FIJI’S rapid urban growth is putting increasing pressure on land, infrastructure and public services, with the Government warning that nearly six in every 10 Fijians now live in towns, cities and surrounding urban areas.
Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa told Parliament on Wednesday that 58 per cent of Fiji’s population was now living in urban areas, up from 55.9 per cent recorded in the 2017 census.
He said the Government had spent the past four years planning for growth through long-term urban plans, modernising development approvals and strengthening planning laws.
“The way we plan those areas, therefore, affects where families live, where businesses invest, how people move, and the pressure placed on roads, drainage, water, wastewater and other public infrastructure,” he said.
“The question is whether urban centres will continue to grow. They will.”
Mr Nalumisa said Government’s responsibility was to ensure that this growth was planned, coordinated, resilient and sustainable.
“For the past four years, the ministry, through the Department of Town and Country Planning has concentrated on three areas — preparing long-term plans for major urban corridors, modernising the way development applications are processed; and strengthening planning laws and systems so that population investment growth can better coordinate with infrastructure and public services.”
