IN recent decades, beach erosion in most of Fiji is significantly threatening the existence of the coastal communities.

Those were the words of Environment Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy during the commissioning of the Lamini Village Seawall Project ion Taveuni yesterday.

“The causes of beach/coastal erosion are considered to be a combination of human-induced development and global sea-level rise. Our coastline is too important to the nation and the lifestyle of Fijians, as we cannot leave it to erode and invade our homes, our livelihoods and our sense of security,” Dr Reddy said.

“We can’t abandon our ancestral homes and traditional grounds. As such, we need to try our best to keep the encroaching sea at bay,” he added.

Dr Reddy said to ensure the well-being of the Lamini community, the Ministry of Waterways and Environment through its contractor would retrofit the deteriorating seawall by constructing a stone masonry seawall in front of the existing seawall.

The existing seawall at Lamini Village was built in 1995 with a boulder masonry wall.

Over the years, the seawall has been affected by the waves causing damage to the seawall.

More on this story in today’s edition of The Fiji Times.