Another Christmas in tents for Nabavatu families

Nabavatu villagers residing temporarily at Savadrua in Dreketi, Macuata, will spend Christmas and New Year in tents as they await their new homes to be completed by mid-next year.

This update of the Nabavatu relocation housing project at Nadoiviri in Dreketi was recently confirmed by the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Sakiasi Ditoka.

When asked whether the first set of homes would be completed in time for families to move in, Mr Ditoka said: “I certainly don’t think so, because that is the update I have received from the Commissioner Northern’s Office.”

Construction work

Recent unfavourable weather, including weeks of heavy rainfall, has delayed construction work.

The villagers were displaced in 2021, when a landslide triggered by Tropical Cyclone Ana damaged their homes, forcing 85 families to relocate to Savadrua. While some have since returned, 37 families are still at the temporary site.

Life in the tents has become increasingly challenging. Continuous rainfall has left floors damp, with leaks and the risk of further damage. Mr Ditoka said villagers remained hopeful as they observe slow progress on the new homes.

“These villagers are seeing the buildings going up every week. Construction is slow, but it is steadily continuing,” he said. The ministry aims to commission the first lot of homes by mid-2026.

Commissioner Northern Uraia Rainima said all villagers living in the tents were in good health, and his team continued to monitor their wellbeing.

“We are concerned about the safety of Nabavatu villagers and constantly check on them,” he said as weather conditions disrupt construction plans.

The relocation site at Nadoiviri is only a few hundred metres from the temporary camp.

Works are now focused on completing the concrete base for the houses’ with roof structures up by the end of this month.

Nabavatu headman Moriti Waqawaqa hopes to see the first homes completed soon. He but remains optimistic the project will be delivered soon.

Most villagers long to settle into their permanent homes and continue to pray for that day to arrive.