More than 100 residents of Navunikabi in the district of Wainikoroiluva, Namosi have signed a petition to stop all feasibility studies and development plans for a new hydroelectric dam.
The proposed dam is to be constructed just one kilometre from their village.
On Tuesday, villagers of all ages gathered at the riverbanks, holding protest banners to voice their strong opposition to the continuation of feasibility studies and the potential construction of hydro dams in Namosi.
The protest was spearheaded by the landowners committee, chaired by Lomani Au Maroroi Au (LAMA), which has called on the Government and the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) to respect their stance and cease all project-related activities in the area.
LAMA chairman Sipiriano Nariva expressed concerns about the environmental and cultural risks posed by the proposed project.
“The method in which they did the consultation, the method that they did in engaging landowners, was not in line with what we wanted,” Mr Nariva said.
“We do not want hydro; we do not want the feasibility studies; we want to be left alone.
“We want to preserve our environment; we want to preserve our heritage sites, so we do not want the feasibility studies at all.”
Highlighting the potential environmental consequences, Mr Nariva recalled recent heavy rainfall that caused flooding near the village.
“Recently, during heavy rainfall, we experienced flooding extending inland near the village and imagine if a hydro dam is constructed 1km from here. We have ancestral grave sites that are already vulnerable to flooding.
“These are the sort of environmental changes that we are familiarising ourselves with, and we were not used to it before,” he said.
Despite previous protests from six villages in the district, Mr Nariva noted that feasibility studies had reportedly continued in parts of Namosi, raising frustrations among the villagers.
“Namosi already has electricity; we already have enough hydro dams in Fiji,” he said.
“The people do not want feasibility studies to be conducted; they do not want the hydro, and the government is very much aware of it too.”
