38 Fijian Communities Require Urgent Relocation

Prime Minister and Minister for Climate Change Sitiveni Rabuka says 38 Fijian communities of which most are coastal, are in dire need of urgent relocation.

This, he said, was intensified through different factors such as rise in sea level, landslides because of heavy rain, salt-water intrusion that had affected not only landmass but vegetation of communities affected by the impact of climate change.

He said this number was likely to increase as the region braced for intensifying cyclones in years to come.

Mr Rabuka said relocation efforts had been challenging.

“There has been so many challenges. As a Government we have very little choice but to develop a robust framework of managing the situation knowing fully well the need for community relocation will be an ongoing issue of roots, cultural value or things communities hold dear to themselves.

“One of the big tasks is to assist communities to understand the risk they face if they stay where they are. We need to educate them because they may not want to move.

“Some of them are held to where they are because of their burial grounds, but the sea is eating onto their burial ground.

“It is a difficult task emotionally, culturally but it is a reality, a need for today.”

Mr Rabuka said coordinating consultations too was important in this process.

“So far, Fiji has relocated four of our most vulnerable communities. In each case they had been cases of last resort, desperation, they had to be moved or moved.

“The rationale of the relocation was based on different factors like rise in sea level, landslides due to heavy rainfall, salt water intrusion.”

He acknowledged the governments of New Zealand, Denmark, Australia and Germany, which helped Fiji with the relocation trust fund.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka addresses world leaders on December 4, 2023.

NDMO 

National Disaster Management Office director Vasiti Soko said 70 per cent of Fiji’s population resided within coastal areas and the land had depleted by saltwater intrusion and sea level rise.

She said two communities were currently displaced whereby one was currently living in tents.

“Just last week, I was responding to a cyclone in my country. Two days ago, I received a call saying that there was a massive rainfall that called for closure of schools.

“These students had to sit their external exams on this day, so we had to put them on a boat to ferry them to school. This is the reality of the climate crisis that we face.”

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