Poor drainage systems remain the primary reason urban communities are increasingly vulnerable to flooding, particularly as Tropical Cyclone Vaianu moves past Fiji.
This was shared by acting permanent secretary for Ministry for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Mitieli Cama, who warned that more towns and cities are now flood-prone and face heightened risks during periods of heavy rainfall.
Mr Cama said drainage issues continue to pose a major challenge and that these problems are often linked to both infrastructure limitations and pressures from expanding residential areas.
“Right now we know that’s one of the challenges that we face in any period of rainfall,” he said.
“We are planning to have that flood task force meeting next week so that we can encourage all our key stakeholders to come together and try to find solutions to all the frequent flooding problems that we face,
“Particularly in terms of identifying the areas of responsibility.”
Mr Cama said the meeting would focus on identifying clear areas of responsibility among agencies, including municipalities, town councils and the Housing Authority, as part of a coordinated approach to tackling persistent flooding.
“One of the biggest challenges we face is that we have limited funding to address all these flooding issues.”
He added that pooling resources and working collectively across agencies would be critical in developing effective and sustainable solutions.
“We are trying our best to come together so that we can address it together.”
Mr Cama also pointed to residential developments as a contributing factor to drainage problems, stressing the need for closer engagement with relevant stakeholders to find practical solutions.
He said the task force is expected to produce a plan that can be jointly monitored, with an emphasis on both identifying responsibilities and implementing targeted strategies.
“So yes, the strategy is something that we are targeting to do next week.”
