FCS rejects claims that cemetery works caused Naqiliso flooding

The Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) has pushed back against claims that its cemetery expansion works in Naqiliso, Davuilevu caused flooding that damaged homes in a nearby settlement last week.

Acting Commissioner Auta Moceisuva said the FCS had followed all legal requirements before construction began, including obtaining an environmental impact assessment.

“It’s not that we wake up one day and we start digging the place up. It’s according to what is required under the law,” he said.

Mr Moceisuva said the flooding was caused by a blocked drain, not the cemetery development works.

He explained that when contractors cleared the land, soil movement disrupted the natural flow of water at the lowest point of the site.

However, a culvert — an underground drain designed to channel water away — was already in place to manage runoff.

“They dumped rubbish to that place. It sort of blocked the water from going in,” he said.

Mr Moceisuva said the FCS had informed the community beforehand that land development would affect surrounding areas. Signboards had also been placed along the boundary for several years.

Following a multi-agency meeting, responsibility for repairing the drainage was assigned to the Fiji Roads Authority (FRA) and the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF).

Minister for Disaster Management Mosese Bulitavu, who visited the settlement on Monday and distributed relief supplies to eight affected families, said the Government would continue working with the FCS to find a lasting solution while the FRA expanded the drain.

Mr Moceisuva confirmed the drainage issue had since been resolved.