Landslip causes schism on road

Heavy rain caused a 50-metre schism triggered by a landslip on the Sawani-Serea Road near Nasavu Village, Naitasiri, on Friday. Peni Kakua, 65, who was only a few metres away from the incident working on his dalo farm, said: “I have been living in this village for the last 40 years and this is the first time a landslip has happened in Nasavu Village.

“Despite the incident, I was busy working on my farm. I thought it was a sound of vehicle, speeding on the road.

“But, all of a sudden I saw a vehicle slowing down and when I looked up, I saw there was a landslip,” he said. Mr Kakua said the Sawani-Serea Road was a gravel road before and since last year it was a sealed road.

“It has been raining continuously from Monday which caused the landslip on Friday. “No one was injured,” he said. Mr Kakua said he was so frightened after the incident. “I was only a few metres away from the highway.

“Soon after the incident, I placed branches on the highway in the cracks so that drivers can see them,” he said. Fulton Hogan Hiways workers were on the ground trying to determine how to start repairing the road. Meanwhile, there was a landslide in Kasavu Village in Baulevu, Nausori, on Friday night. Fulton Hogan Hiways workers were clearing the road and controlling the traffic flow. It took them about five hours to clear the road.

Floodwaters cut off people In Dawasamu, Taillevu, three villages and two settlements, were cut off yesterday when the Nailawa River Bridge was flooded. The villages are Vorovoro, Natadradave and Delakado. Natadradave and Delakado are famous for their healing water. The two settlements are Veilolo and Nawi.

A resident of Veilolo settlement, Mesake Soli said: “We are used to this weather situation now.” “When it rains heavily the Nailawa Bridge gets flooded. “Sometimes, we even have to sleep at the Nailawa bus stop and when the water level goes down then we cross,” he said. Edited by Ranoba Baoa