Mata ni Tikina Vitogo, Ravusou Sauqaqa has thanked the Ministry of Waterways for commissioning the desilting works in the Vitogo River.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Waterways as three villages and more than six settlements had been constantly and adversely affected by floodwaters.
“This does not only affect our households, but it also affects our farms and root crops and we’re grateful to the Ministry of Waterways for the desilting works, it is a sigh of relief for us and we hope that flooding will be addressed through these works.”
Close to 20 kilometres of river desilting works will be undertaken by the Ministry of Waterways under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Digmach.
The dredging works are expected to mitigate flooding and help seven settlements, three villages, sugarcane and crop farms adjacent to the Vitogo River – altogether benefitting almost 11,000 Fijians.
The Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Environment, Dr Mahendra Reddy, assured Fijians that the Ministry will be vigilant in protecting communities who need urgent assistance – by prioritising immediate works on an emergency basis.
He reiterated that desilting works are not intended to only safeguard households, but rather to protect surrounding infrastructure from river flooding, including roads, schools and arable land.
“We have our work to do, and it is not something that we’ll be able to finish in a couple of years as requests from communities to us are increasing on a daily basis. So, I assure you all that we will come and protect you and your villages or communities,” he said.
Picture: FIJIAN GOVERNMENT
