EROSION and accumulation of sediments have been attributed as the two main causes of the changing shape of the Nadi River for about 20 years.
A study presented by two academics from the University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan, during the International Oceans and Rivers Conference in Nadi, has revealed the shift the river has experienced between 1994 and 2009.
Rusila Tiko Savou and Eizo Nakaza say the results of changes shown on aerial photographs from 1994 to 2009 are compared with the simulations on the RIC-Nays which simulate two and three dimensional river flow while using the boundary conditions of the Nadi River.
With a length of 69 kilometres and an area of 516 square kilometeres, the report reveals the river has undergone significant changes.
Ms Savou said the results rendered by the RIC-Nay were similar to the changes that occurred along the river when comparing aerial photographs between 1994 and 2009.
“The shift in the river shape can be clearly seen and river processes that contribute to this shot are erosion and accumulation of sediments.”