Rakiraki resident 71-year-old Urmila Wati said the cost of building a retaining wall was too much for her

Two families of Naqoro in Rakiraki fear for their lives and homes in the event of another landslide.

Urmila Wati, 71, of Naqoro, Rakiraki, has seen a portion of her land, close to her home slip away during Tropical Cyclone Winston and the recent floods.

She fears another spell of heavy rain could mean disaster for her home.

The front porch sits about three metres from the edge of the last landslide.

Another neighbour, Pushp Chandra Naidu, the owner of the house on the lower part of the area has seen the landslide remove part of his yard and his house is barely standing.

The back of his house is about a metre from the slope where the landslide occurred and any future slip of the earth would be disastrous.

Mr Naidu said he feared this would happen before the landslide and advised his neighbour, but could not do much.

Ms Wati, whose husband is bedridden, said a Government official who inspected the land slide recently said they would do something to stop further erosion of soil from the slide.

“They are taking too long and we are scared that future erosions could damage our house,” Ms Wati said.

She said the cost of building a retaining wall was too expensive for her.

“If we don’t do anything about this matter now our house will go down with the slide one day,” she said.

For the time being, Ms Wati said they would not put up a retaining wall, but rather place rocks in the eroded area which would be held together with a concrete plaster.

“We had put eight drums and corrugated iron and five loads of soil to stop prevent further erosions, but it did not work,” she said.

She said this cost them around $1000.

They have asked for Government’s assistance on this issue because her husband was not able to move.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

Feedback: charles.chambers@fijisun.com.fj