Collaborative support from the Australian and the Japanese governments has boosted work on the Nadi River Flood Alleviation Project.
Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad informed Parliament the Government had received the final technical report by the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility Programme (AIFFP) which would help move the project as it was one of the most critical long-term initiatives underway.
“This project is going to be a big project, and it is going to cost us significant resources,” Prof Prasad said.
“We are looking at policies and strategies to ensure that we look for more grant financing for this project.
“Given the completion of the technical report and given the support that the Japanese Government is already providing, we should be able to move on this project as soon as possible.
“We have also prioritised the allocation of funding to upgrade drainage systems to reduce the impact of the kind of flooding that we would have seen in the past.
“So, in the 2024-2025 Budget, we have allocated additional resources to the different ministries — the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways and Ministry of Sugar and Multi-Ethnic Affairs — because we believe that some of the drainage works that need to be done beyond the town boundary is having an ultimate impact when there is a lot of rain and cyclones.
“We can see the positive impact of that kind of drainage work beyond the town and city boundaries and it’s having a positive impact on towns and cities as well.”
