Prasad, stakeholders discuss dredging solutions for rivers
Other ratepayers also expressed similar concerns and remained hopeful that their plea would be heard by the Coalition Government.
Qawa Primary School head boy Aryan Prasad dedicated this achievement to his grandparents Premila Devi and Rajeshwar Prasad.
Aryan lives with his grandparents at Vunivau, Labasa, because his parents both work.
“Due to the long travel my parents decided that to work, it would be better for me to stay with my grandparents and attend a nearby school,” Aryan said.
“Whatever I am today is through their (grandparents) love and support and I dedicate this position to them.”
The 13-year-old wants to become a teacher.
“There are many students like me who live with their guardians,” the eldest of two siblings said. “I encourage those students to never feel lonely and focus on their education so that they can have a beautiful career in future.’’
Kisha Lingam,13, also of is the head girl.
“This school is special to my heart and will work with prefects and teachers to help students excel in their education and extra curricular activities,” Kisha said.
Vunivau,
Labasa Ratepayers Association (LRA) officials have held a meeting with Minister for Finance, Biman Prasad, to discuss the urgent need for dredging of the Labasa Town River and Qawa River.
The aim is to ease the continuous infill of debris and waste causing flash floods in the wet season, which have damaged businesses and homes in the area.
During the meeting, association secretary, Kamlesh Prasad, raised concerns about the persistent problem and the need for an immediate solution to address the flooding in the town area.
Other ratepayers also expressed similar concerns and remained hopeful that their plea would be heard by the coalition Government.
In response, Mr Prasad directed the question to Kamal Krishnan Gounder, Transitional Head of the Strategic Planning Office in the Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics.
Mr Gounder said funds for dredging nine rivers in the country would be allocated in the upcoming budget as part of the river identification dredging project.
Equipment challenge
However, he also noted that the availability of dredging machines has been a challenge in the past.
The aim is to ease the continuous infill of debris and waste causing flash floods in the wet season, which have damaged businesses and homes in the area.
To address this issue, the ministry is considering outsourcing some of the bigger activities to private dredging companies to carry out the work.
Dredging works will be expanded from the upper river to its mouth, and plans are already in progress in this direction.
LRA president, Paul Jaduram, also requested intervention in the drainage issues faced by the municipality.
With the support of the Deputy PM and the ministry, the dredging works are expected to provide a solution to the persistent problem of flooding caused by debris and waste in the Labasa Town River and Qawa River.