Japan hands Fiji dredger to curb growing flood risks

Japan has handed over a dredger to Fiji in a move aimed at shifting Fiji from repeated flood response to long-term prevention.

The dredger was officially handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry at the Ministry’s Luvuluvu Station in Nausori, under Japan’s Grant Aid for Economic and Social Development.

Officiating at the handover, the Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan to Fiji, Isami Takada, said the equipment marked a transition from reactive disaster clean-ups to sustained flood resilience.

Mr Takada said Japan in 2020 pledged disaster risk reduction equipment worth JPY 848M (FJ$121.76M).

These equipment included tsunami early warning systems, an ice-making plant which was already handed over in Lautoka, and the dredger.

The tsunami early warning systems are expected to be delivered soon to the National Disaster Management Office.

Mr Takada said the dredger would also help reduce flood risks by improving drainage and preventing farmland from being affected by siltation and waterlogging.

Receiving the dredger, the Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry, Tomasi Tunabuna, said the asset would play a key role in protecting communities and agricultural land.

He said the dredger would be used to clear silted waterways, increase river discharge capacity and reduce flooding in low-lying areas.

Between 2020 and 2025, the Ministry also received excavators, wheel loaders and dump trucks through Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects, which are now supporting rural and maritime communities.

Mr Tunabuna said Fiji’s vulnerability to climate change made long-term investment in flood prevention critical to safeguarding livelihoods and food security.

He assured that the dredger would be properly used and maintained for the benefit of communities nationwide.