New Seawall To Safeguard Villagers Of Nabukadra From Climate Crisis

Thirty three families in Ra will now be safe from harm’s way of storms and rise in sea level after the Government stepped in and built a new seawall to protect them – a response to addressing a climate crisis.

Yesterday, the villagers of Nabukadra rejoiced as Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama commissioned the new seawall.

Mr Bainimarama told the villagers,“You asked and your Government answered.”

He added this year, next year and for the foreseeable future “our progress as a country would be defined by how we adapt to climate change.”

The PM shared about the President’s speech when he opened that the 2020-2021 Session of Parliament and outlined the Government’s legislative agenda. Among the most critical of the Government’s priorities was their national response to the climate crisis.

“Today in Nabukadra Village we take another step towards a more climate resilient Fiji by officially opening this new nature base seawall,” Mr Bainimarama said.

“No one in your community needs a lecture from me on the importance of climate action.

“As one of our nation’s many low line communities, you are painfully familiar with the impact of the rising seas, stronger storms and changing weather patterns have had on Fiji’s development,” he said.

“You have lived with the fear that everything you have built or dreamed of building could be washed away. You have suffered anxiety from watching the old seawall being washed away, not knowing whether your children could safely call this community their home,” Mr Bainimarama added.

Permanent Secretary for Waterways Joshua Wycliffe said this seawall not only acted as a security wall from the rise in sea level, but also food security in the future.

Mr Wycliffe said the seawall was built in a way to enable it to breed its own ecosystem that will provide food to the villagers of Nabukadra.

“Every wall that the ministry builds seem to inch towards perfection even more.”

Lorraine Seeto, the chairperson for the Housing Authority Board, was also among those witnessed the commissioning of the seawall.

Ms Seeto said she came to support her sister-in-law, Jenny Seeto’s, housemaid who was from the village.

She said it was delightful to see the reaction on the villagers faces as they celebrated another step towards a more climate resilient Fiji.

Edited by Caroline Ratucadra

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