Relocating villages is the last option for Government, says Waterways and Environment Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy.
He made the comment while officiating at the groundbreaking ceremony for the longest stretch of nature-based solution sea wall at Viseisei Village in Lautoka yesterday.
Dr Reddy said the $23,400 sea wall would directly benefit more than 800 people.
“The Ministry of Waterways and Environment has not built a nature-based solution sea wall of 500m and this sea wall that is being built is for one of the largest villages and will benefit over 150 households,” he said.
Dr Reddy said the relocating villages was the last option for the Fijian Government as houses in the villages represented much more than their physical structure.
“It is no longer a physical object that you move from one place to another, he said.
“It is about the people, their livelihood, their culture, heritage and the bond with that place.”
He said Fijians settled near coastal areas some eight decades ago and proudly established their lifestyles accordingly.
“Their lives, culture and their source of livelihood is intertwined within the coastal areas which is now being threatened to the extent that some of these villages cannot be protected and need to be relocated.”
