DETAILED assessments must be carried out to ensure upcoming tourism projects are climate change-resilient, says Kolinio Takali.
He was a participant in the National Budget consultation at the Lautoka Girmit Centre last week where he gave his thoughts on another participant’s suggestion regarding the potential benefits of investing in the Yasawa Group’s tourism sector.
Mr Takali said some islands in Yasawa were impacted by coastal erosion and village flooding.
“We do appreciate the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways for coming in and doing the assessment work,” he said.
“I believe after the assessment, these projects should be climate change-resilient projects, otherwise all the hotels and backpackers and homes they were talking about will end up in the sea.”
Mr Takali said a team from the Agriculture and Waterways Ministry revealed in a meeting at Namoli Village in Lautoka that there was a $500,000 annual budget for climate change-resilient projects, particularly for seawall building.
“We do support the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways in their submission of their budget in the next financial year, and this is a good justification.”
Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad said the Government had identified 700 relocation projects around Fiji and the number of seawalls that needed to be built or rebuilt.
“Recently, we established the Pacific Resilience fund, and the permanent secretary was recently in Tonga to establish that fund, it’s called the Pacific Resilience Fund,” he said.
Prof Prasad said he had witnessed the impacts of saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion, inundation, the destruction of the livelihoods of village communities on Kadavu.
“That’s the kind of funding that we want to localise for building the resilience of our communities and projects like that.”
Prof Prasad said the Government intended to put in additional funding through different ministries to do that.
“I’ve been advocating that very strongly internationally, and I’m saying to the donors, big countries, look, we can’t afford it, the amount of damage that is being done.”
Mr Prasad said the Government hoped Fiji would be able to access some of these funding despite the tension felt on the international front.
“It may not come in the next six months or a year, but we are working on it, and in the meantime, we are identifying those that need urgent attention to build the seawalls, to provide relocation opportunities wherever it’s possible.”
Prof Prasad said relocation would be the next option for situations where the site cannot be salvaged.
“Relocation is always a very difficult proposition, it’s hard because people don’t want to leave.”
