THE people of Nakawaga Village on Mali Island are frustrated after waiting almost two decades for a promised seawall project to become a reality.
Tui Mali Ratu Apenisa Bogiso said the community had repeatedly been told the project would begin the following year, but those promises had yet to materialise.
Ratu Apenisa said each year villagers continued to hear the same assurances, leaving many to lose confidence that the project would ever be completed.
“It has been nearly 20 years, and we are still waiting,” he said.
He said coastal erosion remained a concern for villagers, who had hoped the seawall would help protect their homes and shoreline.
“Now it is just a waiting game. Every year we hear the same promises, but nothing changes.”
He said villagers had continued to raise the issue over the years but were still waiting for tangible progress.
“The community remains hopeful that the project will eventually be delivered. The seawall is important to safeguard the village from the impact of rising seas and coastal erosion for future generations.”
In response, the acting commissioner Northern Apolosi Lewaqai said materials for the construction of the nature-based seawalls had been procured through the ministry’s internal funding allocation.
Mr Lewaqai said the project was awaiting confirmation of shipping schedules and the availability of barge transportation to facilitate the delivery of materials to the island communities.
