10 Nabavatu homes ready by July

The first 10 houses at the new Nabavatu Village relocation site at Nadoiviri in Dreketi, Macuata, will be constructed by July.

This is the assurance of the Minister for Rural, Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Sakiasi Ditoka, during his visit to Savadrua Village in Dreketi, last Friday.

This relocation will enable 37 families to relocate to the new site, which is stable and not prone to natural disasters.

Mr Ditoka said the commissioning of the house construction phase was delayed because material inaccessibility.

He said the commissioning would take place next Wednesday where cement will be poured into the first column of the construction.

The necessary amenities will be underground while the house will be terraced.

“It will be a model relocation village in Fiji,” he said.

“It is a project that Fiji will be proud of in terms of natural disaster resilience”.

This relocation project is Government-assisted through the Green Climate Fund.

The remaining 27 homes are expected to be built by December.

“We had gone through a tender process and a reputable company has been selected,” he said.

Relocation cost

Last February, Cabinet approved the relocation project for Nabavatu Village with an estimated cost of $5,933,099.

“This will be the first relocation in Fiji to adopt the Fiji’s Standard Operating Procedures,” Permanent Secretary for Rural and Maritime Development, Isoa Talemaibua, said.

He said the project was funded by Government through the Climate Relocation of Communities Trust Fund (CROC) under the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

Background 

Nabavatu Village was critically affected by a geohazard event that shocked the community in January 2021, after Tropical Cyclone Ana.

About 85 houses were relocated from Nabavatu Village to the AOG Church compound in Savadrua, Dreketi, Macuata, which is about one kilometre from the village site.

“Over the years, few families moved back to the old site leaving 37 families at the temporary relocation site,” he said

“About 48 families are now residing at the old site.”

He said the new site was identified through the support of scientific assessments conducted by the Ministry of Lands and Department of Environment.

The new site has an area of 16.88 hectares or 41.71 acres and is located about 800 metres southwest of the current Nabavatu Village.

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