THE Fiji Council of Social Services has attributed delays in the Cogea Village relocation project to difficult site conditions, persistent rain, timber supply problems and other challenges, while rejecting claims that project funds were improperly paid to a contractor.
FCOSS executive director Vani Catanasiga said the $2.4 million — not $2.7m — project faced extensive civil works before house construction could begin, including bulk excavation, drainage and retaining walls.
Of the overall $2.4 million budget, $97,000 was spent by October 2024 on timber milling training for almost 100 people from Wainunu and on timber milling itself. Ms Catanasiga said Government-supplied timber did not meet the project’s specifications.
Also, about $500,000 earmarked for house construction was diverted to civil works after FCOSS determined the proposed site was unsafe for construction without significant preparation.
“If we had just built on the site as is, it would have been unsafe,” she said.
Government, and not FCOSS, she said, selected the Naro site in Wainunu, Bua, after a 2022 geotechnical assessment of four potential sites.
She said the selected site was steep, had numerous boulders and was wet and swampy, requiring additional cadastral and topographical surveys.
The site also required time for soil consolidation before vertical construction could proceed.
Ms Catanasiga said claims that 70 per cent of the total project budget had been paid to a contractor were incorrect.
She said the 70 per cent figure represented the value of the construction contract that had been paid under an accelerated program approved by international funder Bread for the World.
Heavy weather further slowed the project, with workers often able to work only half-days because of daily rain. Poor road conditions also delayed workers returning to the site after weekends. Another major setback was the disruption to timber supplies after Government withdrew from supplying timber following disagreements over the house design.
She said some village workers who were expected to assist with construction had instead been diverted to timber milling, further slowing progress.
FCOSS also reported disturbances at the workers’ camp, including reported sightings of ghosts.
Ms Catanasiga said community focal points linked the concerns to traditional obligations associated with the handover of the site not being completed during a boundary-extension process in 2022.
She said FCOSS had regularly provided progress and budget-utilisation reports to the Relocation Taskforce and had also shared audit reports with the Permanent Secretary for Environment.
Ms Catanasiga said following discussions with the Ministry of Rural Development, the contractor has committed to completing 13 houses within 12 months, while Rural Development officials have agreed to monitor progress.
FCOSS is also seeking partners to complete water and sewerage infrastructure and support further housing construction. So far, two houses have been completed, while three house structures are already up. Another three structures are expected to be completed next week.
