CLIMATE WATCH
Safety of villagers in jeopardy amid climate worries
There is no doubt that climate change has a massive geographic and demographic impact on people living on the islands in the South Pacific.
Recently, Fiji was struck by two tropical cyclones – Yasa and Ana – in a span of two months. Both cyclones left a trail of devastation in their wake.
The storms also left those severely impacted think hard about relocating.
For two villages – Nabavatu in Dreketi, Vanua Levu, and Namata in Tailevu – the safety and livelihoods of villagers is paramount. With deep emotions attached to their land, the idea of moving does not sit well for some.
Others have accepted, and started anew. adapted
NAMATA VILLAGE, TAILEVU
About 10 minutes’ drive from Nausori Town is Namata Village. Namata is one of the districts in the Tailevu Province. It is one of the 146 villages in the province. Surrounded by mangrove swamps, Namata is four generations old. A newly-constructed bridge, financed by the Government, now connects the village to the main road. In the past, villagers had to walk across a wooden bridge, which they built themselves, to get to the main road. Seventy households and more than 300 people reside in Namata. It is surrounded by the Namata River.
Born and raised in Namata, Jolame Vakalolovou, 64, is the current village headman.
The farmer said they now realised that their village was vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. “Before, our village would flood only during cyclones, but now it floods whenever it rains heavily.
Because of continuous flooding, there are some people from the village who have started to relocate to Raralevu Village,” he said. The move started in 1909. Raralevu is the new village located uphill. “During Tropical Cyclone Yasa only four houses were flooded in Namata Village,” Mr Vakalolovou said.
“I can feel the impact of climate change. The weather is getting hotter day by day and I experience more rainfall than before.”
Despite such calamity, some of the villagers, like Mr Vakalolovou, remain deeply attached to their land.
“This village is close to our hearts; it is our place of origin; this is our forefathers’ village and they have fought here. We do not want to leave this place as we are also born and raised here,” Mr Vakalolovou said.
But the reality speaks for itself.
“When it floods, even our crops get damaged, and it takes about three to four months to recover. For instance, it takes about three to four months for kumala to grow, while it takes about six months for dalo to mature.
“Climate change is affecting the entire globe. It now becomes eveon the ground
ryone’s responsibility to take care of our environment,” Mr Vakalolovou said.
On Tuesday, the village was paid a visit by the Ministry of Health officials, the provincial and development office, to educate the villagers about proper hygiene practices.
NABAVATU VILLAGE, DREKETI
A village that was once relocated from Matalekutu to Nabavatu in Dreketi will now have to be relocated again, as a result of climate change.
Village elder, Esala Tawake, who witnessed how the relocation process took place in 1912, said it was a sad moment again for them to pack up and move to a safer location.
“In 1912, a massive flood left 20 families homeless. Since then we’ve experienced three floods and cyclones – in 1957, 1963 and on January 31, 2021, when Tropical Cyclone Ana hit us,” Mr Tawake said. Matalekutu, the old village site, is about a mile (1.6 kilometres) from Nabavatu. There are 84 houses and 406 villagers at Nabavatu.
They plant cassava, dalo, yaqona and survive on fishing as well. Some are vendors at the Dreketi Market.
“Many years ago there was an assessment carried out by a team from Government,” the 66-year-old grandfather said.
“They told us that the base of the mountain was full of water and that it is why our springs and rivers never run out of water. However, due to climate change, over time the water level has increased and we experience flooding often.” Based on their spiritual beliefs, Mr Tawake said since God blessed them with natural water, they should be thankful and look after it well.
“However, we have been polluting the rivers with human waste and rubbish. We have somehow ignored taking care of mother nature.” He said this could be one of the contributing factors to flooding.
TC ANA
Village headman Viliame Naibono said the village was the first in the Northern Division that had to relocate after Cyclone Ana.
“Our village is very big in terms of its geographical location near mountains,” Mr Naibono said. “Some houses are situated near the mountain base while some are near the river. Our water source is the spring and since we don’t have a drainage system, everything spills into the river.”
During Cyclone Ana, he said 16 houses and the church located on higher ground had visible cracks on the walls and floors.
Most of the houses near the river were flooded.
“Also, there was a landslide near the village community hall and the road to the village was partially washed away,” he said.
MINISTRY’S ACTION
A team led, by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and the Minister for Infrastructure, Meteorological Services, Land and Mineral Resources, Jone Usamate, visited the village recently.
They inspected areas in the village that suffered landslides, flooding and fractured cracks.
Mr Usamate advised Mr Naibono that the land was unsafe and villagers have to relocate again.
“For the concern and safety of the villagers they will need to be relocated,” Mr Usamate said.
“They should adhere to whatever is said to them so that no lives are lost. The village will either relocate temporarily or permanently.”
The ministry’s geological survey officer, Semi Bolailai, said their technical survey showed that the upper portion of slope had visible
cracks on the ground and was a lot of surface water.
The cracks on the ground led to cracked walls in houses, the church and road leading up to the village.
“This shows how harmful fracture crack was,” he said.
“All structures on high ground are totally damaged. From our technical point of view the villagers should vacate their houses and relocate because we are still in the cyclone period.”
RELOCATION PLAN
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Mr Naibono said the good news was that everyone in the village had agreed to Mr Usamate’s suggestion to relocate.
He said he was made aware of two locations chosen for the temporary move.
“There is a crown land near the
Dreketi Central College and a land beside Nadoiviri Settlement in Dreketi. Both locations are a few kilometres from Nabavatu Village.”
He said they would now wait for confirmation from the Ministry of Lands about relocating as they would have to carry out soil tests. Once everything was confirmed, Minister Usamate said he would visit the new site before giving the greenlight for the villagers of Nabavatu to relocate. No date has been confirmed yet for the relocation.
Already, villagers of Cogea in Bua are in the process of relocating after TC Yasa. The Ministry of Forestry earlier this month had cleared at least three hectares of land. Edited by Rosi Doviverata
From left: Fiji Human Rights and Ant-Discrimination Commission director Ashwin Raj, failed politician Ben Padarath.
Every Fijian child, irrespective of race, religion, gender or any other marker of difference has the constitutional right to education and to freedom of religion, conscience and belief, says Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission director, Ahswin Raj.
In a statement yesterday, Mr Raj said this right could not be taken away so easily by forces of hatred, bigotry and intolerance.
He was responding to comments made by failed politician Ben Padarath, who had pointed out on social media about a male student prefect at a Muslim school who, in a photo that was published in the Fiji Sun, was spotted growing a beard.
Mr Raj said those who were intent on sowing seeds of division based on racial and religious differences think that they could exploit these human differences by insidiously pitting our children against each other.
“But I take solace in the fact that our classrooms, coffee shops and malls are full of bright and bubbly children of various faiths, ethnicity, colour, gender and sexual orientation that transcend the petty human differences that the likes of Ben Padarath would like to exploit to keep them apart,” Mr Raj said in the statement.
“Mr Padarath needs to wake up and have a hard look at our social spaces in which children from diverse background despite their social location are flourishing in a multicultural
country where our children proudly embrace their Fijian identity.
“There is no turning that tide back and I hope that those politicians that Mr Padarath has so approvingly tagged in that shameful social media post can remind him of this changing reality even if they do not have the temerity to openly speak out against him because it may not be politically convenient.”
He said our children and education remain the last bastions of hope in combating intolerance and fostering a culture of respect for diversity and difference. “A few years ago, the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission had to intervene in a matter where a student was asked to look for an alternative school which “accommodates students of her kind” because headscarfs, according to the principal, were not in adherence with the school dress code,” he said. “The commission intervened in this matter knowing fully well that today the target is headscarves, tomorrow it will be the crucifixion symbol, then the turbans or any other religious emblem.
“If we remain quiet today, because the child that is being targeted and incriminated is not one of us, then someone else will also turn a blind eye when hatred, intolerance and bigotry knocks on your door staking its claim on your child.” Fiji Human Rights and Antidiscrimination Commission
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