Residents living along Vakabalea Rd in Navua were forced — yet again — to tell of their sorry tale of living in almost unbearable conditions because of activities related to gravel extraction when an Environmental Impact Assessment consultation was conducted yesterday for a proposed quarry in the area.
And as residents repeated issues they have been facing to consultant, Finau Yaubula Environmental Services, landowners demanded action be taken amidst claims gravel extraction was being conducted illegally and no EIA was ever carried out.
The contractor, Peter Chen, who owns All Earthworks Pte Limited, claimed he had a licence to extract gravel.
Many of the residents who turned up to voice their concerns said they were not against the gravel extraction, but were concerned about the huge dust clouds produced by trucks carting gravel for roads in Suva and other areas because of the health and safety risks it posed.
Dust issue
One of the most vocal — Jai Maharaj — said he moved to Vakabalea from Suva 22 years ago, looking forward to a life of serenity and a place for his then 73-year-old mother to live out her twilight years in dignity and peace.
Today, his 95-year-old mum is confined to living most of the day inside their house because of the thick clouds of dust kicked up by trucks racing along Vakabalea Rd, carting gravel and soil.
Mr Maharaj said the dust was a serious health issue for his mother and other elderly people living in the area.
He said an 80-year-old man, who suffers from asthma, invested significantly to build a home in the area, had to move to the main road because of the dust.
Mr Maharaj, who is also president of the Vakabalea Farmers Association, said dust from the heavy trucks was damaging fruits and vegetables grown by farmers and residents.
“I have been living in this area for the last 22 years,” Mr Maharaj said.
“We are not stopping anyone from doing business, our main concern really is they must bear in mind the environmental impact and the health issues that people face over here.
“I have written letters from 2019 to 2020, the responses are there from the departments, but action needs to be taken.”
Another resident Setaita Koroi said because of the dust problem in Vakabalea, another resident had to bear the financial burden of securing a place outside of Vakabalea for a young family member.
“Sometimes when I see all these trucks whizzing by, you know what comes to my mind – are these drivers human beings?” she said.
“They sit in their air-conditioned trucks and do not bother about the residents outside. They don’t care how the residents suffer and feel.”
Ms Koroi said as part of the agreement, the companies responsible for extracting and transporting gravel should regularly spray water on the road.
“I heard that as part of the agreement, they are responsible for watering the road to avoid dust nuisance. That happened last year for maybe two weeks, with a little bit of water going onto the road and it stopped.
“The developers are responsible for this problem.”
Landowners claim
Landowners in Vakabalea, Navua, claim the contractor was extracting gravel illegally without a proper EIA being carried out and other mandatory processes being followed.
The mataqali Vuanisaqiwa claimed the excavation works which have been going on in their area was damaging their land, the environment and affecting the health of people living there.
One of the landowners, Joeli Cawaki, said the mataqali believed that the entire excavation process was illegal.
“What we think is that the process is wrong,” Mr Cawaki said.
“But we will need to verify some things. They have to stop all the processes because the process is not right.”
Contractor’s position
All Earthworks Pte Ltd owner Peter Chen claimed he had a licence to extract gravel from the river.
“We have a licence for that,” Mr Chen said.
“We are sourcing from the river. That can be checked with the Lands Department.”
He also said they were in the process of getting a truck to water the road to reduce the dust.
Plea for help
Residents who spoke to The Fiji Times said Government should consider tarsealing the road since it will continue to use the road because it needs the material for roadworks in places such as Nasese, Suva.
They said other communities were benefiting while residents had to close themselves in their homes because of the dust.
“We can’t take walks, we can’t sun our beddings, schoolchildren are affected, the elderly as well,” one resident said, saying the dust issue was compounded by speeding trucks.
“So many communities have benefitted from the gravel transported from here. We have suffered enough and cannot continue suffering.
“Don’t tell us there are many gravel roads in Fiji , because not all are used as heavily as ours, all day — six days in a week.”
