convenience finally ended into the river on May 12 last year and so far, the spot where it fell has been overtaken by bushes while nothing has been done to address it.”
Mr Sekove said they hoped something would be done to address their concerns following the visit made to the village by the Minister for Waterways, Dr Mahendra Reddy.
Dr Reddy told the villagers during a meeting yesterday that they would need to undertake a scoping exercise to determine the work to be carried out to mitigate the problem.
He estimated excavation works worth $250,000 to be carried out in the village to address the issue. However, he said, any work to be done would begin next year after the 2018/2019 National Budget was announced.
