FOR far too long, Nadi’s businesses and residents have paid the price of inaction, says Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Lawrence Kumar.
While delivering the 2026-2027 National Budget in Parliament yesterday, Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel said Government would continue advancing the Nadi River Flood Alleviation Project (NFAP).
He said $3million had been allocated in this budget for its initial preparatory works.
In response to the announcement, Mr Kumar said the Chamber acknowledged with cautious optimism the Government’s allocation of $3m in the 2026-2027 National Budget toward early works for the Nadi River Flood Alleviation Project.
“The business community of Nadi is acutely aware that $3m represents only a fraction of what is ultimately required,” Mr Kumar said.
“NCCI recognises this as an important signal of renewed political will and a critical first step in unlocking the far larger pool of international financing that has been committed but remains untapped.
“Nadi sits below the sea level, making it inherently and uniquely vulnerable to flooding.
“With 26 major flood events recorded in the Nadi catchment since 1991 including the devastating January 2009 floods that claimed 11 lives and caused over $113million in damage, and the catastrophic 2012 floods that inflicted an estimated US$89 illion ($F200 million) in losses, the urgency of structural intervention cannot be overstated.”
Mr Kumar said in 2014 the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) commenced a comprehensive feasibility study on flood management for the Nadi River catchment.
“By August 2016, JICA published a detailed master plan proposing structural and non-structural flood control measures over a 30-year horizon, including river widening and dredging, retarding basins, like construction, bridge replacement, and early warning systems. Despite approximately $400million in committed financing from JICA and the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP), successive governments have been unable to translate these plans into ground-level works.”
When asked if $3m was enough for the preparatory works, Mr Kumar said the allocated funds would not solve Nadi’s flooding crisis.
“This allocation is seed funding to activate the early investigative and geotechnical works that will unlock the larger structural program.
“What matters now is execution, coordination, and accountability across all stakeholder agencies.
“The broader NFAP funding architecture involves the Asian Development Bank (ADB) financing catchment-wide structural measures including river training and retarding basins, JICA contributing an estimated $20million in grant financing for drainage improvements within Nadi town itself, and AIFFP providing complementary infrastructure support. The March 2026 launch of the Australian Government’s $35 million Fiji Climate Adaptation Programme (FCAP) further reinforces international commitment to building Nadi’s resilience through early warning systems, community preparedness, and upstream watershed management.”
He said the Chamber strongly affirmed that given Nadi’s below-sea-level topography, no single agency or government acting alone can solve the flooding problem.
“The consolidation of efforts by the Fiji Government, JICA, AIFFP, the ADB, the European Union and our Pacific Island development partners is not optional — it is essential.
“NCCI calls on Government to use this budget allocation to immediately convene all partner agencies, establish a transparent project coordination mechanism, and commit to a publicly reported implementation timeline.
“NCCI also urges that the $23million national waterways dredging allocation announced in this budget be prioritised for the Nadi River, where siltation at the river mouth remains a primary cause of the town’s chronic flooding. Dredging is the most immediate, cost-effective intervention available while the larger structural works are mobilised.
“Nadi is Fiji’s tourism capital and gateway to the world. When our town floods, it is not just our businesses that suffer — it is Fiji’s international image, our visitor economy, and thousands of livelihoods. We commend Mr Immanuel and the Government for beginning this journey in earnest, and we stand ready to work alongside every partner agency to ensure that this time, the plans become reality.”
