Nasau Village: Out of Sight and Under Siege
79-year-old Lolo Marama has been around long enough to see the impacts of changing weather patterns.
Her heart breaks as she recalls the homes that have been lost or taken apart along the Nasau Village foreshore due to the rise in seawater level.
“Now as you look out, you can only see the foundations of the homes – others have gone underwater,” Ms Marama said.
“I have seen so many changes. Before, there were homes about 10 meters out from the current shoreline – but because of the rise in sea level within the past 10 to 15 years, homes have been destroyed and families have had to move further inland.”
The combined flow from the nearby river and the strong sea currents causes coastal erosion and loss of land was Ms Marama’s explanation of their dilemna.
79-year-old Lolo Marama tells about the constant changes shé’s witnessed over the years. On the right, she can only sit and watch the tide rise from her living room.
To address this, the first seawall was built in 1982 right after a Sunday church service. However, as years passed, villagers noticed it had lost its durability and decided to build a second seawall in 1995.
Both now lie useless and are visible at low tide.
“The current state of our seawalls
does not protect us anymore. The homes that are now near the shorelines will soon need to be relocated further inland but for how long can we continue,” Ms Marama said.
For 80-year-old Laisana Tuivuso, her house is just a metre away from the shoreline.
“Seawater comes right into my home frequently when it’s high tide, this is after I’ve moved twice. It wasn’t like this before and I pray this does not continue as bad as it is now,” Ms Tuivuso said.
Village headman Ionisio Navosese said sea inundation is a frequent problem when there are high tide occurrences, but for the past week, it has been quite unusual.
“The sea water seeps right into the village ground, it is almost like we are going underwater,” Mr Navosese said.
“But with what happened last week, it was a new experience to see how the current was much stronger and it kept pulling the sand and soil,” he said.
WHAT THE SCIENCE SAY
Acting Director of Meteorology, Terry Atalifo, said the highest high tide for December was predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday.
A strong northeast wind flow on Tuesday meant that coastal communities located on the windward side would experience coastal inundation. This is a result of wind driven waves and other factors, he said.
ASSISTANCE?
Efforts to get assistance from relevant authorities have been tiresome – but villagers remain hopeful.
“With the effects of climate change we are experiencing now; our mangroves and seawalls can’t seem to take the pressure and we fear for the future.”
According to Mr Navosese, five homes have been lost due to the coastal erosion.
In 2004, a mangrove planting initiative was set up to protect our shoreline from erosion.
“Our forefathers did not experience the harsh effects of climate change like we are experiencing today, and we are doing all we can to save our land and for the future generation,” Mr Navosese said.
“Many years back, a non-government organisation visited us and donated mangrove seedlings to plant and we are hoping for stronger defence coastline,” he said.
THE SEAWALL – A VILLAGE INITIATIVE
With the natural resources available around them, Nasau villagers were determined to build their own seawall from scratch.
“It’s not an overnight job where we just collect rocks and stack it all on our beachfront,” Mr Navosese said.
“It has taken years of combined effort from everyone to do such a tiresome task of collecting heavy rocks from inland and bringing them to the beachfront.”
About a mile from the village, bamboo rafts were put together to carry the rocks. At the seawall site, the rocks were stacked up on top of each other. No concrete mixture was used to glue the rocks together. The mere strength of the currents over the years diffused the rocks to its current state.
Vetiver grass is another plant often used to cushion the the effects of soil erosion and climate change.
“With a broken seawall, the mangroves and vetiver grass help keep the seawater at bay – but we are in dire need for a new seawall to really stop the seawater from coming into the village grounds,” he said.
Nasau Village headman Ionisio Navosese points to the remains of the first seawall built in 1982 because of the rising sea level. On his left is the ruins of the second seawall, built in 1995. Photo: Kelera Sovasiga
RELOCATION OPTION
Three other villages located along the Navitilevu bay face the same dilemma – Veidrala, Navira, and Navuniivi.
Despite being part of the big Viti Levu island, access to these villages are only possible via a fibreglass boats.
It seems that because they are out of sight, utility services (we often take for granted) like phone, internet connection and power supply
remain an issue.
The rocky mountains that surround Nasau Village also hinder any plans of relocation.
“We will need large machinery to flatten the steep rocky mountains – but for now, all we can do is mitigate and adapt to the impacts we are facing,” he said.
“All we are asking is for Government to please assist us in fighting the impacts of climate change,” he said.
YOUNGER GENERATION STEP UP
With a population of less than 100 people, Nasau village is home to a number of pro active youths determined to address the changing
climatic conditions.
One of them is 17-year-old, Sione Mua. Since the second wave of COVID-19, he has spent more time in his village than in Suva where he attends Jeremiah Raibevu College in Tacirua, Suva.
“We can not sit around and do nothing because if nothing is done, our future is in jeopardy.
“I believe more people need to realise and understand that climate change is real, it is not a myth or a make-believe story.
“If people see things from the grassroot levels and how it is heavily affecting us, more work can be done to save our land and our future,” he said.
Last Saturday, Sione helplessly watched as waves crashed onto the village grounds.
“It was quite unusual compared to other high tides and if this continues, I don’t know if there will be any livable and fertile land left for us.”
Sione is pleading for any form of assistance, even technical advice, to help them protect their village grounds.
HOW TO GET TO NASAU VILLAGE
Nasau Village is a two-hour drive from Suva along the picturesque Kings Highway.
From Namuaimada Village, you will take a 30 minutes boat ride to get to Nasau. On a clear, sunny day Vanua Levu and Ovalau are visible.
Despite being part of the big Viti Levu island, access to villages located on the other side of Navitilevu bay are only possible via fibreglass boats. Photo: Nasau village/Google Map
- This story was first published on Saturday December 11, 2021 and appeared in the Fiji Sun Climate Watch column.
