FLOODING WEST HIT HARD
In Naitasiri, students affected
While some students were forced to stay home because of flood waters others braved the wet conditions to attend classes yesterday.
In Sawani beside the Waimanu river students were seen wading through ankle deep water on their way home.
It was the first day of the 2018 school year and Adi Cakobau School form five student Mere Fetatuki with her schoolmates did not want the rainy conditions to deter them from attending classes.
She said it was the first time for her to wade through flood waters on her way from school.
She was accompanied by two of her schoolmates, who said they were determined to go to school because it was the first day of the new school year for them.
Further up in Naitasiri students of Naqali District School had an extra day of holiday as continuous heavy rain experienced throughout Fiji on Sunday caused flooding in parts of the province yesterday.
The Naqali school remained closed because of flooding in the area and for the safety of students, teachers decided not to hold classes.
School manager Aborama Laivou said when he arrived at the school at about 7am the road in front of the school was yet to be flooded. He said heavy rain the previous night had caused water from the Wainimala and Wainibuka rivers to rise and spill onto the road. “The flood started when the high tides came in and the water level started to rise. By 8:30am the whole road was flooded and cars could not go across,” Mr Laivou said. “I had come to the school in the morning to clean up the ground with others from Naqali Village.”
Year Two assistant teacher Torika Matai, who lives in one of the Naqali teachers quarters said when they saw the road was flooded they immediately told their head teacher who was in Nausori.
She said a carrier load of students had arrived at the school by 8am.
“The students from Gusuisavu Village had arrived, however we had to inform them that there would be no classes,” Ms Matai said.
“The safety of our students is of paramount importance to us that is why we decided not to hold classes today.”
She said some cars that were left waiting on either side of the flooded road had been waiting for the waters to recede since 9am.
Naqali District School caters for about 200 students from Naqali Village, Nabau village, Nawaqabena Village, Gusuisavu Village, Waisasavu and Nacagilevu Village.