Waterways and environment
Tukai Lagonilakeba, Namaka, Nadi
Our Government must be commended in its foresight and prudence to separately have a Waterways and Environment Ministry to specifically deal with our country's vast waterways
This is a very special department which will guarantee the livelihood of our people and country, its development and maintenance specifically in the agricultural sector.
I can see from the many visits of our Environment and Waterways Minister, Mahendra Reddy, to urban centres, the interior rural areas and maritime remote Islands, Fijians are now very enthusiastic and appreciative about the special role this Government department plays.
It is now being inundated with calls and visits from Fijians of all walks of life to seek their assistance relevant to the clogged, blocked drains that have been unattended for the past years.
Vinaka vakalevu (thank you) to the Government for recognising the positive impact this will create and contribute to the lives of all Fijians.
At the same time it complements our Prime Minister's COP23 Presidency role with its policy of walking the talk and setting a precedence in leading from the front for our smaller Pacific nations.
It is the first time for our nation to have such a government department. Complaints of bad drainage and now shallow or dried up rivers or waterways resulting from the heavy silt deposits that lead to flooding will now be a thing of the past because the Government puts special emphasis on prioritising this very important area.
It is also very interesting.
I am personally delighted to note that our hardworking Permanent Secretary to the Prime Minister is also the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Waterways and Environment.
It goes to show how important this government department is to our Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama.
I would like to ask Mr Reddy to please kindly put out a full advert in our media outlets to inform the public where your regional offices are based, the names of officers in charge together with their contact details - email and mobile.
Certainly the Fijian public has a very important role in this because they know exactly the areas in their community that require urgent attention than these civil servants.